Natural Resources Ministry Introduces Plastic ID Cards for Hunters and Anglers

Natural resources ministry introduces plastic ID cards for hunters and anglers

Paper is out and plastic is in for Ontario resident anglers and hunters. The provincial Ministry of Natural Resources switched Friday to a plastic Outdoors Card, similar to residents' cards for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, but depicting colorful nature scenes on the front.

The Outdoors Card will now be necessary identification when applying for a fish or game licence in Ontario. It bears the licensee's name, height and weight, date of birth, and an expiration date.

The reverse side of the card has five small slots for stickers corresponding to the five types of licences issued by the ministry: small game, deer, fish, bear and moose.

"Everyone will be on a database; it will reduce a whole lot of paperwork," said Cindy Ferguson of the ministry's Ottawa office. "And people with previous violations will turn up quickly."

The card, which costs $6, is valid for three years. Most resident hunters and anglers should have received an application in the mail during the last six weeks.

But with a mailing list of more than one million, Ferguson says, the company issuing the cards has fallen behind schedule.

"People are still receiving them, but it's taking four to six weeks instead of two to four weeks," she said.

Because of the delays, a one-month grace period will extend through January for anglers and small game hunters who haven't yet received their cards.

If you plan to apply for any other kind of licence this year, remember the six-week delay in receiving the Outdoors Card.

If you haven't yet received an application, they're available at licence issuers and local offices of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

You can save the $6 cost of the card, for this one occasion only, if you are applying for a three-year licence at the same time.