Oh deer: Still no launch date for Minnesota's new hunting licensing app
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There's no snow yet, but Saturday's Deer Opener could be a chilly one. Photo: AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources still doesn't have a target launch date for a new mobile app and online licensing system set to roll out this year.
Why it matters: The tech upgrade, originally set to debut in March 2025, is meant to streamline and "modernize" applications and paperwork for Minnesotans who hunt, fish, boat and drive off-road vehicles.
- Outdoor recreation boosters hope the new system will make things smoother for current users and attract more young people to pastimes that generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity for the state.
Plus: It's just the latest example of a delayed or bumpy launch of state technology.
State of play: Anglers and hunters, including the 200,000-plus who've already registered for the firearm deer season that starts Saturday, can still buy their licenses in person or online.
- Digital versions can be downloaded and printed or stored on a mobile device.
Friction point: The current licensing system is outdated and glitchy, especially on mobile, which can make obtaining a license a headache, Modern Carnivore founder Mark Norquist told Axios.
- "We've been losing ground for decades in the hunting and fishing community ... and we need to make it easy for people to get outdoors," Norquist, whose organization aims to introduce more people to hunting and fishing, said. "This technology, if designed properly, will help us."
What we're hearing: DNR commissioner Sarah Strommen defended the timeline this week, saying that moving the state's "incredibly complex" licensing system to a new platform is "not an easy task."
- She said the aim is still to launch by the end of the year, the goal DNR set when it announced the updated timeline in January.
Yes, but: DNR won't go live — or even set a date — until officials are confident that the new system can deliver a top-notch user experience "from the minute it's turned on," she said.
Flashback: DNR said in January that it was working with its vendor, PayIt Outdoors, on a new timetable "that allows time for them to complete adequate testing and training."
Between the lines: The busy fall hunting calendar can also complicate launch timing.
- Minnesota Deer Hunters Association executive director Jared Mazurek told Axios that while it would have been nice to have it up and running by now, "it would be quite the headache to change over mid-season."
How it'll work: The new system will let users purchase hunting and fishing licenses and access them on their phone, even when they don't have service.
- They'll also be able to use it to log harvests from the field, including when offline, and to title and register boats and off-road vehicles.
The bottom line: Making licenses easier to buy has an impact on Minnesotans, whether they hunt, fish and boat or not.
- That's because proceeds from license sales go to conservation, fish and wildlife habitat support and maintaining public access to natural resources.