Coming soon, next year, to be exact, waterfowl hunters have one less thing to worry about because Louisiana and others states can issue electronic duck stamps to hunters.

An overwhelming bipartisan effort led by Congressmen from Louisiana and Arkansas sealed the deal for the Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023. President Biden signed the bill on Dec. 19.

What’s the big deal?

Before last week, waterfowlers could only use the electronic receipt of their duck stamp purchase for up to 45 days while waiting for a physical stamp to be mailed to them, often causing them to miss parts of the season if it was late. Once received, duck hunters were required to carry their physical stamp to remain legal the rest of the waterfowl hunting season.

Thanks to the new law, outdoorsmen can use an electronic receipt of their duck stamp immediately after purchase throughout the season starting in 2024-25.

Federal duck stamps cost $27.22. Money raised from the purchases funds conservation efforts, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The program has generated more than $1.1 billion since the first duck stamp was issued in 1934.

A physical duck stamp still will be mailed to customers because many collect them, but will arrive after the duck season.

The full House passed the Duck Stamp Modernization Act of 2023 by a vote of 403-20 on Dec. 12 after it cleared the Senate unanimously in July.

The legislation was sponsored in the Senate by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy and others, including U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-Arkansas), and in the House by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana). It allows Louisiana and other states to issue electronic duck stamps to outdoorsmen.

Cassidy said the electronic duck stamp offers quick, all-season access for new applicants.

“People come from all over the world to duck hunt in Louisiana. Hunters can now use their phone rather than a physical duck stamp. Welcome to the 21st Century! This makes their experience much better,” Cassidy said in a prepared statement.

Graves said the law “will expand access to Sportsman’s Paradise to make it easier for you to spend more early mornings in the duck blind.”

Originally created in 1934 when it was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Federal Duck Stamp Program has proved to be one of the most successful conservation tools ever created to protect habitat for birds and other wildlife. Ninety-eight percent of each duck stamp directly helps acquire and protect wetland habitat and purchase conservation easements for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Now modern technology has taken over.

Adam Putnam, Ducks Unlimited CEO, said in a prepared statement Dec. 12, before the bill was signed into law, “This is common sense legislation that will make buying a duck stamp much easier and help make duck hunting more accessible to all waterfowlers.

“More than 8 million acres of wetland habitat has been conserved through the Federal Duck Stamp Program. Now that the stamp is fully electronic, we hope that more birders, anglers and conservationists will join us to increase the number of stamps purchased each year so that more wildlife habitat can be protected.”

The DU boss appreciated the efforts it took to modernize the issuance of duck stamps.

“Sen. Boozman and Rep. Graves did an incredible amount of work behind the scenes to get the Duck Stamp Modernization Act passed, and we thank them for their efforts. The great thing about this bipartisan bill is it keeps the duck stamp tradition alive while making it easier for sportsmen and women to get outdoors,” Putnam said.

An Arkansas state official hailed the passage in a Stuttgart Daily Leader story posted Dec. 22. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission director Austin Booth praised Boozman and U.S. Rep Bruce Westerman (R-Arkansas).

“Modernizing regulations to keep up with technology lets us put hunters first and make something simpler, which is great for beginners and shows existing hunters that we listen and appreciate all they do for conservation,” Booth said.

“On behalf of Arkansas’ many duck hunters and conservation-minded outdoors enthusiasts, I applaud Sen. Boozman and the rest of our legislators for their efforts to modernize the Duck Stamp Program so that it continues to provide the funds that are so valuable to conservation in Arkansas and throughout the nation.”

When the bill passed in the Senate this summer, Boozman said, “This is an important step to improving access to Arkansas’ world-class duck hunting. This legislation incorporates technology in an easy-to-use manner for hunters to comply with license requirements while supporting conservation efforts.”