I don’t pay much attention to licenses after I’ve purchased them. Sometimes I carry one with me and sometimes I don’t.
I’ve purchased, and believe that I have 2 lifetime PA senior fishing licenses. If I’m able to find them. I bought the first one when I turned 65. 🤔 Not long afterwards I misplaced it, so I bought a second one. Then I found the one I thought I had lost.
I also used to buy season non resident NY state fishing licenses every year. One time about 30 or more years ago I got checked by the warden while I was fishing there and I couldn’t find it. I swore up and down to him that I had bought it, and he gave me until the end of that day to find it, or I had to pay a fine for fishing without a license. I wasn’t able to find it by the end of that day so I went to the county courthouse, paid my fine, and then bought another season license. Eventually I did find that lost license, but that was about 5 years later. Too late ⏰.
I also bought season non resident Montana fishing licenses every year, as well as Yellowstone Park season fishing permits. Sometimes I carried them with me, when I remembered to, and sometimes I didn’t. At least a later years I knew that Montana fish and game wardens could check online to verify my license if I didn’t have it with me.
One time, however, when a friend and I were fishing the Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley a woman Park Ranger checked us for our permits. My friend showed his to her, but I knew I wasn’t carrying mine with me, but I honestly thought I had it in my truck, which we had parked about a mile up the river. I told her I’d walk back to get it, but she said “Since your friend has his, I’ll believe you that you have one. So I won’t make you go back to get it now, but please carry it with you in the future. “Yes ma’am, I will.” Would you believe I didn’t actually have it in my truck like I thought i did when I checked later that day? I’d left it at home, which was about 90 miles away. I’m really glad she didn’t tell me to go get it in my truck! I have a hard time explaining that one.
One summer my 12 year old grandson spent a month or 2 with us in Montana, and he fished with me a lot of the time. I didn’t buy him a Montana license since I assumed he didn’t need it until he turned 16. Late one evening we were check by a warden as we were taking my boat off the river. My friend and I both had our licenses, but when he asked to see my grandson’s I said I thought he only needed it when he turned 16. The warden explained that they had just lowered the age requirement to 12 that year, and it had been 16 previously. I remember him saying “Well, since you’re releasing all you fish you’re not hurting the resource, but if your grandson is going to be fishing more this summer, buy him a fishing license.” I like Montana’s wardens! The only complaint I had, and it wasn’t with him, was that I had to buy my grandson a season non resident adult license, the same as mine, which cost about $120.00 at the time. I could afford it, but I’m sure a lot of other people couldn’t, and even more so any families with several children who were on vacation for a couple weeks in the summer and wanted to take their children fishing. 🤕
As an aside, sometimes I carry my PA driver’s license with me when I’m driving, and sometimes don’t, particularly at about 5:00 am most mornings when I drive to the gym and back, which is about 30 miles round trip, and I often leave my wallet with my license at home. I know you supposed to carry your drivers license with you, but I did ask a PA state trouper about not having it with you and he said he didn’t think most state troupers would ticket you as long as they checked online that you had a valid license. I’m not sure what all the local police would say? I hope I never find out differently. 👎
