Graves supports waterfowl hunters with electronic duck stamp bill

Waterfowl hunters would have access to a permanent, federal electronic duck stamp that would be valid for the entirety of each hunting season under bipartisan legislation recently led by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA). 

“We’re not ducking the question on this one,” Rep. Graves quipped. “This common-sense legislation should have been law long ago. We’re making it easier for outdoorsmen and women to hunt.”

The congressman on April 26 sponsored the Duck Stamp Modernization Act, H.R. 2872, with two original cosponsors, including U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), to amend the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 to allow states to issue electronic stamps, according to the bill’s text.

Duck hunters must have the federal license, known as the duck stamp, to hunt and harvest migratory waterfowl, according to information offered by the congressmen. When a hunter purchases the annual stamp online, he or she has access to an electronic copy for up to 45 days, which is meant to provide temporary cover until the physical stamp arrives in the mail.

However, it can take weeks or months for the physical stamp to arrive in the mail, the information says, noting that the delayed arrival infringes on a hunter’s ability to comply with federal hunting license requirements during a short hunting season. 

If enacted, H.R. 2872 would allow duck hunters to access a permanent annual electronic duck stamp that is tied to their smartphones so they can remain in compliance for the entirety of duck season, says the info.

“The Duck Stamp Modernization Act will make the Federal Duck Stamp more accessible and raise revenue used for conservation by authorizing an electronic stamp,” said Rep. Thompson. “I am proud to cosponsor this legislation alongside Congressman Graves to help modernize duck hunting and make waterfowl season more accessible than ever.”

Traditional duck stamps also would remain available for purchase from the post office and other authorized retailers.

The bill is supported by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Ducks Unlimited, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.