A change to the way Georgia issues hunting and fishing licenses could spell the end for bait and tackle country stores.
Sportsmen also will pay higher fees for their permits under the contract with Missouri-based Central Bank signed by Gov. Sonny Perdue.
State Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, D-Menlo, said the House is working with Senate Bill 382 — which made the Crossover Day cut — to try to soften the blow. Reece rallied supporters to the cause with a speech on the floor of the House last week.
Central Bank will offer online and telephone sales and is expected to contract with a few major licensing outlets like Wal-Mart for on-the-ground sales.
But Reece said local hunters are leery of providing credit card information on the Internet and angered by the new $2.75 (online) and $4 (phone) processing fees. Small mom-and-pop stores near wilderness areas also fear a major drop in business.
“These stores only make about 60 cents on a license, but it’s a service to their patrons,” she said. “It’s easy access and it gets people in the door to buy other items.”
Roman Paul DiPrima is vice president of the Georgia Trout Unlimited Council. He said Trout Unlimited and other organizations registered protests against the change from a system that currently offers licenses at more than 1,000 outlets as well as online.
DiPrima said the additional cost is just one of the irritants. Out-of-state outdoorsmen will find Georgia a less welcoming destination, he said, and friendly local shopkeepers will take a major hit.
“I think it will hurt the economy,” he said. “And you also lose the chance to meet the homefolks. Part of the fun of fishing is talking to the people selling the license and finding the best spots in a new area. People at Wal-Mart won’t know that.”
Richard Garland, executive director of the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority, said license sales generate profitable foot traffic at the Lock and Dam Park Trading Post. If visitors must get licenses before they settle in, he said, they’ll probably buy their snacks, bait and tackle at the same time.
“There’s a benefit to having the licenses where the water is, and I don’t want to have to send a camper in to town if he gets a sudden impulse,” Garland said. “How does this fit in with the governor’s “Go Fish” initiative? I thought we were trying to get fishermen in here.”
The contract with Central Bank eliminates the need for an $8 million system replacement and makes good business sense, said Dan Forster, director of the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division.
About 90 percent of the licenses are sold by 10 percent of the bricks-and-mortar outlets, he said, and a majority of the licenses sold to nonresidents are bought via the Internet.
“There’s going to be minimal impact to sportsmen,” he said. “In fact, convenience is going to be much-improved. They’ll also be able to get licenses immediately, from anywhere, with a cell phone and a credit card.”
Officials have listened to the protests, he said, and legislation is pending to eliminate the fees for annual renewals. Also, the small shops that will no longer be vendors will remain sources for the booklets detailing state hunting and fishing regulations.
“That will mitigate the impact to the mom-and-pop stores to some extent,” Forster said. “But if it’s a very rural area and they don’t sell a lot, I’m not sure we’re going to be able to make those folks completely comfortable.”
The new system goes into effect in the fall and state officials are still working with Central Bank to determine which vendors will retain the right to sell licenses.
Reece also suggested anyone with concerns contact Perdue and seek his support for changes to the contract plans.
“This was the governor’s call and he needs to hear a human cry from our state,” she said.
Perdue can be reached by e-mail through his Web site at http://gov.georgia.gov or by phone at 404-656-1776.
