Arizona has created a new electronic tag app for hunters to use. During the middle of August, I logged into my Arizona Game and Fish (AZGF) portal account to see if there was any news about a recent special draw they were conducting. I didn’t see anything regarding my initial inquiry but what I did find, once logged in, was an option to change my “Electronic Tagging Status”.
There is a FAQ section that can be found by clicking here, on E-Tags. I simply opted into this new feature and waited until AZGF pushed out their new app, which I had heard about a few times over the past year that was being created. On August 25th, 2022 the official AZGF press release came out announcing the app.
Information on the App
Once the app is downloaded from either the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, you are prompted to log in to your portal account. After I successfully logged in I received a congratulations message on the app stating that my portal account is now connected with the E-Tag app. Once inside the app, I was able to bring up my current hunting and fishing license. Some other options on the menu included Transfer Tag Process, Thresholds/Closures, Purchase License, and a few others.
The Thresholds/Closures are a nice feature for the OTC archery deer hunters. This provides up-to-the-day information on archery deer harvests broken down by either mule deer or Coues deer and is broken down by unit number. This quickly tells archery deer hunters whether a unit is open or not. One note, the URL that you are redirected to is not mobile friendly so it can be frustrating to view all the data. There is a My Tags option, however, there are no electronic tags there at this time. If you opt-in for electronic tags and download the app then you will be able to get electronic tags in the future.
Here are the major benefits the app will provide in the near future once E-tags are in your app.
Hunters who choose to download the app and receive their big game tags electronically will be able to:
- Receive an electronic copy of big game tags on an electronic device, eliminating the need to keep paper copies.
- Electronically tag harvested big game in the field and complete harvest reporting.
- View hunting and fishing licenses.
- View and manage licenses, as well as hunt permit tags, for authorized dependent accounts.
- Hunters can choose the material of their choices, such as flagging or tape, to attach a unique validation code (provided in the E-tag system during the tagging process) to their animal following a successful harvest.
To read the official press release from AZGF click here. Likewise, you can read more Arizona hunting news by clicking here.
