Staff photo by Fritz Busch R & R Bait & Tackle owner Francis Rieger of New Ulm talks about fishing licenses in his store at 1405 N. Broadway.

NEW ULM — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ new electronic licensing system originally set to rollout in March is scheduled to begin later this year.

Promoted as modernizing the issuance of fishing and hunting licenses and titling and registration of boats and off-road vehicles, the new system is still being developed by the DNR, Minnesota IT Services and external vendor PayIT Outdoors.

Until the new system is launched, nothing will change for license agents, deputy registrars, anglers, hunters, recreational vehicle and watercraft users as they buy licenses or register motorized vehicles. The current system is fully functional, according to the DNR.

R and R Bait & Tackle owner Francis Rieger of New Ulm said his customers tell him they prefer to come into this store for paper licenses as they have in the past.

“People tell me it’s much easier to get a license in the store,” said Rieger.

New Ulm fishing enthusiast Scott Sparlin said he agrees with that philosophy and that electronic messaging devices should stay on shore.

“I’m pretty old school. I think people should leave their personal communications devices on shore and carry a hard copy license on their person while fishing,” he said.

“We should not need to have that distraction while engaging in such a personal interaction with Mother Nature. We have enough white screen time as it is and don’t need to tell others your every move out on the water. But, I know some others just can’t separate from their smartphones,” said Sparlin.

After the new ELS is operational, most hunting and fishing licenses will be available on digital and print-at-home formats. Depending on purchase options, individuals may download their license to their smartphone or print it. The new system will also enable users to check their account including lottery preference points.

In addition, the DNR plans to add an online event management system so users can find, enroll and pay for education and safety training classes and print safety certificate duplicates.

Under the new system, physical harvest tags on bear, deer, elk, prairie chicken, sturgeon and turkey will not be required, but anglers and hunters still must validate their harvest at the site of the kill as prescribed by the DNR commissioner.

Trail stickers for off-highway vehicles and snowmobiles will no longer be issued. Trail passes will be issued electronically or printed on a sheet of paper, depending on customer preference. Registration tickets still will be provided and must be affixed to vehicles.

The DNR asks users to sign up for email updates to stay informed on the timeline and rollout.

For more information including a link to sign up for new license system updates, visit https://www.dnr.state.mn/rlp.els.html.