If you can, get it.

 

Lifetime license is only valid for the person it was bought for/gifted to. Even if he moves out of state it is still valid if he ever comes back to Texas. I bought the combo fishing/hunting in 2009 before the price jumped to $1,800.

I say do it if you can swing it.

 

He won't need a license for 11 years, right? So if you buy it now, you'll be letting them use your $1,000 for 11 years for free.

He would have to buy a license at 17 years old, but if he goes off to college he might not need one for another four years. So that's 15 years that you'd have paid for a lifetime license and not needed it.

Put the $1,000 into an investment account for 15 years and you'd have $2,078. The lifetime licenses are a good thing for a young person. But for a 6 year old, I'm not so sure. You're paying for a lot of years that you don't have to.

 

^^^this^^^^

I got the lifetime at $1,000 and the biggest mistake I made was not buying it for my son ....

But when you looked at the time value of money ....it made sense to take that $$$ and invest it, with compounding interest....you actually come out ahead....

 

we can just consider it a donation for a good cause?

If you're good with this, go for it. From a money standpoint it's a loser.

 

that's the conundrum, they raised the price from $600 to $1000. no telling if within the next 11 years, they'll raise the price again. trying to hedge against a price increase.



as far as investments, when he was 2 yrs old we had setup a college fund that gets automatic $100 per month deposited for him. Hopefully we won't have a stock market crash. we have roth IRA accounts, a stock account, and a few other investments such as silver bullion/coins.


do you know if they make an announcement about price increases ahead of time?

 

as far as investments, when he was 2 yrs old we had setup a college fund that gets automatic $100 per month deposited for him. Hopefully we won't have a stock market crash.

Oh, man, the things parents go through and the stuff we have to worry about. I don't know how any of us survive.

 

Buy it.

Then everytime your son goes fishing the rest of his life he will remember you.

 

Lifetime license will let him fish as a resident in Texas for his entire life, regardless of where he lives. I bought lifetime hunting and fishing combo for me and my son in 2009, just before the last price increase. We will hit break even point in next year or so, and from there will be money ahead. Lifetime license also includes all stamps/endorsements for life, with exception of federal stamps. After I'm gone, he will remember me each year, when he doesn't have to pony up in August:smile:-Mike

 

ok thanks all. i'll wait a while and keep an eye out for the price increase announcement and buy it just before.

 

Are they going to let you buy a license for a 6 year old? When I buy mine and my sons online, it doesn't let me add one for him to the cart.

 

You can buy for child, grandchildren as gifts. There is a section for that onsite or in Academy at checkout

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Applications for lifetime licenses may be obtained:

in person from TPWD Law Enforcement offices
by printing the Application for Texas Resident Lifetime License
or by calling (800) 792-1112 (4820).
Lifetime licenses are only available for sale from the TPWD Austin Headquarters and TPWD Law Enforcement Offices.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/lifetime-licenses

 

In the meantime, you can enter the lifetime license drawing each year for 5 bucks and see if you win it. They say you have to be 17 to enter but can transfer the license to someone if you win it.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/licenses/lifetime_licenses/rules.phtml

crawpaw

 

when I was in my early 20's, can't remember exactly when, I bought the lifetime fishing license for $600, later that same year (Sept) the price of the regular license went up, and a few years later it went up again. so, well worth it for me, and I never planned on moving out of Texas. now it costs $1000.

we went to the local pond for rainbow trout yesterday. and I was thinking about getting my son, 6yrs old, a lifetime license now, before they raise the price again before he turns 17. it may cost $2000 or more by then. my wife is good with it.

BUT we have no idea if he'll live in TX when he grows up. He may get a great job out of state, or get married and move out of state, etc.

I guess if he does move, we can just consider it a donation for a good cause?

Skavatar
You should invest in your son outdoor future(but like any investment you win/lose-what if he decide not to hunt), worse he marries someone who doesn't agree with us hunting...
Anyway, when the lifetime hunting licenses 1st came out my son was 6mos old. I grew up hunting and I prayed the good Lord would bless me to teach him....
Back then the cost 1st year was $300 so I got us both one, best $600 spent as the cost now $1800 and I expect will rise. Shame Texas has one of highest lifetime licenses in nation, dont see why they have to raise cost so often....wait it our government. Factor in the stamps/license once he has to buy them. TPWD normally will make announcement if they increase license fees, but that is within few months of hunting season.... so too late to voice our opinions. Same with duck stamps, year ago you could get for $15 at post office. Now they are $28 (not bad), but post office rarely has them.
Point is if you and son/daughters will continue to hunt together building memories for lifetime, do it..... priceless! He will always be able to use...regardless of where he lives.
Norm
Lt USMC-ret

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For a 6 year old:

From now until turning 17:

11 years at $7/yr for youth hunting = $77.
11 years at $0/yr for youth fishing = $0.

From turning 17 until turning 42:
25 years at $68/yr for super combo = $1700.

So, basically at age 42, you break even assuming everything is compared as present worth. If you continue hunting and fishing in Texas after that, it's probably a good deal.

Also, the way I understand it is you must actually go to a license agent in person to get tags, etc - this is what some friends have told me / what I have observed but I could be wrong. I might pay $68 just to not have to deal with that nonsense, lol.

It also does not include the Federal duck stamp but it is no big deal to just order it.

You could come out ahead on it or lose out on it just like any investment. Some folks will never care for hunting, only fishing. So, that is another risk but you can buy fishing only for $1000. Or they could lose interest in both.

Or it could work the other way around and get them outside when it is already "paid for" versus sitting it out due to cost.

I've got two young kids and it may be something I do down the road - I'll just have to look into it more.

Regardless of what the numbers say one way or another, a gift of a lifetime license is a really awesome thing....

 

Life Time Lic

My brother bought my three boys there Life Time Hunting and Fishing Lic in 2009 before they went up. Since then, two have moved out of state and do not have to worry when they come back to Texas to fish our home waters on coast or to hunt at the ranch and pay high non resident rates. At the time, I could not make the cost work out for me, assuming that I would stay in Texas all my life, but as soon as I knew that I was moving to Montana, I bought mine at the new price. Now it really dollars out for me since I live out of state. I only wish Montana would have had one. I would have bought it in a heart beat. I now live in Alabama and I am thinking about buying my life time lic here.

The other thing some people will never experience is the attitude of a Game Warden when he checks my three boys lic and they explain how there uncle bought it for them. The reponse is always, "that must be some kind of uncle you boys have." My brother and his wife were never able to have there own kids, so my boys are like his too. We always hunt and fish together. Every year they get their lic they will remember about their uncle.