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New hunting and fishing licenses go on sale Friday. Avoid the Labor Day weekend rush by purchasing new licenses before Aug. 29. With few exceptions (year-to-date fishing licenses), the 2007-08 licenses expire midnight Aug. 31.

Texas Parks and Wildlife sells about 2.1 million hunting and fishing licenses annually. Licenses are traditionally available Aug. 15 and the big license push is Labor Day weekend. Last year, the state sold more than 350,000 licenses in a four-day period around the Sept. 1 opening day of dove season.

By comparison, sportsmen bought fewer than 20,000 licenses a day in the first two weeks that the 2007-08 licenses were available. It takes about five minutes to complete the average license purchase. You could wind up standing in line if you wait until the last minute.

Licenses are sold through 28 TP&W field offices, 65 state parks and more than 1,500 retail outlets scattered throughout Texas. They're also available 24/7 online or via a toll-free phone line, 1-800-895-4248. The phone line is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Texas sportsmen prefer to buy licenses the traditional way. During the Labor Day rush where vendors sold more than 350,000 licenses, only about 4,500 were sold online or via the phone.

If you call or go online, it's best to have all your personal information (drivers license and social security number) available and know what kind of license you need. Every Texas hunter is required to buy a hunting license. Youths younger than 17 are exempt from fishing license requirements, as are senior citizens born before Sept. 1, 1930.

There's a free fishing and hunting license available to active military personnel. Mentally disabled anglers fishing for medically approved therapy are also exempt from fishing license requirements.

License fees remain unchanged from last year, but TP&W is currently rethinking license prices. The agency will probably ask the legislature for the authority to spend more money. If that authority is granted, we'll surely see a license increase in the near future.

In the meantime, determine what licenses you need by visiting TP&W's Web site or by studying the 2008-09 TP&W Outdoor Annual, available where licenses are sold. The best bargain for an all-around sportsman is the Super Combo License Package, which includes all stamp endorsements for fishing and hunting and costs $64. There's a Senior Super Combo (age 65 and older) for $30 and all sorts of mix-and-match license packages for whatever you like to do.

If you don't hunt, a resident Freshwater Fishing Package costs $28, a Saltwater Fishing Package is $33 and an All-Water Fishing Package is $38. There are discounted packages for seniors.

If you buy a hunting license piecemeal, rather than purchasing the Super Combo, be sure to include various stamp endorsements for whatever game you pursue (migratory birds, upland birds or archery turkeys or deer).

Also, if you hunt migratory birds, make sure the license vendor asks pertinent questions regarding last year's harvest. The questions are called Harvest Information Program questions and migratory bird hunters must be HIP certified to legally hunt doves, ducks, geese or other migratory birds. Your printed license should clearly state that you're HIP certified.