BATON ROUGE — Starting Friday, honorably discharged military veteran residents of Louisiana can buy an 80% discounted combination hunting and fishing license.

The newly discounted licenses, "Resident Honorably Discharged Hunt/Fish Combo," costing $20, are made available after Act 321 went into effect Friday, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said.

LDWF currently offers several discounts for active and former members of the U.S. Armed Services, including resident rates for all active-duty military personnel, a discounted combination hunt/fish license for resident or native-born retired military personnel and free licenses for disabled veterans. The newly implemented law by Sen. Brach Myers expands these benefits. 

“As a military veteran, I consider it a tremendous honor to offer this discount to the brave men and women who proudly served our country,’’ LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth said. “We would like to thank Governor Landry, the Louisiana Legislature, the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, and The Boot for their support of this new law. ”

To apply, any resident who is an honorably discharged member of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Louisiana Army National Guard or the Louisiana Air National Guard, must provide identification and proof of eligibility via an application available on LDWF's website.

In addition to any other documentation accepted by the department as satisfactory proof of military service, government-issued separation and discharge documentation like a DD-214 or NGB-22 will be accepted as proof of eligibility.

The application, required documentation and payment of a check or money order can be sent to LDWF; Attention: Sports Licenses, P.O. Box 98000, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70898.

Once eligibility is approved for this license, it may be purchased in future years by visiting louisianaoutdoors.com.