Are they outsourcing these things to somewhere that talks funny? Processing them at the Peanut Farm? Maybe the Bush Company? Doing a Friday night desk clearing "round file"? Inquiring minds want to know!
Once again, I got a card saying they had not received Ty's caribou drawing permit report, which I had sent plain mail before that season had even ended. (I sent my moose harvest report Certified - no problem with that one. Yet.)
The reminder card from Fairbanks was dated Oct 10, I received it October 20, due back in Fairbanks on the 25th. Sent it Certified. Dunno if it made it or not.
Couldn't find "on-line" reporting on the web site - truth is I didn't look all that hard, since last year they didn't let you report certain hunts, including one I had. (Now they do.)
Called Soldotna F&G to see what I was doing wrong- very nice lady there found it for me after several minutes of looking for it herself. They could make it easier to find. I spilled my woes on her.
When I told here that about 40% of my non-certified mail harvest cards over the last 30 years had gone astray, she cheerfully replied "That's about right." I about dropped the phone. Only later did I stop to think about it - like - just exactly what did she mean by that?
She also told me the on-line thingy hadn't been working out very well either, and the thing to do is for hunters to bring the harvest card by the office and they would give a receipt for it, and mail it to Anchorage or wherever for us. They used to not do that.
Then she whipped up another data base on her computer, and Ty's name was not on there as being unresponsive, so apparently the first card I had mailed HAD been received and processed. Maybe. She then filed the report right then and there on her computer (he did not hunt) and is sending me a printed copy.
That sumbitch had otter be filed! One year, I received 5 or 6 reminder cards, one day apart, for a report that I HAD TOO sent in in a timely manner.
So from now on, I am sending in all harvest reports certified, or getting a receipt for it from the local office, and/or filing it on line, especially if the send a confirmation back for it, like they do for licenses and permit applications. Or all of the above.
They are beginning to irk me.
I have to say, the online licensing and permit application process works slick! If they can get the reporting section to work as well, that will be a good thing.
