Frequently Asked Questions
We get a lot of questions. We post here answers to questions we're being asked frequently. If you have a question not answered here, please contact us. Urgent questions should be directed to your nearest office. Some answers change over time; please take note of the "answered" date.
Displaying 3026 - 3050 of 3534 questionsA:
Yes. But it not legal to use it to kill any animal for which the archery-only hunt is open.answered 8/21/2011
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Monday, August 15, was the deadline to apply. Winners will be notified by mail and results also will be posted on the Fish and Game website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ after the drawing. There's no deadline to pick up tags from the second drawing. Any tags not drawn will be available for over-the-counter sales starting at 10 a.m. Mountain Time August 25.answered 8/14/2011
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If you have drawn and purchased a deer controlled hunt tag that is not an extra hunt, the only type of deer hunt you can apply for in the second application period is an extra hunt.answered 8/7/2011
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Duck stamps - officially Federal Migratory Bird Stamp - are no longer available directly from Fish and Game. They are available for $15 at U.S. post offices, and they can be ordered by buying a receipt good for 45 days for $17.75 at Fish and Game offices, license vendors or on the Internet at: https://id.outdoorcentral.us/. Internet and telephone orders will add a convenience fee. The stamp will be mailed directly to the hunter. Anyone 16 or older who hunts migratory waterfowl must have a valid duck stamp in their possession and signed in ink by the holder. It is in effect from July 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012.answered 7/31/2011
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Idaho hunter education and bowhunter education are offered in all parts of the state, but availability varies by region. To find out when classes are offered, check the Idaho Fish and Game Website, click on "Hunter/Bowhunter Education Program" link from the home page. Then click on the orange bar labeled "View or Sign Up for Courses and Internet Field Days Here." Scroll down and pick the course and then select the nearest town from the list provided to find out what's available: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/education/?getPage=30. But don't put it off to the last minute. Later in the year, closer to hunting seasons, classes fill up fast.answered 7/24/2011
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Family Fishing Waters are great places to take the grandchildren and the rest of the family fishing. They are easy to get to, the rules are simple and they have plenty of fish to catch. To find good places to take a youngster fishing, directions on how to get there, what kind of fish will you find, and some tips to make your first fishing trip a success, go to: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/ffw/, which lists family friendly waters in each of Idaho Fish and Game's seven regions across the state. Or go to the Fish and Game Website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ and click on the "Idaho Fishing Planner" logo under the picture, and search for a place. Or contact the nearest Fish and Game regional office.answered 7/17/2011
Q: I'm a resident, and I didn't draw in any controlled hunt; when can I pick up a general season tag?
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Most resident general season deer and elk tags can be picked up after the controlled hunt drawings are over. Tags for elk zones subject to a quota went on sale Sunday, July 10. Resident quota elk tags available are:ELK ZONE--TAG TYPE--NO. AVAILABLEDworshak--B--2118Lolo--A--128Lolo--B--630Elk City--B--1,414Selway--A--179Selway--B--480Middle Fork--A--1,168Middle Fork--B--925Salmon--B--1,489Sawtooth--A--496Sawtooth--B--1,920Smoky Mtn--A--646Diamond Creek--A--1,017answered 7/10/2011
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Hunters who drew deer, elk or pronghorn can pick up their tags through August 1. After that, Fish and Game can release a list of leftover controlled hunt tags. The application period for the second drawing is August 5 through 15.answered 6/30/2011
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No. Under Idaho law, anglers do not need permission to fish along a navigable stream as long as they stay within the normal high-water marks and enter and exit the stream from a public right-of-way, such as a road or bridge. Anglers may cross private land only with permission, except to go around an obstruction with no other means of getting around - but they must use the shortest most direct route around the obstruction. For details, refer to Page 48 of the current Idaho 2011-2012 Fishing Seasons and Rules booklet, available at fishing license vendors, Fish and Game offices and online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.answered 6/26/2011
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No. Anglers need to record only adult salmon 24 inches or longer on their permit. Though salmon less than 24 inches, known as jack salmon, need not be recorded on the angler's permit and do not count as part of the season limit of 20 adult salmon, they do count as part of the daily and possession limit. On the lower Salmon River at Riggins, for example, the daily bag limit is six salmon per day, but only two may be adults. Any jacks caught on the lower Salmon count as part of the limit of six salmon per day. Any adult salmon caught count as part of the two-fish daily limit for adults and along with the jacks, as part of the six-fish total for the day.answered 6/19/2011
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The application deadline is June 30. Applications that come in after June 30 are added to the list but have little chance of being selected. Applicants must have a valid Idaho hunting or combination license. Depredation hunts, if needed, are usually held on short notice, in small areas and involve only a few hunters. Hunters may apply in different regions, but only once each year for deer, once for elk and once for pronghorn. To sign up or to get an application, contact your local Fish and Game office.answered 6/12/2011
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The second controlled hunt application period for 12 leftover moose hunt permits runs from June 15 through June 25 - one bull in Hunt 3044, Unit 12-3; three bulls in Hunt 3053, Unit 16A; four bulls in Hunt 3054, Unit 17; and four bulls in Hunt 3056, Unit 20. There are no leftover sheep or goat permits. The application period for leftover tags for deer, elk, antelope and fall black bear hunts will be August 5 to 15.answered 6/5/2011
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No. When the court revokes someone's hunting, fishing or trapping privileges for a period of time, it means just that, the privileges are revoked, whether they need a license or not. It is illegal for anyone to hunt, fish, or trap or purchase a license to do so during the time the privilege is revoked.answered 5/26/2011
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Technically the brook trout is a char, more closely related to bull trout than to rainbows or cutthroats. They are not a native species in Idaho. The limit is high because brook trout are very prolific and tend to out-compete and interbreed with the other trout species, including the native bull trout, a federally listed species. Brook trout can be a significant threat to fishing opportunity for native cutthroat trout. They also tend to become stunted when over-crowded in lakes, and they are difficult to remove once established.answered 5/22/2011
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Many Idaho streams are generally high and may be difficult right now. It's not just about whether the fish will bite; it's also a safety question. Keep a close eye on young children around fast moving water. The best advice is to decide where you want to go and call Fish and Game or local tackle shops to check on conditions before heading out. The U.S. Geological Survey also provides a report on streamflows at http://waterdata.usgs.gov/id/nwis/current/?type=flow. For help in finding a place to go fishing, try the Idaho Fish and Game Fishing Planner at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/Fishingplanner/. Meanwhile, anglers may want to consider urban ponds, lakes and reservoirs until the waters recede and over the Memorial Day Weekend. Fish and Game won't stock streams until they return to a normal flow, and this year, that could be late June or early July.answered 5/15/2011
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A resident may apply for a controlled hunt with a nonresident, but your chance of drawing will be the same as the nonresident. Nonresidents may draw no more than 10 percent of the permits in any controlled hunt. Once the quota has been met, no more nonresident applications would be drawn.answered 5/8/2011
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Not at all. The sign-up period to participate in depredation hunts this year runs through June 30. Applications that come in after June 30 are added to the list but have little chance of being selected. Applicants must have a valid Idaho hunting or combination license. Depredation hunts, if needed, are usually held on short notice, in small areas and involve only a few hunters. Hunters may apply in only one region for a given species. For more information and an application form check pages 76 and 77 in the big game rule book. Or go to the Fish and Game website: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/rules/bg/.answered 5/1/2011
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Lots of environmental conditions affect when the salmon arrive at Lower Granite Dam. Fish and Game opens the season in late April to make sure that in years when the run is early, anglers are able to fish for the salmon. In 2001, a year with a large return, more than 38,000 Chinook salmon had been counted at Lower Granite Dam by this date. The run appears to be late this year. Only 25 salmon have been counted crossing Lower Granite Dam through April 24 this year. But the recent five-year average count for the same date is 497 salmon counted. Even if the run is not late, we typically don't see many salmon at Lower Granite Dam by this date anyway.answered 4/24/2011
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The sign-up period to participate in depredation hunts this year runs from May 1 through June 30. Applications that come in after June 30 are added to the list but have little chance of being selected. Applicants must have a valid Idaho hunting or combination license. Depredation hunts, if needed, are usually held on short notice, in small areas and involve only a few hunters. Hunters may apply in different regions, but only once each year for deer, once for elk and once for pronghorn. For more information and an application form check pages 76 and 77 in the 2011 Big Game Rule Book, (which will be available in about a week) or online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/rules/bg/.answered 4/10/2011
Q: The Fish and Game Commission has set the big game season. When will the new big game books be out?
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The 2011 Big Game Seasons and Rules brochure has gone to the printer. When the print proofs come back, the seasons and rules will be posted on the Fish and Game website - http://fishandgame.idaho.gov - by early next week. The printed books are expected about mid-April.answered 4/3/2011
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Residents can buy a daily fishing license but not a three-day salmon-steelhead permit. Residents and nonresidents alike may buy a "license entitling a person to fish in the waters of the state on a day-to-day basis." A resident daily fishing license costs $11.50 plus $5 for each additional day purchased at the same time - $12.75 and $6 for nonresidents - but a daily fishing license holder can't add a steelhead-salmon permit to their license. Resident anglers must first buy a season fishing license for $25.75 to buy a steelhead or salmon permit for $12.75. Nonresidents, however, may buy a three-day combined fishing license and salmon or steelhead permit for $37.50. The rules do not allow Idaho residents to buy the nonresident three-day salmon-steelhead license.answered 3/27/2011
Q: When does Fish and Game start stocking fish, and how can I find out where they are being stocked?
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Fish and Game stocks some waters all year round. Other waters are stocked at various times during the year. For a current stocking report contact the regional Fish and Game office, or go online to: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/stocking/.answered 3/6/2011
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You don't need a license, and the only restrictions are on access and travel on the land. Horn hunters, like other outdoor recreationists, must secure permission to cross or look for antlers on private land, and they must abide by transportation restrictions on federal and state public lands. Horn hunting typically starts in early spring. Deer, elk and moose shed their antlers over the winter, following the mating seasons. Pronghorn is the only species with horns to annually shed its horn sheath. Just after mating season, the pronghorn sheds its horns and only the permanent core remains. The horns of bighorn sheep that have died of natural causes also may be recovered but may not be sold, bartered or transferred to another person without a permit from Fish and Game. Bighorn sheep horns must be permanently marked with a metal pin at an Idaho Fish and Game regional office within 30 days of recovery. But horn hunters are asked to avoid disturbing animals during winter while they are conserving their resources trying to make it through to spring.answered 2/27/2011
Q: When does Fish and Game start stocking fish, and how can I find out where they are being stocked?
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Fish and Game stocks some waters all year round. Other waters are stocked at various times during the year. For a current stocking report contact the regional Fish and Game office, or go online to: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/apps/stocking/.answered 2/17/2011
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Glad you asked. Here is a simplified version of how the controlled hunt drawing system works: The procedure has been computerized since 1973 and was certified random by Boise State University professors in 1977. Every applicant has the same chance of drawing. Officials verify that applicants meet all of the eligibility requirements to draw a tag. Each application is then assigned a randomly generated number, which is then scrambled and coded before being drawn by the computer system. The computer, located in the state controller's office, selects the successful applicants from the entire application file of eligible applicants. When a group of people enter on the same application, the group is assigned a single application number, and the whole group is entered as one combined entry. In the first round, the system randomly draws from the first choice listed by each hunter. The system then does a second drawing to fill any hunts that still have openings with second choice hunts. No person can draw a second choice before that hunt has been filled by first choice people. When residents and nonresidents enter on the same application, the entire group is treated as nonresidents. Nonresidents are limited to up to 10 percent of the tags available in any individual controlled hunt. In a controlled hunt with 100 tags, for example, nonresident singles or groups can draw up to 10 tags. If, after drawing 90 applications, the computer draws an application and finds it includes a nonresident, it checks to see whether a tag is still available for a nonresident. If 10 nonresidents already have drawn tags for that hunt, the computer simply goes to the next application. Hunters can improve their odds by doing a little homework. Using the drawing odds and results from the previous year, found on the Idaho Fish and Game hunt planner at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov, hunters can find hunts with fewer applicants and better odds of drawing. Because it is a random process, one person can sometimes draw two or three times in several years, while another person does not draw at all. That's how a random process works, just like the lottery. It doesn't mean the system is unfair.answered 2/13/2011