Frequently Asked Questions

A: 

If you haven't tried it, I would suggest you go to our Fishing Planner application on our website and check the access feature.  It contains all of the access sites we built or maintain with maps, site features and the types of fish you can expect to catch.  It can be found at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis/fishingplanner/access.  Select the Southwest Region and it will zoom to the Boise area. There are other sites maintained by other agencies that do not show-up on our application. Check the City of Boise - Parks and Recreation website, Idaho Parks and Recreation or the Bureau of Reclamation websites for more details.

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First of all, thanks for the taking the time to ask the question.  Putting your tag on an animal you did not harvest yourself is called a tag transfer and is illegal.  The person to whom the tag is issued is the only person who may attempt to harvest that animal.  It is legal however for someone to legally harvest an animal and give the animal to other person.  Anytime an animal or parts of a legally harvested animal are given as gifts, they must be accompanied by a proxy statement.  Their is a sample proxy statement on page 102 of the 2014 Big Game Rules.

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As long as you have fulfilled the bow hunter education requirements, you are able to purchase an archery permit at any time during a license year. Based on the hunt information in the 2014 big game regulations, your regular deer tag can be used to participate in an archery only hunt for white-tailed deer in unit 64 in November and part of December.

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  Once you have killed  any species of willdife that requires a tag to hunt (all big game species and turkey) the hunter must immediatley validate  their tag and attach it either to the carcass for most big game species or to the animal's hide for bear, lion and wolf.   The term immediatley  is defined as either being "without delay" or "with nothing in between".  So once you have killed your animal the rules  require that the next thing to be done, without delay, is to validate your game tag and attach it to either the carcass or the hide. Be sure to cleanly and completely  remove the corresponding triangles  for the day and month to designate the date of harvest. The game tag has a pair of perforated holes that can be used to secure the tag to the carcass with wire or twine.  When field dressing the animal,  you may reposition the validated tag to ensure that it remains attached to the the largest portion of the carcass.   The tag must remain attached during transit to a place of processing and must remain attached until the meat is processed. The validated tag must accompany the processed meat to the place of final storage or final consumption.    The rules regarding the tagging of big game animals are addressed in Idaho Code 36-409(d) and Idaho Administrative Code 13.01.08.320.  Idaho code 36-409(d)  Game Tag to Be Validated and Attached to Carcass. As soon as any person kills any wildlife for which a tag is required, said tag, belonging to him, must be validated and attached to said wildlife in a manner provided by commission rule. IDAPA 13.01.08.320.TAG VALIDATION AND ATTACHMENT AND PROXY STATEMENT. 01. Tag. Immediately after any deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, mountain lion, black bear, or gray wolf is killed, the appropriate big game animal tag must be validated and securely attached to the animal. (4-7-11) a. Validation. Cut out and completely remove only the two (2) triangles indicating the date and month of kill. (7-1-93) b. Attachment of Tag. (7-1-93) i. Deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, mountain goat, black bear, and bighorn sheep: to the largest portion of the edible meat to be retained by the hunter or any person transporting for the hunter. The tag must remain attached during transit to a place of processing and must remain attached until the meat is processed. The validated tag must accompany the processed meat to the place of final storage or final consumption. ii. Mountain lion, black bear, and gray wolf: To the hide. 02. Proxy Statement. Any person transporting or possessing any portion of a carcass of a big game animal or processed big game animal meat taken by another must have in possession a written statement signed by the taker showing the number and kinds of animals, the date taken, the taker's name and address, the taker's hunting license number, and the taker's tag number.    

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The change in age came about because of the realization that some young hunters are physically and emotionally mature enough to hunt big game, to fire a rifle safely and responsibly, and that it is best that parents decide when their child is ready.

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Yes!  To make a correction to your hunter report for deer, elk or pronghorn you can call toll free 1-877-268-9365 (7 days/week) or contact the Wildlife Bureau at 208-334-2920 during normal business hours.

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Changes in land use, new wells for urban development, the need for dam repairs and the drought all have affected the reservoir levels at Indian Creek Reservoir. Indian Creek Reservoir is filled primarily by low elevation snowfall.  Back in the 1980's and early 90's, water used to back up past the interstate because of above average winter precipitation.  It is also a productive system from a fisheries perspective for both warm and cool water fishes.  It used to produce some of the largest bluegill in the state.  It was also know for crappie, largemouth bass, channel catfish and rainbow trout. If we ever get back into a wet cycle, we are ready to invest sportsman's dollars into dam repairs that will improve water retention in the reservoir.

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has contracted with a company to mail out the physical Federal Duck stamp. You will need to contact the Amplex corporation at 1-800-889-8871 or duckstamp@amplex.com to provide them with the correct address to send your duck stampe. For Idaho Fish and Game you may contact our license section at 208-334-2592 to have your address information updated or you can update the address information the next time you purchase a license.

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Yes. However, the small game hunting license is not valid for the first five (5) days of the pheasant season. To hunt the first five days of the pheasant season, you would need to purchase the nonresident hunting license.

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Yes, you are allowed to use primitive traps for trapping.  On page 45 of the Upland Game, Furbearer, and Turkey rules the definition of trapping includes the use of trap, snare, deadfall, or other device commonly used to capture wildlife.  You can find the trapping rules at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/?getPage=141

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Update notice: Idaho statute changes effective July 1, 2015 changes the weapon definitions for some felons. Please review this updated answer for clarification on this change.The following answer remains intact for historical purposes.I cannot answer this question accurately as the disposition of each case is not the same. Review the court documents relative to your sentencing or seek counsel from your attorney. Each disposition is different and some contain special exceptions or restrictions. Make sure you are in compliance with Idaho law regarding felons as well as federal laws. Here are links to the basic Idaho laws on this subject:http://legislature.idaho.gov/idstat/Title18/T18CH3SECT18-310.htmhttp://legislature.idaho.gov/idstat/Title18/T18CH33SECT18-3316.htmThere are also federal restrictions on possession of firearms. Here’s a link to a U.S. Department of Justice summary of federal restrictions:http://www.justice.gov/usao/ut/documents/guncard.pdf