Ask Fish and Game: Catching Tadpoles

Q. Is it OK to catch and sell tadpoles? A. No. Idaho native tadpoles are amphibians and classified as protected nongame, and as such it would not be legal to sell them without a permit. A person with a valid Idaho hunting license is allowed to collect and keep up to four of any species of Idaho native reptiles and amphibians, including turtles, snakes and tadpoles - except for bullfrogs, which are non-native and classified as game fish in which case the person would need a fishing license. Bullfrogs may not be transported alive. Once wildlife is taken into captivity it can not be returned to the wild, or the back yard pond, even after the tadpole turns into a frog or toad. The rules are meant to protect native species and to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as bullfrogs.