Dishonest Nonresident License Buyers Beware

MOSCOW - With a new computer software cross-checking system shared between the Idaho Transportation Department and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, fishing and hunting license purchasers who are dishonest in their residency claims may quickly pay the price. All fishing and hunting licenses purchased within six months of the issue date of a first time Idaho driver license are now sent to the local conservation officer where the license applicant lives. The officer receives an e-mail with the license information to initiate the verification of residency. Idaho State law requires 6-months continuous domicile in Idaho to be eligible for resident Fish and Game licenses. In addition, applicants who do not submit any driver's license, claiming to be non-drivers, are cross-checked to determine if they possess another state's driver's license. A recent case near Moscow is clear confirmation of this. After a non-resident couple both purchased a resident sportsmen's pack, the crosscheck could not locate their Idaho driver's licenses. Within hours, Moscow-area Sr. Conservation Officer Clint Rand received an e-mail, and an investigation was initiated. Within 18-hours of the illegal license purchases, Rand contacted the couple and collected both licenses. IDFG also has additional cross-checking assistance from the Idaho Tax Commission. Although this exchange will be limited only to current filing status such as resident, non-resident or not on file, this information will significantly assist in the apprehension of nonresidents purchasing resident Idaho fishing and hunting licenses. "These new tools will give officers a big lift in identifying non-residents who try to cheat the State out of revenue," says Rand. "If you violate, you will be contacted." Anyone with questions regarding residency license requirements is encouraged to contact their nearest IDFG office before purchasing a license.