Idaho Fish and Game recently mailed out 81,000 postcards and 61,000 emails reminding deer, elk, and pronghorn hunters who have not completed their harvest reports to do so soon.
Hunters are required to file a report for each tag they bought, whether they hunted or not or were successful or not, within 10 days after harvesting or within 10 days after the end of the hunt.
“With hunting seasons winding down, it is important that hunters remember to report their results,” said Daryl Meints, Fish and Game deer and elk program coordinator. “Reporting only takes a few minutes and it helps provide the best information possible used to better manage Idaho’s big game.”
Hunters can file their reports online at https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/report or call 1-877-268-9365 to speak with a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To file reports, hunters need to know their tag numbers or hunting license number, the number of days they hunted and the game management units they hunted in. If an animal is harvested, additional questions will be asked, such as the date of harvest, sex of an animal, the number of antler points on deer or elk, or the length of horns on pronghorn (in inches), and the weapon used.
In December, Fish and Game also plans to call hunters whose hunts have closed but have yet to report their results.
Promptly received hunting and harvest data provides Fish and Game a more complete picture of game populations to base decisions on. Without this timely information, managers are forced to be more conservative when making future hunting opportunities available. Hunters also prefer to have harvest estimates well before the application period for fall controlled hunts. If Fish and Game receives hunter reports early, wildlife managers are able to complete the harvest estimates sooner so hunters can plan their hunting trips next fall.
For questions or problems entering a hunter report please call the Fish and Game Wildlife Bureau at 208-334-2920.