New Rules Effective July 1

Beginning July 1, 2014, hunters as young as ten years old will be able to hunt big game in Idaho, more organizations can assist disabled veterans to apply for special big game tags and the Fish and Game Commission is authorized to add turkey and bear tags to the Landowner Appreciation Program. July 1 is the date new laws passed by the Idaho legislature and signed by the governor take effect. This year three laws concerning Fish and Game were passed, and will take effect July 1. House Bill 399 lowers the age to hunt big game in Idaho to ten years of age. It specifies that youth under the age of twelve must be accompanied in the field by a licensed adult. Those youth must also pass a mandatory hunter education program. House Bill 1276 revises the definition of qualified organizations eligible to apply for a Disabled Veterans Special Big Game Tag to include organizations with IRS status 501 (c) (4) who meet the other criteria for a qualified organization specified in Idaho law. Those organizations will be eligible to assist disabled veterans apply for one of five Disabled Veterans Special Big Game Hunt tags. House Bill 467 authorizes the Fish and Game Commission to write rules to add turkey and bear to the Landowner Appreciation Program. That program issues tags to landowners whose property provides valuable habitat for game animals.