Frequently Asked Questions
We get a lot of questions. We post here answers to questions we're being asked frequently. If you have a question not answered here, please contact us. Urgent questions should be directed to your nearest office. Some answers change over time; please take note of the "answered" date.
Displaying 3326 - 3350 of 3534 questionsA:
No, your application or drawing for deer in a controlled hunt has nothing to do with controlled hunts for elk (and vice versa).answered 3/21/2004
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The brochure for trophy animals is written for two years, so last year's brochure is still good. Stores will be stocking the brochure soon and they are available at Fish and Game offices or online at www2.state.id.us/fishgame. The application period for these hunts is April 1-30.answered 3/14/2004
Q: What if I didn't turn in my big game harvest report on time; will I be able to buy a new license?
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Ultimately, after numerous urgings and warnings, you are going to have to cough up a harvest report if you had a big game tag last fall and want a new hunting license. After April 1, it will cost you an extra $1.50 to file the report before the license is issued, but you will be able to buy a hunting license.answered 3/7/2004
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Yes! Look for an order form in the rules booklets, or on the Fish and Game website here: http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame/Common/Maps/mapsales.htm You can fill out one of these order forms and mail it with your payment to Fish and Game Maps, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707. You can buy maps over the counter at Fish and Game Headquarters in Boise, but most of the regional offices don't stock them.answered 2/29/2004
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You could, if they were available when leftover nonresident tags go on sale August 28. Last year, there were none available at that time. But you don't need to. Residents can hunt there with a regular tag.answered 2/22/2004
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No, Fish and Game will not take it. Contact your local landfill managers and ask them how to dispose of it. Many communities have "hazardous waste day" or specific locations to take such "hazardous material" stuff. In some towns, this is the fire department.answered 2/12/2004
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Indeed you will. The Sportsman's Pak includes a combination fishing and hunting license, archery and muzzleloader permits, deer, elk, bear, mountain lion and turkey tags as well as salmon and steelhead permits for a grand total of $107. Separately, these items would cost $172.answered 2/8/2004
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Do not approach a mountain lion. Do not run from a mountain lion. Do all you can to appear large and aggressive. Fight back if attacked. Look for more complete information here: http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame/info/programsinfo/wildlfe&you/lions/mli...answered 2/1/2004
Q: I'm trying to figure out my turkey hunting options for this year. How come I can't find a rulebook?
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You probably can find one by now and the rules are on the Fish and Game web site at www2.state.id.us/fishgame. The plant where the rules are printed was subject to a major electrical problem, delaying printing and distribution to license vendors. The brochures have been printed and have arrived in several F&G regional offices. They are also being sent to vendors now.answered 1/26/2004
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Hunter education is not a bad idea for anyone, regardless of age, but your hunting partner is old enough that the Idaho hunter education law does not apply to him. Anyone born from January 1, 1975 on is required to complete hunter education before a license can be issued.answered 1/15/2004
Q: When I hunted in Oregon, I had to pay for the federal harvest information validation. Then I come back to Idaho and had to pay it again so I could hunt doves last fall. What's the deal with that?
It is for a federal program, so why do the states charge for it, and every one of them charges for it individually? It's not a lot of money but it doesn't seem right.A:
You're right, the Harvest Information Program is a federal program. It is aimed at gaining better information on the hunter harvest of migratory birds. But the individual states do the collection of information, so they charge to cover costs incurred because most state wildlife agencies, like Idaho's, are almost completely funded by what amounts to user fees.answered 1/11/2004
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Sure can. In the new 2004-2005 fishing brochure-available now at vendors and Fish and Game offices-the phrase which said it could not be used for steelhead and salmon has been deleted. A two-pole permit costs $12.50.answered 1/4/2004
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You are not the only one to run into this situation, but we must point out that the form does say hunting license number. It does not ask you for the tag number. Your hunting license number will let you fill out the report in about 60 seconds and you are good for another year. The form for making a big game mandatory report is found in the hunting section of the Idaho Fish and Game web page at www2.state.id.us/fishgame.answered 12/21/2003
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The first opportunity to sign up for next year's depredation hunts (if any are declared) will be May 1 through June 30. Those who sign up then will be chosen at random. You can still sign up after June 30 but your name goes on the list of hunters available for depredation hunts after those who signed up first and it goes on the list in order of date. The rules on depredation hunts, where to send applications, and forms are on page 79 of the big game brochure.answered 12/14/2003
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The receipt guarantees you an elk tag, but does not guarantee the elk tag in the zone you want. For example if you purchase a resident elk receipt for 2004 now and you want the Selway B tag, you can redeem the receipt for the actual tag starting August 1, 2004. As long as there are Selway B elk tags available, the receipt can be redeemed for that tag.answered 12/7/2003
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No, you may keep 20 steelhead, in addition to the 12 you carded this spring. Maybe the confusion comes because the spring season and the fall season are both tallied on the same tag. Steelhead cards are valid for the entire calendar year, covering both spring and fall steelhead seasons. Spring and fall steelhead season limits are independent of each other. The 2003 fall season limit is 20, regardless of what the spring season limit was or how many steelhead you entered on your 2003 steelhead card under the spring season. There are spaces on the steelhead card for both the spring and fall seasons to accommodate a limit of up to 20, even though season limits are frequently set at less than 20. The 2003 fall steelhead season daily limit is three and you may have up to nine fish in your possession while in the field. Remember, only adipose-clipped steelhead may be killed.answered 11/23/2003
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The Legislature, in Idaho Code section 36-201, named the coyote as unprotected and predatory wildlife. Therefore, Fish and Game does not manage coyote populations and keeps no harvest information except what is reported by trappers. In the 2001-2002 season, trapper harvest was 1,647 and the next year it was 2,478. Aside from the occasional biological study, such as to measure the impact of removal of coyotes on populations of deer, pheasants and sage grouse, Fish and Game is not directly involved in killing coyotes. IDFG does contract trappers to reduce predators, including coyotes, to protect nesting waterfowl at wildlife management areas. Their harvest is included in the trapper harvest mentioned above.answered 11/17/2003
Q: I just want to catch and release steelhead, not keep any. Do I still have to have a steelhead tag?
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You do need a steelhead tag if you are targeting steelhead, whether you release the fish or not. A fair number of anglers do release most or all of the steelhead they catch, but they must have a valid tag in their possession.answered 11/9/2003
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Yes, Fish and Game can help you obtain a new card. Our Hunter Education records go back to 1978. Contact Headquarters (208-334-3700) or one of our Fish and Game offices. They can look up your hunter education number and send you a new card if your information is still on file.answered 11/2/2003
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There is no cutoff date any more, so that is why you do not see it mentioned in the proclamation brochure. The cutoff date for muzzleloader permits was eliminated several years ago. The cutoff date for archery permits was eliminated also.answered 10/26/2003
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Deer and other big game seasons have long been set to begin on a certain calendar date every year to cut down on the confusion that once reigned because of individual units opening on different dates around Idaho. Setting one opening date for popular seasons also served to prevent hunters from clumping up on opening day in several different areas. At the time the current date system was set, many hunters expressed a strong desire to have a date fixed from year to year so they could make long-range hunting plans. Depending on the calendar in any particular year, your favorite season might begin on a Sunday. Fish and Game regrets any inconvenience to hunters, but the current system was selected after heavy public comment and from many competing suggestions to make as many people as possible happy. State big game manager Brad Compton says he will look for ways to avoid Sunday openings.answered 10/19/2003
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They should be in place now, thanks to Fish and Game's Salmon Region. The U.S. Forest Service, which usually provides this service, notified Fish and Game recently that they had a funding problem and could not provide them this year. The Salmon Region rented the outhouses and had them delivered. Funding comes from a portion of the salmon and steelhead tag fee added on in the 90s to help cover access costs.answered 10/9/2003
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Maybe. Fish and Game tries to accommodate those last minute changes of mind, but if the hunt for which you have a tag has already started, no exchange is allowed. Remember, this is only for general-season hunts.answered 10/5/2003
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The fee for the report will be implemented in April 2004. Those who have not turned in their hunter harvest report by this date will be charged $1.50 for each report not completed. The fee will be charged at license vendors, over the telephone, or through the Internet when a license, tag, permit, or application is purchased.answered 9/28/2003
Q: I heard there were still non-resident elk tags left. Can I buy one and maybe take two elk this fall?
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You heard a true story. As of the end of last week, there were about 1,700 nonresident elk tags left. Those tags are available to nonresident hunters or, since August 28, to residents who want to pay the nonresident price for a second tag.answered 9/21/2003