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 3201 - 3225 of 3534 questionsA:
True enough. Dan Steigers of Juliaetta caught a 9.72 pound smallmouth in Idaho's Dworshak Reservoir on October 28. Big as that is, that's still more than two pounds shy of the 51-year-old world record. The record 11.9 pound smallmouth was caught by Kentucky angler D. L. Hayes on July 9, 1955, in Dale Hollow Lake along the border between Tennessee and Kentucky.Steigers also held the previous Idaho state record smallmouth at 8.31 pounds, caught in Dworshak Reservoir on October 14, 1995.answered 10/30/2006
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No. The three tags cost the same, but only juniors can harvest an antlerless deer or elk. But an emergency order earlier this year closed units 33, 34 and 35 to all antlerless hunting this season.answered 10/22/2006
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Yes, resident tags are still are available, except no elk B tags are available for the Elk City, Dworshak or Selway elk zones. Non-resident tags are sold out. All hunters must have a valid 2006 Idaho hunting license plus a tag to hunt elk.answered 10/5/2006
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Upland game permits were discontinued in 2001. If you hunt pheasants on wildlife management areas where we release pheasants, you are required to get a WMA permit. Sage and sharp-tailed grouse hunters also are required to add a special permit to their license, but other upland bird hunters are required only to have a hunting license.answered 10/1/2006
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Yes. Though the Sportsman's Package includes a resident adult combination fishing and hunting license plus tags for deer, elk, bear, mountain lion, and turkey as well as salmon, steelhead, archery and muzzleloader permits, it doesn't include the sage and sharp-tailed grouse permit validations. Anyone hunting sage or sharp-tailed grouse must buy the proper permit validation on their license.answered 9/24/2006
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New this year is a requirement that upland bird hunters wear hunter orange during pheasant season when hunting on wildlife management areas where pheasants are stocked. You don't have to wear hunter orange to hunt big game animals, but Fish and Game recommends it.answered 9/17/2006
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It is illegal to snag any game fish in Idaho. This time of year, the many kokanee migrating up streams from lakes and reservoirs to spawn are obvious in the shallow streams with their red bodies and still greenish heads. Anglers may fish for them, but any kokanee not caught in the mouth or jaw must be released immediately back to the stream. Fish and Game conservation officers have been citing anglers who intentionally snag kokanee. The last legal snag-fishery for kokanee was more than 20 years ago.answered 9/10/2006
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It is legal to carry a handgun while hunting. But it is not legal to kill an animal during archery or muzzleloader seasons with anything other than a bow or muzzle-loading musket or rifle. If an animal is wounded, the hunter should put another arrow or musket ball into it. Taking a big game animal with a rim-fire- or center-fire-cartridge firearm during an archery- or muzzleloader-only hunt is considered a flagrant violation, which can result in a one-year to lifetime loss of hunting, fishing and trapping privileges.answered 8/31/2006
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Hunters may be allowed to transport the skull cap with antlers if no meat or tissue is attached. And they may transport the cut and packed game-with the receipt and tag-by taking the carcass to a commercial meat packer. They can meet the evidence of sex requirement by leaving it naturally attached to the largest piece of meat.answered 8/27/2006
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Winners will be notified by mail and results also will be posted on the Fish and Game Website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ later this week. There's no deadline to pick up tags from the second drawing. Only those tags that no one put in for will be available for over-the-counter sales starting at 10 a.m. mountain time August 25.answered 8/20/2006
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Applicants whose names were drawn had through August 1 to pick up their controlled hunt tags and permits. If they didn't pick them up, their tags and permits became available for the second drawing. The application period for the second drawing runs through August 15. The list of leftover and unclaimed tags is online at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/licenses/leftover/deab2.cfm and at vendors statewide.answered 8/6/2006
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The fall steelhead harvest season starts in Lewiston on August 1, but only on the Clearwater from its mouth to the Memorial Bridge on U.S. Highway 12, and runs through December 31. The rest of the Clearwater above the Memorial Bridge is open from October 15 through December 31. Elsewhere, the general harvest season starts September 1 and runs through the end of December. Check the fishing rules brochure for open waters, limits and exceptions. A fishing license and a steelhead permit are required.answered 7/30/2006
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For big game hunting, that is true. Big game hunting rules do not allow electronic devices on the scope or on the rifle. Some new models of scopes offered to the public incorporate lasers as well as lighted reticles and those are also not legal for hunting big game in Idaho. So, save your money. Hunters would do well to check the rules pamphlet before hunting (and before buying gear that cannot be legally used in the field). The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will review the technology issue once again in November. Given the history of the issue, the Commission seems unlikely to approve the deer hair-seeking missile when it too comes on the market.answered 7/16/2006
Q: I'm a resident and I didn't draw in any controlled hunt, when can I pick up a general season tag?
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Most resident general season deer, elk and pronghorn tags can be picked up beginning the last week of July with the exception of six elk zone tags that are subject to a quota. Quota tags, which go on sale August 1, are Lolo B, Dworshak B, Elk City B, Selway B and Middlefork A and B.answered 7/9/2006
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You can't fish for salmon in areas closed to salmon fishing-not even catch and release. You can fish for other species that are open for fishing in waters that have salmon. But if you unintentionally hook a salmon it must be released immediately. If you fish with salmon gear in a closed area, conservation officers may think you are fishing for salmon and cite you for it.answered 7/2/2006
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Yes, but only in waters that are open for taking game fish. According to the Fish and Game rule book, fishing with a bow and arrow, crossbow, spear or mechanical device, excluding firearms, is permitted only for taking bullfrogs and unprotected nongame fish - such as carp - but a fishing or combination license is required.answered 6/29/2006
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Yes. When salmon returns are estimated, the fishable surplus after hatchery needs are met is split between sport anglers and tribes. Sport anglers must follow state Fish and Game rules. The tribes have their own fishing regulations that cover their half of the take.answered 6/19/2006
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The short answer is, "Yes." Anyone who has a valid resident or nonresident fishing license may buy a two-pole validation that allows the angler to use two poles at the same time except for ice fishing in some Southeast Idaho reservoirs specifically restricted to a single line. All other limits and rules still apply. A two-pole permit validation costs $13.75 and covers all fish, including salmon and steelhead but a two-pole permit doesn't mean two limits.answered 6/11/2006
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No. Though a license is not required to fish on free fishing day, a revocation is more than a loss of license. The code and court order refer not only to license revocation, but also the loss of privileges, in this case, angling privileges.answered 6/4/2006
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If a license is lost, or if it becomes illegible for any reason, a replacement license will cost $7.25. Replacements are available from any license vendor or Fish and Game office.answered 5/25/2006
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Applicants for moose, bighorn sheep or mountain goat hunts will receive either a permit and tag or a refund check by mail no later than June 10, unless they used their credit card to apply. Credit card applicants will receive credit to their card by July 1. Anyone who doesn't get one of these responses by July 1, may call Idaho Department of Fish and Game at 208-334-2592, or write to P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707.Anyone with access to the Idaho Fish and Game website can find out whether they drew a tag online. Those results should be posted in early June.answered 5/21/2006
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A resident can apply for a controlled hunt with a nonresident but your chance of drawing will be the same as the nonresident. Nonresidents may draw no more than 10 percent of the permits in any controlled hunt. Once the quota has been met, no more nonresident applications would be drawn.answered 5/14/2006
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Treble hooks can be used in waters designated barbless hooks only, as long as the hooks have no barbs or the barbs are pinched down completely.answered 5/7/2006
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No. Idaho rules no longer allow mail-in applications. Learn more at https://idfg.idaho.gov/tag/hunt/controlled/apply
answered 4/30/2006
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Blank forms will be sent to you. Fill them out and select the species that you want to apply for. Mail them to Idaho Department of Fish and Game, License Section, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707. They have to reach Fish and Game by May 31 for the June 15 drawing. Any applications received after the deadline will automatically be entered in the second Super Hunt drawing on August 15.answered 4/23/2006