#Idaho fish and game hunters ed license

Sign up for the Idaho Online hunter ed course here By temporarily waiving the in-person field day, we can follow health recommendation for social distancing while still providing necessary instruction and certification.” We have seen an increased interest in our hunter education classes, and want to maintain a path for the public to gain certification. Classes are available to anyone 9 years or older.Īccording to Idaho Fish and Game’s Hunter Education Manager Brenda Beckley, “The public safety of our instructors, staff, and students are our primary concerns. The cost of the online course is $24.50 and can be taken at. The temporary waiver allows students who complete the online course the ability to gain certification and purchase a hunting license. In response to updated COVID-19 guidance from Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for public events, Idaho Fish and Game has temporarily waived the requirement to attend an in-person field day for online hunter education certification. And it should stave off increased shed hunting pressure that’s flowing in from neighboring states- like Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah-that have already implemented their own shed hunting restrictions.The following is an important press release from Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

The temporary ban was made possible by a bill passed earlier this year that gives the Idaho Fish & Game Commission extended authority to restrict the possession, transportation, and collection of shed antlers and horns-as well as antlers or horns from animals that died of natural causes. According to reporting from Boise State Public Radio News, the new law will allow IDFG to set and regulate future shed hunting seasons. Read Next: Utah Enacts State-Wide Emergency Shed Hunting Closure to Protect Big Game When you consider that one elk antler can buy a whole tank of gas-I’d say that increase in antler value definitely factors into this.” “The numbers that I’m hearing people throw around are pretty substantial. “It would be naive to think otherwise,” he says. It’s likely that the surge in shed hunting popularity is being fueled by increased profit margins for those who sell their antlers on the open market, Phillips says. There’s also a burgeoning demand for antlers in the high-end dog toy market. Gathered antlers are commonly sold to collectors who use the sheds to make furniture. “We don’t sell licenses for so we don’t have hard numbers, but anecdotally speaking, we seem to see a lot more people out there doing it,” IDFG spokesman Roger Phillips tells Field & Stream. And it coincides with a massive uptick in the overall popularity of shed hunting, particularly in southeastern Idaho, which abuts the the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The announcement marks the first time that Idaho wildlife officials have implemented a temporary shed hunting closure in more than twenty years. The mule deer herds in the southeastern part of Idaho were hit particularly hard by last year’s historic winterkill, the agency said. “The closure is intended to reduce stress on wintering big game herds, which suffered from the extremely harsh winter of 2022-23,” reads a press release issued by IDFG on November 21.

#Idaho fish and game hunters ed license

It only applies to public land in the Upper Snake and the Southeast Regions. To buy an archery permit, all bowhunters ages 9 and older must possess a valid hunting license and show proof they have completed an approved bowhunter education course, or show evidence of having been licensed for an archery-only hunt in Idaho or another state, or complete an affidavit to that effect. The “antler gathering closure” will be begin on Januand extend through mid-April. In a move designed to protect wintering deer herds, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) has announced a three-and-half-month closure of all shed hunting activities in two separate game management units. Idaho is the latest Western state to implement new regulations around shed antler hunting.