Hunting licenses in big demand this year

Over 200,000 people hunt in Idaho each year. And many of them are in the hills this fall for general deer and elk hunting seasons.

Idaho Fish and Game has sold out all of its non-resident/second deer and elk tags. The final white-tailed deer tags sold out on October 15. Non-residents can start buying 2019 non-resident licenses and deer and elk tags starting December 1, 2018.

Hunting licenses have been in demand this year. Hunters bought non-resident/second tags at a faster rate than in the past. Elk, general deer, and whitetail deer tags all sold out about a month earlier than in 2017.

The Idaho Fish and Game Department is advising all hunters about license regulations which require them to stop at check stations.

While the stops help Fish and Game officers enforce hunting rules, one of the main goals of the check stations is to collect data from harvested animals.

Officers will will want to take a look at any harvested game, as well as your license and tag.

Some of the common problems include:

Failure to keep evidence of sex. Even in either-sex hunts, the head or other evidence of sex must be naturally attached to the carcass until you get it home. In hunts with point restrictions, the antlers must accompany the carcass.

Failure to properly validate your tag. Make sure the notches for the correct day and month are fully removed from your tag immediately after you harvest the animal. The tag must be attached to the largest part of the carcass.

If your tag is faded, write in the month and date and cut two notches, which will legally validate it. Check station personnel are aware of this year’s “faded tag” problems and know how to deal with them.

Failure to have a proxy statement. The statements were issued with tags in 2018. If you are transporting game for someone else, you must have a proxy statement.