Idaho Fish and Game is working to make things a little easier for Idaho hunters through a new online licensing system.
Idaho Fish and Game says they need help from all big game hunters, and all they must do is fill out their mandatory hunter reports regardless of whether they harvested, or even if they bought a tag, but didn't hunt. It only takes a few minutes, and you can do it quickly and easily on the new licensing system.
"You can fill out your harvest report so easily through that app now. It's right at your fingertips," said Sally Rose with Idaho Fish and Game. "One of the first things you're going to see is you're no longer required to set up an account or remember your login and password to get back int your account once you've set it up."
Instead, the system uses data like your birthday and your hunter tag ID number. The system also means up to five hunters can have all their info in one place, something Rose explains can be a big help to families.
"You can access them to apply for controlled hunts, to be able to purchase licenses and tags, and be able to track what items are on there," Rose said.
There are several new features with the new system.
"If you go in to buy a capped zone tag, once you get that tag into your cart it's yours. You don't have to worry about trying to rush the transaction and get out before the tags are gone. If you get in the cart, it will be in there for five minutes, but that tag is yours," Rose said. "(Also) It's live time, so if you go in to purchase through a capped zone, it's going to automatically tell you how many tags are left in that zone. So you'll no longer have to get online or wait a week for it to update or call the office to see how many tags are left. It will automatically track down the number of tags available."
Here's more information about mandatory hunter reports, according to Fish and Game's website:
What if I plan to hunt late seasons? Some deer and elk hunts extend into December. Big game managers are not asking you to report before you’re done hunting, but the sooner after you’re done, the better. If you're not sure if you're going to keep hunting, you can file your hunter report and change it later if you harvest an animal.
The rules say I have 10 days after my hunt ended, what if I miss that deadline? The rule is intended to ensure timely compliance with hunter report requirements so Fish and Game has your information in time to use for developing next year’s hunting season, but your report is still needed even if your hunt ended more than 10 days ago.
Are you going to give away my favorite hunting spot? No. All Fish and Game ask is what unit (or units) you hunted, and if you got an animal, in which unit you harvested it.
