When buying licenses by telephone, the buyer will be assigned a confirmation number that may be used in lieu of the actual license for 14 days from the date of issue. When this number is used, the person must carry their driver’s license or identification card. A confirmation number may not be used in lieu of a tag or permit such as salmon/steelhead or Upland Game Bird Permits. Purchasers must wait until tags or permits arrive in the mail.
Licenses purchased online must be printed from the buyer’s computer; they will not be mailed. However, all tags and notchable permits will be mailed. A confirmation number may not be used in lieu of a tag or salmon/steelhead permit. Purchasers must wait until tags or permits arrive in the mail.
The charge for phone-in purchases is three percent of the transaction plus $6.50; the charge for online purchases is three percent of the transaction plus $3.50.
Any license, tag or permit that is defaced or altered is invalid from the date and time of issue. It is unlawful to use or attempt to use any license that has been defaced or altered.
Nonresidents: If you hunt with an outfitter in Idaho, the outfitter should buy your tags through the “outfitter set-aside” pool of tags.
Sale Dates: Most licenses and tags go on sale December 1, but resident deer, and elk tags are not available until after the controlled hunt drawings are done. Most licenses are valid only for the calendar year for which they are issued.
Hunter and Bowhunter Education
Refund Policy
No refunds will be made on resident licenses, tags or permits. No refunds will be made on fishing licenses. Nonresident hunting licenses and tags may be refunded less issuance fees and a $50 processing fee, in the event of:
Tags and license must be returned with proof (death certificate, obituary, written justification by a licensed medical doctor, or copy of military orders). Hunting license fees will not be refunded after the license is used to apply for a controlled hunt or to buy a turkey, mountain lion, bear or gray wolf tag. The request must be postmarked by December 31 of the year in which the license was valid, except for “event of death” refund, which must be submitted within 1 year of the death.
A controlled hunt permit and tag may be made available in the same hunt for purchase by an immediate family member of a person who died before using his or her tag. Contact Licenses at (208) 334-2592.
If a refund is requested for any other reason, only the tag fees (not the license or permit fee) may be refunded at the following sliding scale rate:
For more information please visit idfg.idaho.gov/nonresident- refund-information.
Any resident certified as permanently disabled or eligible for federal supplemental income (SSI), social security disability income (SSDI), railroad retirement board disability, a nonservice-connected veteran’s pension, or a service-connected veteran’s disability benefit with 40 percent or more combined/overall disability rating, may qualify for a “disabled” license. An applicant must provide either a benefit verification letter from the Social Security Administration in their name showing they are receiving SSI or SSDI benefits for the current year, or a letter from the Railroad Retirement board verifying disability status and being dated within 3 years preceding application for a license, or an official identification card issued by the U.S. Department of Defense, or a letter of any date from U>S> Department of Veterans Affairs verifying a service-connected disability rating of 40% or greater, or a current year’s letter from the Veteran Affairs office showing the applicant is receiving a nonservice-connected pension, or a form prescribed by the department that certifies permanent physical disability. A physically disabled person means a person who has lost the use of one (1) or both lower extremities or both hands, or is unable to walk 200 feet or more unassisted by another person or without the aid of a walker, cane, crutches, braces, prosthetic device or a wheelchair, or is unable to walk 200 feet or more without great difficulty or discomfort due to one or more of the following impairments: neurological, orthopedic, respiratory, cardiac, arthritic disorder, blindness (a medically documented loss or impairment of vision and includes any person whose visual acuity with correcting lens does not exceed 20/200 in the better eye, or whose vision in the better eye is restricted to a field which subtends an angle of not greater than 20 degrees), or the loss of function or absence of a limb.
An applicant may present a valid Idaho driver's license if the holder meets disability requirements or section 49-117(7)(b), Idaho Code, and license is marked as disabled.
Disabled licenses may be purchased at Fish and Game offices, selected license vendors (see website for list), and through the mail.
Disabled Hunter/Companion
The rules for a companion assisting a disabled hunter allow the companion to take an animal that has been wounded by the disabled hunter and to place and validate the disabled hunter’s tag on the animal.
The rules apply for disabled hunters who possess a valid disability license, disabled archery permit, a disabled hunt-from-a-motor- vehicle permit and a valid tag, or a disabled veteran participating in a hunt as provided in section 36-408(7), Idaho Code, and has a valid tag or permit.
The companion is not required to have a tag or controlled hunt permit to assist a disabled hunter. However, the companion must have a valid license and applicable special weapon permit (i.e. – for an archery only hunt, the companion would need an archery permit) when assisting a disabled hunter.
The companion must have a written statement of designation from the disabled hunter while hunting with the disabled hunter or assisting them with taking and tagging their harvested animal. The statement must include the disabled hunters name, address, hunting license, big game tag number and the dates of the designation as a companion.
The companion must accompany the disabled hunter while hunting and they are required to be within normal conversation or hearing range without shouting or the aid of electronic devices.
For more information about the rules for a companion to a disabled hunter, please contact your local Fish and Game office.
Resident Lifetime License Certificates
The purchase of a lifetime certificate could be the best investment you ever make. Lifetime certificates authorize all privileges associated with a corresponding annual license, are valid for the life of the certificate holder and are available to Idaho residents. The lifetime certificate does not include tags and permits. If a lifetime certificate holder moves out of Idaho, they will continue to receive an annual license, but will pay nonresident tag and permit fees. Lifetime certificates can be purchased at IDFG offices only.
Applicant Combination Hunting Fishing