In an effort to address complaints of overcrowding, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission hopes to cap the number of nonresident hunter tags sold while simultaneously increasing nonresident hunter fees.
Nonresident hunter fees account for 57 percent of Fish and Game’s license revenue, and commissioners hope to retain those funding levels with fewer nonresidents. In the 2019 fiscal year, 39,000 nonresidents purchased deer and/or elk tags, while 224,000 Idaho residents bought tags.
The fee increase would include a 10 percent hike for most nonresident fees with larger increases for big game tags, archery, and muzzleloader permits.
For nonresidents, an adult hunting license costs about $155, a deer tag costs $302, and an elk tag costs $417. Under the proposed rule, the commission could limit the number of nonresident tags allotted in any elk zone, or big game unit for deer tags, to a minimum 10 percent of the previous five-year average of all hunters in a unit or zone. At the same time, resident fees would not increase.
Because the commission has some discretion on how high to set the cap on nonresident licenses, the exact impact on the agency’s funding aren’t clear.
The proposal has to be approved by the 2020 Legislature and wouldn’t take effect until 2021.(Spokesman Review)
