New year requires new Idaho licenses

Each of the 50 states has its own licensing system for hunting and fishing. Unlike Idaho, many states have hunting and fishing licenses that expire on dates other than Dec. 31.

My 2014 non-resident Washington fishing license is valid for fishing in the state of Washington from April 1, 2014, through March 31, 2015.

I hope to find an opportunity to head that way to fish Lake Roosevelt again with that license before it expires next March.

Idaho hunting and fishing licenses are sold on a calendar year basis. A new license must be purchased to hunt or fish in Idaho beginning Jan. 1.

I once checked an angler in Idaho on the Memorial Day weekend. He had a license for the prior year. He said that he had purchased it in September and that it was valid for a year, like a vehicle license plate. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

I almost forgot to purchase new licenses on Jan. 1 for my sons a few years ago. A co-worker was taking his family ice fishing on Cocolalla Lake on Jan. 1, and he invited us to go along. I already had purchased my sportsman's package that includes hunting and fishing licenses. They go on sale every Dec. 1 for the following year, but they are not valid until Jan. 1.

As we approached Westmond, I asked my sons if they had remembered to bring their licenses. They said they had them in their wallets. While I was pleased that they had remembered, it was at that point that I realized the year had ended and they needed new ones, beginning that very day. Their licenses had expired eight hours ago.

Lucky for us, the Westmond Store, just across the road from Cocolalla Lake, is a license vendor.

I was able to purchase licenses and we were able to go fishing without the need to drive all the way to Sandpoint to buy the boys' licenses.

Idaho now offers three year combination (hunting and fishing) licenses.

These are also valid on a calendar year basis, but they are good until Dec. 31 of the third year. Should a person forget they have a three-year license and attempt to buy a license before the original expires, the computer system will indicate that a valid license has already been issued.

There is one license issued by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game that comes to mind that is not sold on a calendar year basis.

Idaho trapping licenses are valid from July 1 through the following June 30. This is because trapping seasons generally begin in the fall and end in the late winter. Federal duck stamps are also valid from July 1 through June 30 for the same reason.

Idaho resident hunting licenses for a calendar year cost $12.75 and fishing licenses cost $25.75.

The three-year combination hunting and fishing license is $97. Junior and senior prices cost even less.

Resident licenses have not increased in price in a decade.

One nice dinner, a day on the slopes, a movie and popcorn, or a ball game are each likely to cost more than a year of hunting or fishing in the great outdoors of Idaho.

Residents may purchase Idaho hunting and fishing licenses for themselves, their spouses, or their minor children.

Phil Cooper is a wildlife conservation educator in Coeur d'Alene for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.