January 10, 2013
By Niels Nokkentved, IDFG
To encourage potential new hunters to take to the field, Idaho Fish and
Game's new Hunting Passport offers novice hunters the opportunity to hunt for
one year before completing a hunter education course.
A Hunting Passport is a special authorization that allows anyone who has
never held a hunting license in any state, resident and nonresident, age eight
and older, to take wildlife only when they are accompanied by a mentor and
participating in the Mentored Hunting Program.
The minimum age to hold a Hunting Passport is eight. There is no maximum
age.
Passport holders must be 12 years old to hunt big game, 10 to hunt turkey
and sandhill crane and eight to hunt most other game birds and small game.
Passport holders must purchase general season tags, appropriate permits
and validations. All hunting rules, seasons and weapon restrictions also apply.
The Hunting Passport expires Dec. 31 of the year it was issued, and only
one can be purchased in a lifetime. To continue hunting after the passport
expires, the hunter must complete a hunter education course and buy a license.
Anyone 18 or older who holds a valid Idaho hunting license can serve as a
mentor. No certification is required, but people may not mentor more than two
people at the same time.
Hunting Passports cost $1.75 and are available at license vendors and
Fish and Game regional offices.
For more
information on the Hunting Passport, including answers to frequently asked
questions, visit Fish and Game's website at
www.fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/licenses/?getPage=332, or contact
the nearest regional Fish and Game office.