Idaho
200,000
Est. Whitetail Population
23,000
No. Licenses Sold Annually
$40.50
It’s $15.75 for the license and $24.75 for a whitetail tag. Archery hunters also need a $19.50 archery permit.
Resident hunting license and deer permit
$536.75
It’s $185.00 for the license and $351.75 for a whitetail tag. Archery hunters also need an $81.75 archery permit.
Non-resident hunting license and deer permit
186 7/8"
Taken by Ronald McLamb in Bonner County in 2001.
Record B&C Typical Stat
52
Total B&C Typical Entries
267 4/8"
Taken by Herman Lunders in Idaho County in 1955 and currently ranked No. 48.
Record B&C Non-Typical Stat
45
Record B&C Non-Typical Entries
Check out the latest deer-hunting info for Idaho. Image by John Hafner
Season Dates (2025):
Season dates vary greatly by unit and tag. However, there are archery, muzzleloader, rifle and other seasons within certain areas. So, CHECK REGULATIONS FOR SPECIFIC SEASON DATES.
The Grade: B
Idaho has one of the strongest populations of hearty whitetails in the West, and the state is about 70% public ground. It’s a very appealing option for the DIY hunter. When you consider the relatively low hunter densities chasing whitetails in northern Idaho, the state’s quality buck production per hunter rivals many more traditional whitetail destinations.
What isn’t the same is that most deer tags are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The northern Panhandle and Clearwater regions hold the greatest number of whitetails, but most areas north of the Salmon River have solid numbers.
There is a downside. Predator populations are exploding, and deer behavior reflects it. It seems whitetails become jumpier and leerier with each season. The antlered buck harvest has also been sliding. It was 35,855 in 2021, 32,524 in 2022, and 28,987 in 2023 (per the National Deer Association’s Annual Report). That, plus hefty nonresident fees, gives Idaho a B in our gradebook this year.
Antler Nation Knowledge:
For those seeking quality over quantity, more record-book bucks are taken in northern counties than anywhere else in the state. Some of the best hotbeds are Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, and Shoshone. In the past 20 years, units north of Interstate 90 seem to be the best big-buck producers.
A number of 200-plus-inch Idaho nontypicals decorate the Boone and Crockett records book, and five of them were taken after 2000.
