Idaho House Bill to Require Nonresident Shed Hunters to Purchase Hunting License

Want to hunt sheds in Idaho, but you don’t live in the state? You may have to purchase a hunting license to do so. Image by Kent Weakley

Nonresident shed hunters may soon have to purchase a hunting license in order to hunt sheds in Idaho.

According to Eastmans.com, Idaho House Bill 586 was introduced on February 19, 2024, and would require nonresidents who want to collect and transport antlers or horns to first purchase a hunting license.

The bill would expand on what Idaho Senate Bill 1143 (2023) did with the creation of Idaho Code 36-507, which allowed the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) to put season restrictions on shed hunting.

Idaho House Bill 586 would create Idaho Code 36-508, which states that a nonresident collecting, possessing, or transporting antlers or horns from deer, elk, moose, or pronghorn is required to first procure a hunting license.

The nonresident hunting license will cost shed hunters $185.00.

Some are concerned that the law will eventually expand to included residents as well.

In the article posted on Eastmans.com, Roger Holscher wrote, “I don’t see the legislature stopping here either. First, it’s the nonresidents, then it’s the residents. All this law is going to do is give more money to the state and pave the way for more laws down the road.”