Idaho Non-Hunter Joining the Group

[tomengineer]

I have looked through the Idaho brochure so I apologize if this is common knowledge. I will be hunting the Idaho general deer season in October 2020. A friend who is not a hunter but a serious hiker and backpacker wants to join and help us spot animals. Does he need hunter's safety? Does he need a license of any type? Thanks in advance.

Tom

 

[nontyp]

I highly doubt he would need anything, but it wouldn’t hurt to have him take an online hunter safety course.

 

[marshman]

If he is not hunting he does not need his hunter safety certificate or a license. Shouldn't have a gun in his hand period.

 

[tomengineer]

If he is not hunting he does not need his hunter safety certificate or a license. Shouldn't have a gun in his hand period.

Ok thanks no gun in his hand but I wasn't sure if he was glassing/driving/ helping packout etc. if that would be a problem.

 

[tomengineer]

I highly doubt he would need anything, but it wouldn’t hurt to have him take an online hunter safety course.

Yes good thought. I'll talk to him about that.

 

[marshman]

Should not be a problem if he does not pack or shoot a gun. Then he is just hiking.

 

[2rocky]

There is enough time, to let him peruse the Hunter Safety course handbook. It may be available free in a sporting goods store. Good stuff for him to know.

 

[44hunter45]

Good luck. Make sure you understand the "proof-of-sex" requirement in the regs. The number one IDFG citation for NR hunters is failure to leave proof of sex on the animal .

 

[Id-Dave]

I agree make sure he is not packing a firearm while engaged in hunting. A pistol maybe ok. I have a co-worker that was with another hunter who had a cow elk tag. This co-worker had his license & rifle but no other tag with him. They were checked by a conservation officer. Co-worker got a ticket & ended up losing his license for a year because he was with the other hunter and had his rifle but no tag. He tried to argue about using his rifle on coyotes, etc. but no luck for him. All he would have needed was a valid tag (wolf, bear, mt.lion, deer) and he would have been ok as long as there was a season going on in that particular area.

 

[runningmt]

Often Game Wardens are left with little evidence to make judgment calls on. Make sure to contact the Game and Fish Agency regarding this issue, and make certain there is little to no perceived impropriety. If it looks bad, it will be judged as such, leave no doubt that rules and regs are being followed.

 

[Idhikker]

I’d say very likely fine but if you read the definition of hunting per IDFG which includes pursuit activities, you can see how an overeager fish cop could see it as problematic. It’s low odds but I’d also recommend not putting any weapons on the person to be safe and not have them be right in the middle of an active stalk.

 

[44hunter45]

I have to say that I've not run into a lot of hard nosed CO's (In Idaho they are known as "Conservation Officers"), but they have broad field judgement leeway.
Every contact they make has the potential to go really sideways. Courtesy and safe gun handling goes a long way to make things go well. Sign your license! An unsigned license is technically not valid. Most CO's will hand you a pen, but on a bad day they might cite you.
If your buddy helps carry meat, don't let him get far separated from the person who has the tagged portion. You obviously can't tag every quarter, the rule used to say is that it should be attached to the largest portion, but I don't see that in the 2019-2020 book.
Page 102 is a must read page. There are proxy forms on page 102 of the 2019-2020 book as well. Those can be pre-filled with everything but the kill info ready to attach to the other quarters. They can be photocopied. You do not need a license or tag to transort meat for tag holder, but the letter of the law says you need the proxy, properly filled out of course.
I see there is a new 2020 v1 Big Game book out. Idaho publishes the Big Game book twice a year, so when you get in state, stop and get the latest one in the sporting goods store. The latest PDFs are always on the IDFG website.

 

[44hunter45]

I agree make sure he is not packing a firearm while engaged in hunting. A pistol maybe ok. I have a co-worker that was with another hunter who had a cow elk tag. This co-worker had his license & rifle but no other tag with him. They were checked by a conservation officer. Co-worker got a ticket & ended up losing his license for a year because he was with the other hunter and had his rifle but no tag. He tried to argue about using his rifle on coyotes, etc. but no luck for him. All he would have needed was a valid tag (wolf, bear, mt.lion, deer) and he would have been ok as long as there was a season going on in that particular area.

375 H&H?

 

[ida homer]

If your coming from a flatter state, the only thing he'll need is come conditioning and a good attitude.

 

[tomengineer]

Good luck. Make sure you understand the "proof-of-sex" requirement in the regs. The number one IDFG citation for NR hunters is failure to leave proof of sex on the animal .

Ok thanks for the heads up.

 

[tomengineer]

If your coming from a flatter state, the only thing he'll need is come conditioning and a good attitude.

I have to say that I've not run into a lot of hard nosed CO's (In Idaho they are known as "Conservation Officers"), but they have broad field judgement leeway.
Every contact they make has the potential to go really sideways. Courtesy and safe gun handling goes a long way to make things go well. Sign your license! An unsigned license is technically not valid. Most CO's will hand you a pen, but on a bad day they might cite you.
If your buddy helps carry meat, don't let him get far separated from the person who has the tagged portion. You obviously can't tag every quarter, the rule used to say is that it should be attached to the largest portion, but I don't see that in the 2019-2020 book.
Page 102 is a must read page. There are proxy forms on page 102 of the 2019-2020 book as well. Those can be pre-filled with everything but the kill info ready to attach to the other quarters. They can be photocopied. You do not need a license or tag to transort meat for tag holder, but the letter of the law says you need the proxy, properly filled out of course.
I see there is a new 2020 v1 Big Game book out. Idaho publishes the Big Game book twice a year, so when you get in state, stop and get the latest one in the sporting goods store. The latest PDFs are always on the IDFG website.

Ok good advice thanks. He will be helping us pack out but he will be with me unless something unforeseen happens.

 

[tomengineer]

I agree make sure he is not packing a firearm while engaged in hunting. A pistol maybe ok. I have a co-worker that was with another hunter who had a cow elk tag. This co-worker had his license & rifle but no other tag with him. They were checked by a conservation officer. Co-worker got a ticket & ended up losing his license for a year because he was with the other hunter and had his rifle but no tag. He tried to argue about using his rifle on coyotes, etc. but no luck for him. All he would have needed was a valid tag (wolf, bear, mt.lion, deer) and he would have been ok as long as there was a season going on in that particular area.

Ok thanks maybe I’ll ask them when I call to ask some questions about the deer population in the unit.

 

[Roughwater]

Good for him to wear hunter orange if Rifle season of course.

 

[tomengineer]

Good for him to wear hunter orange if Rifle season of course.

Yep we’ll get him marked out.