Fish and Game Adds Fee to Annual Licenses

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – If you plan to get outside this year as an angler, hunter or trapper, don't be surprised when you go to purchase your annual license: you’ll have to pay a few extra bucks.

The new access and depredation fee – an additional $5 for resident adults and $10 for nonresident adults – went into effect today.

According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the fee will pay for land access, depredation prevention and payments to farmers and ranchers if big game damages their operations.

The fee is expected to raise $1 million annually for sportsmen’s access to hunting and fishing, according to the department, and another $1 million annually for depredation prevention and damage compensation.

According to Fish and Game:

Fish and Game commissioners recognized that maintaining abundant big game herds means increased responsibility to mitigate for their effects to farmers’ and ranchers’ livelihoods. Animals can do significant damage to crops, haystacks and other agriculture commodities.

Commissioners also want to enhance access to private lands for hunting, fishing and trapping in response to changing patterns of land ownership, changing traditional access, and the growing need to compensate private landowners for access.

A reduced fee also will be applied to other annual licenses such as for junior, senior, Disabled American Veteran and military furlough licenses.