In Idaho, you have to be at least 8 years old to hunt, and even then only small game, upland birds, turkey, furbearers, and unprotected species with a qualified adult mentor at your side. Big game hunting, including deer, elk, and bear, starts at age 10. A young hunter can hunt without direct adult supervision beginning at age 12.
Minimum Ages by What You’re Hunting
Idaho uses the species and the presence of a mentor to set the floor. Youth aged 8 and older may hunt small game, upland birds, turkey, furbearers, and unprotected species as long as they’re accompanied by a qualified adult mentor.1Idaho Fish and Game. What You Need to Know to Get Youth Started Hunting and Fishing The mentor must be at least 18 and hold a valid Idaho hunting license. For big game, the minimum age rises to 10, again with an adult mentor present.
Supervision gets stricter the younger the hunter. For youth under 12 pursuing big game, the mentor has to stay within arm’s reach. In other hunting situations, the mentor needs to be close enough for verbal communication. No mentor may supervise more than two young hunters at the same time.
There’s one narrow exception that sits outside the licensing system entirely: Idaho residents under 12 may hunt predatory and unprotected birds and animals (coyotes, starlings, and the like) without a license, provided they don’t use firearms.2Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code Title 36 – 36-401 It does not cover any licensed game species.
Starting at 8 With a Hunting Passport
Idaho’s Hunting Passport lets first-time hunters aged 8 and up try hunting for one year before completing hunter education. It costs $1.75 and is open to anyone, resident or nonresident, who has never held a hunting license in any state or country.3Legal Information Institute. Idaho Admin Code 13.01.02.101 – Hunting Passport
A passport holder can hunt any species they’d otherwise be age-eligible for, but only with an eligible mentor along. The passport expires on December 31 of the year it’s issued, and each person may hold one only once in their lifetime. After that year, a hunter needs to complete hunter education and buy a standard license to keep going.
When Hunter Education Becomes Required
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1975 must complete an approved hunter education course before buying an Idaho hunting license. The only way around it is proof of a previously held hunting license from Idaho or another state. In practice, every young hunter today falls on the required side of that date.
Youth can begin enrolling in hunter education at age 9.1Idaho Fish and Game. What You Need to Know to Get Youth Started Hunting and Fishing Idaho Fish and Game offers the course in person, fully online, and in a hybrid format with an in-person field day. The timing lines up neatly for families: a 9-year-old can take the course and be ready for a junior hunting license when they turn 10.
Junior Licenses and Tags
Idaho offers youth-priced licenses once a hunter reaches age 10. A 9-year-old may purchase the Junior Hunting License if they’ll turn 10 before the hunting season they’re applying for.4Idaho Fish and Game. License, Tag, and Permit Costs – Residents
- Junior Hunting License, ages 10–17: $8.25, covers small game and upland birds.
- Junior Combination License (hunting plus fishing), ages 14–17, residents only: $19.00.
- Hunting Passport, ages 8 and up for first-time hunters: $1.75, one calendar year with a mentor.
Annual junior licenses include a $2.00 Access/Depredation fee. Three-year versions are also offered: $21.25 for the junior hunting license and $55.75 for the junior combination license.
A junior hunting license on its own does not authorize big game hunting. Youth aged 10 and older need to buy a separate tag for each big game species. Resident junior tag prices are $12.50 for deer, $18.75 for elk, and $7.75 for black bear.4Idaho Fish and Game. License, Tag, and Permit Costs – Residents Depending on the hunt, archery or muzzleloader validation or species-specific permits (mountain lion, wolf, turkey, sandhill crane) may also be required.
Waterfowl hunters have one age-based wrinkle worth noting: a federal duck stamp is required at 16 and older, so hunters under 16 are exempt.5U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Federal Duck Stamp
Nonresident youth qualify for the junior hunting license and Hunting Passport at the same ages as residents, but at higher fees. Current nonresident pricing is on the Idaho Fish and Game website.
Youth-Only Controlled Hunts
Idaho sets aside certain controlled hunts just for young hunters. Youth aged 9 through 17 may apply, but a 9-year-old has to turn 10 before the season begins to actually hunt.6Idaho Department of Fish and Game. IDAPA 13.01.08 – Rules Governing the Taking of Big Game Animals A hunter who turns 18 during the season may finish the youth hunt they drew. Draw odds for these hunts tend to be better than for general controlled hunts.
What Happens If a Young Hunter Breaks the Rules
Age is not a shield from penalties. A conviction for violating Idaho’s fish and game laws can result in revocation of hunting privileges for up to three years, and hunting during a revocation period is itself a misdemeanor.7Idaho State Legislature. Idaho Code Title 36 Chapter 14 Section 36-1402 – Penalty – Infraction For first-time offenders under 21, a judge may order a remedial hunter education course at the offender’s expense ($75); completing it allows the remainder of the revocation to be held in abeyance as long as no further violations occur. Mentors share responsibility here, which is why Idaho ties the whole youth hunting structure to a qualified adult being on the ground with the hunter.