• Idaho has many regulations for elk hunting.elk image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.com
  
  Hunting for elk is a popular big game sport throughout the hunting season. Idaho has a large elk population on its public lands, so it is a good state for people to hunt elk. In Idaho, a hunter must receive a valid elk hunting license before beginning a hunt and follow all of Idaho's rules and regulations for big game hunters.
  
  

Licensing

• At all times while hunting, all elk hunters must have a valid Idaho hunting license in their possession. Hunters must apply to Idaho's Fish and Game Department. Residents of Idaho pay a small fee, while nonresidents of Idaho pay around $150 for a license. A hunter can prove he is a resident of Idaho using an Idaho driver's license or other government-issued identification. Hunters born after 1975 must also show proof that they have completed a hunter education course to receive a license. Those born before 1975 do not have to complete a hunter education course.
  
  

Other Rules

• After receiving a license, Idaho hunters can hunt for elk during the hunting season, which lasts from the end of August through early January. Idaho hunters may only hunt for elk during this season from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset. For every elk shot, all hunters are required to remove and care for the edible meat on the elk.
  
  

Tags

• Along with the license, hunters may harvest only as many of elk as they have legal tags for in that year. A hunter pays the Fish and Game Department for each tag before the hunting season starts. Like hunting licenses, the cost per tag is much greater for nonresidents than residents. In 2010, the cost per elk tag for residents was about $30, while for nonresidents the cost was more than $400. For each tag purchased, an elk hunter must fill out a Mandatory Hunter Report to the Fish and Game Department. Within 10 days after harvesting an elk, the hunter must return the report for that elk.