One of the most common fish and game violations conservation officers investigate doesn’t occur in the field, but at the license vendor when a person makes a fraudulent license purchase, or purchases of a wrong class license, such as when a nonresident purchases a resident license using some sort of false information.

The reasons behind these fraudulent license purchases are usually as diverse as the people committing the crime. In recent years, there were more than a thousand wrong-class license violations detected by officers. The underlying reason for trying to cheat the system is typically to save money while maximizing use of Idaho’s hunting and fishing opportunities.

To be an Idaho resident for hunting, trapping, and fishing purposes, you must have lived in Idaho for the past six months, and have either a valid Idaho driver’s license, or if you are a nondriver, a valid Idaho Identification card. Property ownership and payment of property taxes alone are not enough to establish residency.

The penalties for buying a wrong class license can be very high, including stiff fines and restitution to Fish and Game for the revenue lost because of the illegal purchase, and a mandatory license revocation in nearly all 50 states. During one wrong class license investigation, officers discovered that a husband and wife had been cheating the system by using the address of a friend to purchase resident hunting and fishing licenses. Both were sentenced to a one year loss of licenses and a total reimbursement to Fish and Game of nearly $12,000.

If you have any questions about whether you qualify as a resident, please contact your local Fish and Game Regional Office.