Don't forget to file hunter reports

SANDPOINT — With the big game hunting seasons over, the Idaho Department of Fish & Game is reminding hunters to file their harvest reports on their 2016 deer, elk and pronghorn hunts.

Hunters are required to file a report for each tag they purchased whether they went hunting or not.

The quick and easy questionnaire can be reported online at https://idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/report or by calling (877) 268-9365 to speak with a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To file reports, hunters need to know their tag numbers or hunting license numbers, the number of days they hunted, the game management units they hunted in, the date they harvested, and the number of antler points on the animal they harvested, or the length of the horns for pronghorns in inches.

Promptly received hunting and harvest data provides Fish and Game a more complete picture of game populations to base decisions for next year’s season. Without this timely information, managers are forced to be more conservative when making future hunting opportunities available.

Hunters also like having harvest estimates well before the application period for fall controlled hunts. If Fish and Game receives hunter reports early, wildlife managers are able to complete the harvest estimates sooner so hunters can plan their hunting trips next fall.