Idaho Makes List of Ultimate Hunting States

Year after year, Idaho ranks high among America's best states to hunt in.

An iconic feat for many throughout the conservationist community, Idaho offers some of the finest big game hunting prospects in the world. And there's no shortage of data to support it. Despite the downward trend of registered hunting licenses issued throughout all 50 states, a recent Stacker survey detected an inverse trend in Idaho.

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Compiled from data sourced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Stacker survey reported over 15 million hunting licenses had been issued in the United States as recently as 2020. Idaho's registered hunting licenses ranked the fifth highest in the nation.

Breakdown of Idaho Registered Hunter Data

1,489,436 || combined total of hunting licenses, permits, tags & stamps

16.5% || percentage of Idahoans who paid for their hunting licenses

288,613 || total number of hunters who paid for their hunting licenses

$29,105,510 || gross cost of hunting licenses issued in Idaho

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For additional context, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the government agency responsible for the oversight of all of Idaho's animals. Back in 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was especially occupied with Idaho's big game sector. The agency reported a banner year for Idaho's number of paid hunting license holders. Nearly 300,000 paid hunting licenses had been issued for the Gem State.

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What makes Idaho hunting desirable to experienced and novice hunters alike?

According to Idaho Fish Game, our state offers limitless hunting prospects. During the general season, game enthusiasts can hunt for: white-tailed deer and mule deer; elk; black bears, mountain lions; and wolves. While controlled hunts exclude the hunting of mountain lions, the exercise includes every other prey in the general season plus pronghorns, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. Without question, Idaho's vast array of game can appeal to the interests and skill level level of any huntsman or huntswoman.

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Big Game, Big Expectations for 2022

In late August, Idaho Fish and Game said they were optimistic but conservative in their forecast for the 2022 hunting season. They predicted the following:

healthy & stable elk herds

growth among mule deer herds & harvest

modest recovery among the white-tailed deer population in Clearwater

an emergence in chronic wasting disease

For in-depth information on Idaho's Big Game Seasons and Rules, visit Idaho's official government website here. We hope you enjoy a season of safe hunting and a bountiful harvest in the Gem State!

States with the most registered hunters

Stacker analyzed data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine which states have the most registered hunters. Read on to see how your state ranks on Stacker’s list.