No resident license requirement for gathering naturally shed antlers appears in Idaho's rules. Nonresidents must hold a valid Idaho big game hunting license before collecting, possessing, or transporting sheds (Idaho Code 36-508, effective July 1, 2024). Since 2023, the Fish and Game Commission has had authority to close public land to shed gathering during severe winters — it has used it once, closing the Upper Snake and Southeast Regions from Jan 1 to Apr 14, 2024. Closures are weighed case by case each winter, so check IDFG's site before you go.
LAST CHECKED August 29, 2026 · RULES CHANGE — CONFIRM WITH IDAHO FISH AND GAME (IDFG) BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT.
Set by: Idaho Fish and Game Commission, under closure authority granted by 2023 Senate Bill 1143
The Commission weighs shed-gathering closures case by case each winter. Proposals take public comment through IDFG's shed antler proposal form before any closure is approved.
CWD has been documented in free-ranging deer or elk in 5 game management units as of May 2026. Captive-cervid detections are also on record in 2 counties.
1 · 14 · 15 · 18 · 23
SOURCE: USGS NATIONAL WILDLIFE HEALTH CENTER — CWD DISTRIBUTION BY STATE AND COUNTY, VER. 4.0 (AUG 2026). THIS STATE REPORTS BY HUNT UNIT, NOT COUNTY.
26 elk · 1 moose · 28 mule deer · 7 pronghorn — migration corridors, stopovers, and winter ranges mapped from GPS-collared animals and published by the USGS Corridor Mapping Team with the state agency. 3 of these herds cross a state line and are counted for each state they use.
SOURCE: USGS — UNGULATE MIGRATIONS OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES, VOLS. 1–6
Every state reports these numbers to the federal government on the same terms, so they compare cleanly across states. A license holder is a person — one hunter can buy several licenses or tags in a season.
SOURCE: U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE — HUNTING LICENSE CERTIFICATIONS. FEDERAL DATA RUNS TWO YEARS BEHIND; 2024 IS THE MOST RECENT SALES YEAR PUBLISHED.
CURRENT-WINTER CLOSURE STATUS WAS NOT CONFIRMED AT LAST CHECK — VERIFY ON IDFG.IDAHO.GOV BEFORE HEADING OUT.