Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Hunting News

In Idaho, hunting spike comes at a cost

Associated Press

Hunting license sales in the state are up as more residents seek a way to safely get out of the house without contracting COVID-19, but that has led to inexperienced hunters reportedly misidentifying and killing moose and a grizzly bear. In addition, blatant poaching has increased in northern Idaho.

Idaho agency wants to spend $408K a year to count wolves

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho’s top wildlife official on Tuesday requested authorization from state lawmakers to spend $408,000 to count wolves. Idaho Department of Fish and Game Director Ed Schriever told the Legislature’s budget-setting committee that the expense would become part of the agency’s annual budget to keep a running tally of the number of wolves in the state. Idaho stopped…

Officials capture Elliott the elk after he befriends hunters

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho – An elk named Elliott who befriended archery elk hunters at an Idaho campground has been captured by state officials who are looking for a permanent home for him. Idaho Department of Fish and Game spokesman Evin Oneale tells the Idaho Statesman that Elliott was captured last week in central Idaho. Officials say someone bottle-fed Elliott as a…
News, Walleye

Non-native walleye illegally stocked in Idaho’s Lake Cascade

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho wildlife officials say someone illegally stocked walleye in Lake Cascade in west-central Idaho. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game in a news release says a fish caught last week was positively identified as a walleye on Wednesday. Fish and Game says the walleye measured more than 19 inches long. Wildlife officials say walleye threaten native…
Hunting News

Idaho takes step toward grizzly hunting season

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho — Idaho officials have started the process of opening a grizzly bear hunting season this fall that would allow the killing of one male grizzly. The Fish and Game Commission in a 7-0 vote directed the Department of Fish and Game to gather public comments on the possible hunt. The department will use those comments to draft a possible…

Group wants lethal traps banned in Idaho wolverine habitat

Associated Press

An environmental group is asking Idaho officials to ban lethal traps in areas inhabited by wolverines.BOISE, Idaho — An environmental group is asking Idaho officials to prosecute a trapper who killed a wolverine and ban lethal traps in areas inhabited by wolverines, but state officials say they will do neither. The Center for Biological Diversity made the request Tuesday in…

Suit to stop federal agency wolf killings in Idaho rejected

Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho— A federal agency doesn’t need to do a new environmental study before being allowed to kill more wolves in Idaho, a federal court judge has ruled. U.S. District Court Judge Edward Lodge last week ruled in favor of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services of Idaho and against Western Watersheds Project and four other environmental groups. Lodge…

Wolverine killed in trap in east-central Idaho

Associated Press

Wolverines are a rare sight in the Lower 48 states.BOISE, Idaho — Idaho wildlife officials say a trapper reported finding a wolverine dead in a trap in east-central Idaho. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game in a news release Tuesday says the Idaho trapper reported finding the adult female wolverine inadvertently caught in his trap in Lemhi County on…
News

Experts: Idaho hatchery built to save salmon is killing them

Associated Press

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo)BOISE, Idaho — Fisheries biologists in Idaho say they think they know why a relatively new $13.5 million hatchery intended to save Snake River sockeye salmon from extinction is instead killing thousands of fish before they ever get to the ocean. The Department of Fish and Game in information released recently says water chemistry at…

Idaho racing to combat deadly bat fungus

Associated Press

TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Officials are scrambling to slow a deadly fungal disease that has killed millions of bats before it eventually spreads to Idaho. The Times-News reports the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is partnering with National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Idaho Power Co. and Idaho National Laboratory to monitor for the fungus….

Idaho wildlife agency trains dogs to track wildlife, people

Associated Press

SANDPOINT, Idaho — The state is beginning to embrace the concept of pairing Idaho Department of Fish & Game conservation officers with service dogs. Matt Haag, a Bonner County-based conservation officer, just completed a year in the field with Hudson, a happy-go-lucky 2-1/2-year-old golden Labrador retriever with a penchant for pursuit. “It’s amazing what they can do,” said Haag. Hudson’s service…