Backers said changes to Idaho law could help cut the wolf population from about 1,500 to 150, alleviating wolf attacks on cattle, sheep and wildlife.
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.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is proposing one two-day hunting season in September in some areas north of the Snake River and one seven-day hunting season in September in a region south of the Snake River, with hunters allowed to take one bird per day.
Most notably, the costs for elk and deer hunting are going up dramatically, which are the two most profitable areas for Idaho Fish and Game.
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…
Idaho Department of Fish and Game criticized for its lack of transparency about the hunt, which occurred on private properties, often at night.
The state said there’s been an increasing number of predators in the area because elk and mule deer can now be found there year-round.
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…
The study found that wolves accounted for 32% of adult female elk deaths and 28% of elk calf deaths, while cougars accounted for 35% of adult female elk deaths and 45% of elk calf deaths.
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…
Michigan DNR: Groundbreaking legislation provides critical funding for fish and wildlife in greatest need.
Idaho residents have until July 15 to apply. The drawing for the hunting tag is planned for early August.
(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)BOISE, Idaho — Idaho officials have scheduled two public meetings as part of a process to potentially open a grizzly bear hunting season this fall that would allow the killing of one male. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is gathering comments to draft regulations that the Fish and Game Commission will consider in May….
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…
More might be killed yet this winter. Environmental groups blasted the killing of the wolves, focusing on the operation being made public only after it happened.
Video shows Fish and Game conservation officers releasing a cat from a trap.
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…
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…
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…
(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…
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 Services killed 75 wolves in 2015 out of a statewide population of at least 786, according to a report. There were 35 cattle and 125 sheep killings that year.
If the rule to allow baiting for hunting wolves goes into effect, Idaho would be the only state in the country to permit it.
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…
While that’s a touch of good news after a challenging winter, mule deer hunters will see fewer young bucks in the fall, and in some places, very few.
The NWTF has identified the South Hills as one of the focal landscapes in its Western Wildlands region of America’s Big Six of Wildlife Conservation.
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