Bear baiting rule changes effective now

With Idaho's general spring black bear hunting season beginning April 15 in much of the state, hunters are reminded that rules changes on placement of bait made last August are in effect now. The current rules requires that no bait site be located within 200 feet of any water (lake, pond, reservoir, or year-round free-flowing stream or spring) or within 200 yards of any maintained trail or any established roadway that is open to the general public for motorized traffic and capable of being traveled by full-sized automobiles. An established roadway is defined as any road that is established, built, maintained, approved or designated by any government entity or private landowner for the purpose of travel by full-sized automobiles. An established roadway shows evidence of repeated use by full-sized automobiles, and may include a traveled way of natural earth with depressed wheel tracks and little or no vegetation in the wheel tracks. Updates to the 2016 black bear season and rule information can be found on pages 66-71 of the Big Game Seasons and Rules brochure available online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/.