Ask Fish and Game: Life jackets save lives

Mon, 11/02/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Q. Are waterfowl hunters required to wear life jackets in a boat? A. Idaho law requires a life jacket on board for every passenger, and a throw-able personal floatation device is required in boats more than 16 feet long. Occupants 14 and under in a boat 19 feet long or less are required to wear a life jacket if the… more

Hunters encouraged to complete big game reports soon

Mon, 11/02/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Idaho Fish and Game encourages hunters who purchased a deer, elk, or pronghorn tag to report the results of their 2015 big game hunts as soon as possible. Reporting is required either 10 days after a deer, elk or pronghorn is harvested, or ten days following the end of the season for which a tag is valid. Hunters… more

Hunting Safety Reminders

Mon, 11/02/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

November is synonymous with deer hunting for many people in Idaho. According to a US Fish and Wildlife Service report, Idaho ranks third highest of the 50 states in the percentage of the adult population participating in hunting. Some people have the mistaken impression that because firearms are used, hunting is a… more

Duck School Workshop Slated

Wed, 10/28/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Fledgling waterfowl hunters with a desire to learn more about duck and goose hunting should plan to attend the upcoming Southwest Idaho Duck School workshop. The free workshop is open specifically to new waterfowl hunters of any age. The all-day event begins at 9:00am on Saturday, November 28th at Fish and Game's… more

Hunters can take survey about controlled hunts and auction tags

Wed, 10/28/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

By Roger Phillips, Idaho Fish and Game public information specialist Fish and Game is getting opinions from hunters about possibly changing controlled hunt drawing odds and increasing the number of big game tags offered through auction. For many years, some hunters have expressed interest in changing Idaho's… more

No Firewood Collection on Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area

Wed, 10/28/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Idaho Department of Fish and Game would like to remind Craig Mountain users that firewood collection is currently not allowed on lands they manage within the Craig Mountain/Waha area. Firewood collection on publicly managed lands is only allowed with a valid permit by the issuing agency. Violations will be strictly… more

Preparation important for duck hunting with a boat

Tue, 10/27/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Hunters using a boat to get to their island blind, and hunters shooting from their duck boatsÉare going not only on a hunting trip. They are also going on a boating trip. It is critically important that they have all of the safety equipment that a boating outing requires. In addition having safety gear, it is… more

Parachuting beavers go global

Tue, 10/27/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Last week, Idaho Fish and Game released a long-lost film entitled "Fur for the Future." The film documented a project to repopulate backcountry wilderness areas of Idaho with beaver---pretty routine work in the late 1940s and early 1950s. However, add parachutes, specially designed boxes and aircraft into the mix and… more

Fall Chinook Season Ends Soon

Mon, 10/26/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

The fall Chinook season will end October 31 in the Clearwater River, a short stretch of the lower Salmon River and in the Snake River, except the section from Cliff Mountain Rapids upstream to Hells Canyon Dam, which closes November 17. The season opened September 1, on the Snake River between Lewiston and Hells… more

Waterfowl Shooting Time Corrections

Mon, 10/26/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Hunter's please note the waterfowl shooting times listed on pages12 and 14 of the 2015 Waterfowl Season and Rules brochure contain errors. November 1 on page 12. Because daylight saving time ends November 1, both the beginning and ending times statewide should be within a minute or two of times listed for November 2… more

Commission to Meet in Hailey in November

Mon, 10/26/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will meet November 18 and 19 in Hailey. The public hearing and regular meeting will be held at the Blaine County School District Community Campus, 1050 Fox Acres Road. The public hearing will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 18. Anyone who wants to address the commission on… more

Wildlife workshops to be offered in Boise, Jerome

Mon, 10/26/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Project WILD is offering two workshops this fall and early winter for adults who want to share the wonders of Idaho's natural resources with the next generation. While Project WILD is a wildlife-focused conservation education program for K-12 educators, you don't have to be a teacher to participate. The workshops are… more

Ask Fish and Game: 209 Black Powder Primers

Mon, 10/26/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Q: Why are 209 black powder primers not allowed during muzzleloader-only seasons? A: Muzzleloader rifles are considered primitive weapons and hunters choosing to hunt muzzleloader-only seasons are often able to take advantage of special opportunities not available to modern center fire rifle hunters. To maintain… more

Warm October hasn't favored hunters, but harvest is good

Wed, 10/21/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-estansbury

By Roger Phillips, Idaho Fish and Game public information specialist Hunters are reporting good numbers of deer and elk, but weather hasn't been cooperative for prime hunting conditions. Many deer hunters have been in the woods for the general, any-weapon season since Oct. 10, and any-weapon elk hunters weren't far… more

Rainbow Trout Stocking Schedule for Southwest Idaho

Wed, 10/21/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

Personnel from Fish and Game's Nampa Hatchery will be releasing more than 15,000 catchable-sized rainbow trout at the following locations during November. Please note that McDevitt Pond in Boise will not be stocked in November due to weed treatment efforts at the pond. LOCATION - WEEK STOCKED - NUMBER OF TROUT… more

Dry Bed Fish Salvage Starts Now

Tue, 10/20/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-mdemick

The start of April normally marks the beginning of a unique angling experience in Eastern Idaho, but this year the special salvage opportunity is starting right now, owing to headgate work being done by the Great Feeder Canal Company. Maintenance work on the headgates is routine enough that an annual salvage fishery… more

Hunters need to take extra care with meat during warm weather

Mon, 10/19/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-lfrench

With many big-game hunts underway and warmer-than-usual weather in October, hunters should bring ice or take other precautions to ensure game meat doesn't spoil. The keys to preserving a big-game carcass is to get it cooled as quickly as possible, and ideally, keep the meat between 34 and 40 degrees. Getting it… more

Fish and Game releases young grizzlies trapped in October

Mon, 10/19/2015 - 00:00 | idfg-lfrench

The two male yearling grizzly bear cubs were released in a remote portion of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest near Yellowstone National Park on Oct. 9. The yearlings and their mother were trapped on Oct. 8, near Chester, Idaho. Because of the sow's prior conflicts and poor body condition, Fish and Game personnel… more