Press Releases and Articles
First sale of returned nonresident elk and white-tailed deer tags is on April 22 at 10 a.m. MDT
| idfg-rphillips
Returned nonresident elk and deer tags will go on sale at 10 a.m. MDT on April 22 on a first-come, first-served basis. There will be 28 elk tags available and seven white-tailed deer tags. To see what zones and units the tags are for, go to the returned nonresident tag webpage.
Nonresidents can buy the tags… more
Smolt Monitoring Project Week 6: PIT-tagging
| idfg-sputnam
A PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder) tag is a glass-encapsulated microchip, the size of a rice grain. The tag includes a unique code that labels each fish individually (like a social security number). This allows fisheries managers and others to monitor juvenile and adult salmonids’ journey through the… more
Genetic Integrity of the South Fork Snake River Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, Part I: Introgression/Hybridization
| idfg-pkennedy
The South Fork Snake River (SFSR) supports one of the most robust Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout (YCT) populations throughout the species range. Not surprisingly, the SFSR also has some of the most connected habitat in Idaho for YCT and supports all of the life history patterns of YCT present in the SFSR prior to… more
Smolt Monitoring Project Week 5: Fish Identification
| idfg-sputnam
Author: Devan Reid, Sr. Fisheries Technician
This week at the Salmon River trap, Fisheries Technicians Ben and Jason PIT-tagged 600 hatchery and 12 wild Chinook salmon smolts. A few hatchery and wild steelhead trout smolts were also captured and are expected to arrive in greater numbers as… more
Native Plant Sale !
| idfg-sfocht
The Pahove Chapter of the Idaho Native Plant Society will be holding their annual native plant sale-ORDER ONLINE starting April 28th for members and April 29th for the general public. Not a member, but want to be? Join here!
Curbside order pick-up will be at MK Nature Center Friday April 30th-May 2nd. There… more
Three helpful tips to remember when interacting with your local conservation officer
| idfg-jberl
Hello! My name is Officer Jacob Berl and I am the local Coeur d’Alene Conservation Officer stationed in the Panhandle Region. Chances are, if you’ve spent much time hunting, fishing, trapping, or otherwise recreating in Idaho’s great outdoors, you’ve probably bumped into an officer like me. Hopefully for most, the… more
Wildlife Express: Songbirds bring sounds of spring
| idfg-scassinelli
Chick-a-dee, dee, dee; hooooo-la, hoop, hoop, hoop; flicka, flicka, flicka.
Do these tunes sound familiar? Songbirds are all around us – in our backyards, parks, the wilderness, and spring is a good time to hear some of their greatest hits.
This month’s Wildlife Express takes you on tour… more
April hunter education courses offered in Salmon
| idfg-mdemick
Future hunters who have not taken a hunter education course, but are interested in applying for a big game controlled hunt, still have a chance of getting into a course before the application periods end.
An instructor-led hunter education course is scheduled in Salmon on April 19, 20, 22, and 23 from 5:30 to… more
April 12 Upper Salmon River Steelhead Fishing Report
| idfg-mdemick
Steelhead angler effort on the upper Salmon River was most concentrated upstream of the East Fork Salmon River in location code 19 during the past week. Outside of location code 19, steelhead anglers were most commonly observed near the mouth of the Pahsimeroi River in location code 17.
The best… more
Rainbow trout suppression on the South Fork Snake River
| idfg-pkennedy
The South Fork Snake River (SFSR) supports the strongest remaining fluvial population of native Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Ocorhynchus clarkii bouvieri (YCT) within their historical range in Idaho. The SFSR is one of only a handful of large rivers in the species’ range that supports a robust population of YCT. The… more
Kids Creek pond in Salmon stocked with steelhead
| idfg-mdemick
Personnel from Fish and Game's Pahsimeroi Hatchery released 65 steelhead in Kids Creek Pond on Monday, April 12.
Kids Creek Pond is a small fishing pond in downtown Salmon, also known for good trout fishing. The pond will receive 550 catchable-size (10-12 inch) rainbow trout before May 1.
The… more
New state record steelhead landed from South Fork of the Clearwater River
| idfg-mkoenig
Scott Turner shows off a 39.25-inch steelhead from the South Fork Clearwater River, setting a new catch/release state record.
Congratulations to Scott Turner of Boise, Idaho on setting a new catch-and-release state record for steelhead. Scott landed the monster sea-going trout on April 11 on the South… more
Put your bird feeders up, but keep them clean says Idaho Fish and Game
| idfg-jjackson
Salmonellosis outbreaks among birds have been making headlines in Idaho and neighboring states, which highlights the importance of keeping bird feeders and feeding sites clean to prevent the spread of diseases. If you want to set-up your bird feeders for spring, Idaho Fish and Game says go for it—just keep these tips… more
Most general spring turkey hunts open April 15
| idfg-rphillips
General spring turkey season and many controlled hunts open April 15. Hunters will find most general hunting opportunity in the Panhandle, Clearwater, Southwest, and Southeast regions, while most other areas are limited to controlled hunts.
For full seasons and rules, see the Idaho Upland Game,… more
Should North Idaho swan hunts be controlled hunts? Hunters can weigh in
| idfg-rphillips
Idaho Fish and Game held its first swan hunt in north Idaho during fall 2020 and offered 50 tags on a first-come, first-served basis. The tags sold out very quickly, which caused frustration with some hunters. As a result, the Fish and Game is seeking opinions from hunters whether to offer swan tags through a… more
Web-based tools can help hunters with big game controlled hunt applications
| idfg-eandersen
As the months of May and June approach, many big game hunters find themselves doing research on which controlled hunts to apply for. Fish and Game has year’s-worth of data on their web page which are excellent resources available for hunters to use when researching controlled and general hunts.
A… more
Trails and cabins improve public access to Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area
| idfg-jbruns
Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area is a 124,000-acres south of Lewiston and along the breaks of the Snake River and Hells Canyon. With a 7,900-foot elevation drop from its highest mountain peak down to the Snake River, trails are essential to access all that the WMA has to offer for hunters and other… more
What you need to know to get youth started hunting and fishing
| idfg-eandersen
As the weather warms and fishing and hunting seasons approach, many families are looking to get their young hunters and anglers ready for a year of hunting and fishing adventures. Fish and Game is committed to ensuring that Idaho’s youth are offered many opportunities to grow as hunters and anglers. The first step is… more