Press Releases and Articles
Oct. 19 Upper Salmon River Steelhead fishing report
| idfg-bbeller
Steelhead angler effort on the upper Salmon River continued to increase over the past week, especially upstream of North Fork in location code 16. Angler effort was highest downstream of North Fork in location codes 14 and 15. Jet boat anglers interviewed at Corn Creek accounted for the majority of effort downstream… more
Bull elk entangles in hammock near Ketchum
| idfg-tthompson
On Monday afternoon, October 12, 2020 dispatchers with Blaine County Sheriff began to receive numerous calls about a bull elk in distress near the Meadow’s Trailer Park south of Ketchum, Idaho. Two Blaine County Sheriff deputies arrived to find a large bull elk struggling to keep its head above water while standing in… more
Idaho Elk Camp
| idfg-vosborn
Hunting camp. The tents go up, wood is gathered and chopped, living quarters arranged and the stove installed to create a comfortable home.
While camp provides the jumping off point for hunting in southeast Idaho’s backcountry, for the Gamblin family it is where family traditions are forged and handed down to… more
F&G offering $555K for firearm and archery shooting range grants
| idfg-rphillips
Idaho Fish and Game enhances recreational shooting ranges through its Shooting Range Development Grant program to assist organizations or agencies to establish, upgrade, expand or otherwise improve public firearms and archery ranges in Idaho. Applications for grants are due Dec. 10, and can be found at the link below… more
Hunting for Salmon Redds
| idfg-sputnam
Written by Robert Hand, Clearwater Region
Every fall, fisheries crews from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and other agencies head out into the woods to hunt. Not for big game, but to look for spring/summer Chinook Salmon spawning in remote Idaho streams. These fish are ending an amazing journey that… more
Check out these F&G resources for a refresher on field dressing big game, upland birds
| idfg-bpearson
No matter what kind of game you’re hunting, the hunt doesn’t end after the harvest. Properly field dressing your quarry is the crucial next step in getting delicious wild game meat from the field to your table.
Field dressing can sometimes seem like the most challenging part of the hunt, especially among those… more
Preparation important for waterfowl hunting with a boat
| idfg-mdemick
Hunters using a boat to get to their island blind, and hunters shooting from their duck boats are 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
Portions of Andrus WMA Reopen to Visitors
| idfg-eoneale
NOTICE: This original closure has been rescinded.
Learn more
Even while the Woodhead Fire continues to burn in the Hells Canyon area, portions of Andrus Wildlife Management Area (WMA) are reopening after weeks of fire-related closure. The extreme… more
Wildlife Express: Meet the Grouse
| idfg-scassinelli
Have you ever had a quiet hike interrupted by an exploding bird? If so, you encountered a member of the grouse family. These birds don’t really explode, but their sudden getaway right at your feet will seem like a feathered explosion.
Take a closer look at Idaho’s forest grouse in the October edition of… more
Make sure you know the difference between white-tailed deer and mule deer
| idfg-kcampbell
In the Panhandle region, white-tailed deer and mule deer ranges often overlap and there is no harvest of antlerless mule deer allowed. Hunters need to be extra vigilant about species identification before a shot is taken.
Since the rifle deer season opener on October 10th, Panhandle Conservation Officers have… more
Fish and Game taking uncommon action to trap and translocate elk responsible for costly and repeated crop damage
| idfg-tthompson
In mid-October, Fish and Game will conduct a trapping and translocation project on private property to remove elk responsible for ongoing depredation issues in the Little Camas region of southern Idaho. Elk in this area have a long history of expensive damage to crops on private property at night, and then retreating… more
One of Idaho's newest game species, red squirrel is a great gateway for new hunters
| idfg-bpearson
With a Hunting Passport in his pocket, a .410 shotgun in the crook of his arm (a recent Christmas gift), and mom and dad by his side, Wyatt Creson, then 8 years old, stalked through the woods and scoured tree branches in search of one of Idaho’s more diminutive game animals: the American red squirrel.
… more
Mule deer buck left to waste near American Falls
| idfg-jjackson
Idaho Department of Fish and Game is seeking information regarding the waste of a 4-point mule deer buck in Power County. On October 12, Senior Conservation Officer Morgan Scott received a call from Citizens Against Poaching about a mule deer buck left to waste in a ditch along Ferry Hollow Road approximately 5 miles… more
A Scale Tale
| idfg-midavison
Steelhead trout returning to Idaho waters to spawn are long lived relative to other anadromous salmonids. Every year, Idaho Fish and Game collects scale samples from steelhead and salmon passing Lower Granite Dam to determine their ages. Scales can tell us more than just how old a fish is, however… more
Here's a back-to-basics approach to duck hunting that any hunter can use
| idfg-bpearson
Waterfowl hunting has a reputation for being expensive, but hunters don’t need to shell out tons of money on a boat or a truckload of waterfowl gear to be successful. That’s especially true in a state with as much public land as Idaho.
Jump shooting is a low-cost option for public land hunts,… more
Idaho's first swan season opens October 19th in portions of the Panhandle Region
| idfg-kcampbell
October 19 not only marks the date of the waterfowl opener in the Panhandle Region, but also the opener of Idaho's first ever swan season.
In August, 50 tags were issued first-come, first-serve for this hunt; it will be evaluated as an experimental hunt for at least three years.… more
October 12: Upper Salmon River Steelhead fishing report
| idfg-bbeller
Steelhead angler effort increased this week on the upper Salmon River, and anglers were catching steelhead. The majority of angler effort was located downstream of North Fork in location code 15, and anglers interviewed in this area averaged 55 hours per steelhead caught. Anglers interviewed downstream of the Middle… more
Video: Carrying what you need gives you the confidence to go deeper to find game
| idfg-vosborn
Hunting Idaho's backcountry in the fall and winter can be a mental challenge as well as a physical one. Going miles from a road or trail and downing a large animal and then getting it processed and ready to take out is a big challenge.
An Idaho hunter shares how taking a fully loaded pack into the backcountry… more