Wildlife Conservation and Management

Idaho's Wildlife Conservation and Management

Idaho Fish and Game is charged with preserving, protecting, perpetuating and managing all wildlife in the state for present and future generations. Most animals are not hunted, trapped or fished.

Wildlife Management Areas improve and maintain wildlife habitat for both game and nongame species and provide access for disabled hunters, fishermen, and wildlife watchers.

Our management plans, provide guidance and overall direction and help identify both statewide and regional population and management objectives

Programs indirectly related to hunting or fishing include wildlife diseases, the Wildlife Diversity Program, Idaho wetland habitat inventory, and information on lands and landowners.

News

Volunteers jumpstart wildlife habitat restoration after a wildfire burned in 2018

Monday, April 8, 2019 - 2:07 PM MDT

Armed with trowels, augers, kneepads and thousands of sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings, about three dozen volunteers joined Fish and Game staff in late March to replant where a 2018 fire scorched 700 acres near Lucky Peak Reservoir.

Southwest Region Habitat Wildlife Conservation and Management
F&G biologists adding solar-powered GPS ear tags to mule deer monitoring

Monday, March 25, 2019 - 2:47 PM MDT

Idaho Fish and Game is using "green" power, but not where you might expect it. Mule deer bucks currently roaming the backcountry are sporting solar-powered ear tags that allow biologists to track their movements without worrying about draining a battery in a telemetry collar.

Big Game Hunting Wildlife Conservation and Management Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
Non-profit wildlife group offers up to $10K grants for habitat and conservation

Monday, February 25, 2019 - 3:54 PM MST

The Idaho Fish & Wildlife Foundation is accepting applications for its 2019 grants cycle. The grants program provides funding on a competitive basis to nonprofit organizations, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and tax-exempt organizations.

Wildlife Conservation and Management
Hunting spring snows in southern Idaho

Monday, February 25, 2019 - 3:44 PM MST

Snow geese’s unique migration allows a different hunting opportunity in Idaho. The spring “light goose” season, which includes blue, snow and Ross’ geese, is a relatively new opportunity for hunters.

Migratory Bird Hunting Hunting Wildlife Conservation and Management Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)
Bighorn Sheep Capture Planned in Hells Canyon

Thursday, February 14, 2019 - 10:54 AM MST

An interagency effort is planned between Idaho Fish and Game, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to capture 80 bighorn sheep in five Hells Canyon herds Feb. 19–28.

Wildlife Conservation and Management Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis)
Game cameras provide new methods for counting and managing wildlife

Wednesday, February 6, 2019 - 4:11 PM MST

An innovative approach using trail cameras to capture wildlife allows Idaho Fish and Game biologists to estimate deer and elk populations in a safer, less-invasive, and less-expensive way.

Big Game Hunting Panhandle Region Clearwater Region Wildlife Conservation and Management Upper Snake Region Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) Elk (Cervus canadensis)
Juvenile mountain lion attacks dog in Mackay

Monday, February 4, 2019 - 12:03 PM MST

Early on the morning of Jan. 30 a woman responded to what she thought was a fight between her dog and another dog outside of her Mackay home. As she pulled the two animals apart, she soon realized that in one of her hands she held a juvenile male mountain lion and not another dog as expected.

Upper Snake Region Wildlife Conservation and Management Mountain Lion, Cougar, or Puma (Puma concolor)