Frequently Asked Questions

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Benjamin, Living with Wildlife in our backyards can be frustrating especially when they start helping themselves to the "fruits" of our labors.  I would encourage you to contact your local Regional Office to determine who is your local Conservation Officer or Landowner Sportsman Coordinator to provide you with some assistance.  The web site http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ can provide you with the phone numbers of each Regional Office just call the one closest to you.  They may be able to offer you suggestions or solutions that you have not tried yet.  There are sprays and other items that might bring you success.   The killing of big game animals outside of season’s and other regulations is unlawful.  

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Controlled hunt tags must be picked up by the end of the day on August 1, 2014.

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Yes.  If there are more applicants on an application than permits available in a given hunt, then the application cannot draw.

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This year the resident general season elk tags went on sale June 25th. We make most of the resident general season tags available when the controlled hunt results are posted to the license system. That means the date can change every year depending on when the controlled hunt drawing is completed. Those elk zones with limited number of tags go such as the Sawtooth B tag go on sale July 10.

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It's roughly 1,200 fish in 2014.  This is based on the projected number of hatchery Chinook that are returning to Pahsimeroi and Sawtooth hatcheries.  We subtract the number of adult fish needed for brood stock and divide what's left between tribal and nontribal anglers.  The run coming back to Pahsimeroi is smaller than we had hoped and the quota is only about 140 adults - so we may be forced to close from the North Fork to Pahsimeroi much sooner than the Pahsimeroi to Sawtooth Fish Hatchery.

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Yes they can - but the question is why?  Idaho offers some of the best and most diverse year-around fishing in the western United States and our season licenses are one of the best values in outdoor recreation.  How about trying a season license and keep track of how many different species of fish you can catch in a year?

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We wish the returning adult Chinook numbers were only influenced by angling.  That would make our jobs much easier.  Truth is, we knew two years ago that the Chinook numbers returning to Pahsimeroi Hatchery would be low in 2014.  PIT tag information collected at Lower Granite Dam in the spring of 2012 indicated we had poor survival of the smolt between Pahsimeroi and Lower Granite Dam.  Numbers looked even worse when the Pahsimeroi to Bonneville Dam information was analyzed. Why?  Frankly, we don't know.  It could have been caused by a disease out-break or a nutrietional deficiency about the time of release.  We were hoping low survival numbers generated by PIT tag detections in 2012 were caused by poor tagging practices at the hatchery (if PIT tags are improperly inserted, they will be shed by the fish). Producing anadromous fish for sportsmen in Idaho is complicated and many of the variables affecting survival/returns are out of our control.  All we can do is deal with the items we can influence - such as the quality of the fish leaving our hatcheries.  We are always trying new technology, diets, and rearing practices that improve survival of the fish on their downstream journey.  We will continue working to increase the return of Chinook for sportsmen to the Pahsimeroi.

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In 2010, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission considered adopting a Bonus Points system, but ultimately decided against it in part because there was a lack of consensus among sportsmen.  In 2005, the Commission also considered and rejected such a system Information about the history of Bonuse Points proposals in Idaho is posted on the Fish and Game website: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/licenses/controlledHunts/ As Commission members change, it is possible Bonus Points could be considered again sometime in the future.        

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The "upper end" is towards Soda Springs.  Most catfishing is done in shallow water (3 - 4') and the best success this time of year is usually at night.  Use cut-bait or worms and fish on the bottom. We typically stock 6" channel catfish fingerlings in the second to third week of July.  Because we buy these fish commercially, we are somewhat at the mercy of the producers when it comes to stocking and when they have fish available that meet our specifications.

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Northern pikeminnow have been consumed by native Americans for hundreds of years.  The meat is tasty but they have many small bones. Because Northern Pikeminnow are a long-lived piscivorous (fish-eater) fish, they tend to bioaccumulate (store) heavy metals in their tissue.  There are even advisories on the Payette River and Salmon River for Northern Pikeminnow and mercury.  Check with Idaho Health and Welfare for more details.  

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We are not familiar with Ralf's Pond. Could you provide more information on its location? or by chance, does it have an alternate name? I suspect that it a private pond. Most private ponds in this area possess largemouth bass and bluegill as well as several other warm water species.     

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Fish and Game Director Virgil Moore has decided to let the tags drawn by youth stand because of apparenty confusion about eligibility requirements for the first controlled hunt drawing.  A new law took effect July 1, 2014 allowing 10 year olds to hunt big game.  The first drawing occured before the new law took effect.  In allowing the tags to stand, Moore cited Fish and Game's inadequate communication of its interpretation of controlled hunt eligibilty requirements.  Those requirements were included in the big game rules, but not explained consistently throughout the brochure.  In making his decision, Director Moore released 283 additional tages for deer, elk and pronghorn for a special drawing.  Please see the Idaho Fish and Game homepage at https://fishandgame.idaho.gov for more information.