On March 16, the IDFG commission set the 2017 & 2018 big game hunting seasons. Many hunters have called to ask about changes to the Weiser and Sawtooth elk zones. Those are summarized here:
Weiser Zone
Commission voted to adopt changes that included removing several controlled cow elk hunts and replacing those with general cow elk hunting opportunities on the Weiser A and B tags. Both tags were capped at the upper end of historic use levels to guard against significant increases in hunter numbers. Additional late season controlled cow hunts were added to provide harvest opportunities at lower elevations near private lands. Some existing late-season or landowner-permission hunts were converted to extra tags to encourage participation in these hunts. The general season hunt structure is below:
Sawtooth Zone
Commission voted to retain the capped general hunt structure for the Sawtooth Zone, as well as retain tag numbers for both A and B tags. However, the Commission also adopted a change to the way resident tags are sold, choosing to allocate half to in-person only sales and half to online only sales. The general season hunt structure is below:
