75th Celebration: 1909 - Game Preserves

An estimated 107,000 elk roam the State of Idaho today. Yet, a hundred years ago elk were so few the State of Idaho declared a moratorium on elk hunting in parts of the state. In 1909, concerned about the decline in elk, deer and game birds, Boise National Forest Supervisor Emile Grandjean asked the State Legislature to establish a 220,000-acre game preserve in the Payette River drainage west of the Sawtooth Mountains. The Legislature approved the preserve on March 13, 1909 and it became the first of many game preserves especially designed to restore wildlife to Idaho. It would be off-limits to hunting and trapping - except that cougars, lynx, wolves and coyotes could be killed by wardens. Forest rangers would act as deputy game wardens. To read more about game preserves and other 75th Anniversary Celebration stories, visit the Fish and Game website at www.fishandgame.idaho.gov