ALL SPORTSMEN ( and SPORTSWOMEN) MUST STOP AT CHECK STATIONS!

Idaho sportsmen take pride in their knowledge of hunting & fishing techniques and safety practices, but there is one basic rule that is sometimes overlooked. According to Idaho Code, "all sportsmen must stop at Fish & Game check stations." The law doesn't require only those with fish or game in posession to stop, it say's "all sportsmen." All those who have been hunting or fishing that day, or are returning from an overnight hunting or fishing outing, are required to stop. Each year, a few sportsmen fail to stop at check stations when they were not successful on that specific trip. They see the signs, but think the instructions don't apply to them and continue on their way. Occasionally, citations are issued for the failure to stop. A close reading of the check station signs posted along the road say "all sportsmen, with or without game must stop". The Idaho Fish and Game Department runs two types of check stations. These include wildlife management check stations and enforcement check stations. Both types are important, and sportsmen must heed signs relating to these stations. "Management Check Stations" usually rely on voluntary compliance from sportsmen. It is important that hunters stop and give biologists information relating to the trip they are returning from. According to Wildlife Manager Jim Hayden, "The check stations serve as a helpful immediate measure of how the season is going. The information provides us the short term ability to compare hunter success to previous years. Final season success and harvest figures are derived from the final mandatory checks on some species, harvest reports, and telephone surveys. Sportsmen driving on less traveled roads may also encounter impromptu check stations that stop all vehicles and divert hunters or anglers aside to answer additional questions. These AEnforcement Check Stations@ may be set up by Conservation Officers at any time of the day or night, and are intended to enforce Idaho wildlife laws and orders. When at either type of check station, hunters and anglers are asked a series of questions about how many occupants of the vehicle were hunting or fishing, which big game unit you were in, and how many animals of which species have been harvested. At a check station, you are required by law to produce all fish or game in possession for inspection. It usually takes just a few minutes. Those species for which a tag and mandatory check is required will be checked, and data such as age and sex recorded. This can save you a trip to check in your animal at a later date. You may also complete your requirement to file a harvest report if you have harvested a deer or elk, or if you are done hunting for the season. Simply complete the form and drop it off and you will be finished with reporting your hunting results for that species for the year. Nothing to mail, no stamps to buy. Please stop in at every check station you encounter as you travel to or from hunting and fishing outings. The information you provide is important to successful management of the wildlife resource we enjoy in Idaho. You can also get information about how the season is progressing. Check stations will also have a brochure available about chronic wasting disease (CWD), a disease found in wildlife in some states. CWD has not been found in Idaho. Sportsmen looking for answers to questions about regulations or seasons can contact the IDFG Panhandle Region Office at 769-1414.