Ask the Conservation Officer (CO)

by Gary Hompland, Regional Conservation Officer Question: "I heard some guys talking about how they released some pen-reared chukars last weekend and hunted them on private property. Can they do that? Isn't the chukar season closed?" Answer: The hunting season most certainly is closed! It's possible these fellows may have violated a couple of fish and game laws. The only legal way to hunt pen-reared game birds last weekend was on a licensed shooting preserve. The shooting preserve season ended on Saturday, April 15. All birds released on shooting preserves are banded to distinguish them from wild birds. Anyone releasing pen-reared game birds and hunting them in areas not licensed as a shooting preserve are subject to citations for unauthorized release of game birds and for hunting or killing game birds during closed season. Anyone wishing to release pen-reared game birds on their private property must first obtain a release permit. This permit is required to ensure released bird species are compatible with wild birds and they do not carry diseases detrimental to wild birds. All pen-reared birds released on private property are subject to the regular upland game bird hunting seasons and bag limits for those species. When the season for wild birds is closed, the season on released pen-reared birds is closed. Dog trainers can obtain permits from the Department to use pen-reared game birds for training hunting dogs during the closed season. This activity is usually focused during August prior to the opening of hunting season. In the Magic Valley region, all dog-training permits are terminated from April 15 through July 31. This gives wild birds that are nesting and brood rearing a break from disruptions due to dog training. During the break in use of pen-reared game birds, dog trainers may still train using unprotected species such as pigeons. I have also encouraged dog trainers wishing to train on game birds to go to licensed shooting preserves. They can still exercise and hunt their dogs on residual game birds that have been released; they just can't kill any game birds. The fellows you overheard talking about shooting pen-reared birds last weekend could only have been legal if they were hunting on a licensed shooting preserve. If they released and hunted them on their own, they were in violation and would surely have been cited if contacted by a conservation officer. If you have any further questions you may call the Magic Valley Regional Office of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at (208)324-4350 or e-mail us at the Fish and Game web site at http://fishandgame.Idaho.gov.