Black Bear, Mountain Lion Seasons Open

Black bear and mountain lion seasons opened in most Idaho game management units August 30, with others to open September 15. They close at various dates, and in some units lion seasons close after a certain number of female lions have been killed. To learn which units are closed, check the Fish and Game website at this link: http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame/hunt/programsinfo/lions.htm or call 1-800-323-4334. Second bear and lion tags are available for hunters in part of units 10 and 16 and all of units 12, 16A, 17, 19, 20, 20A, 26 and 27. In these units, the price of nonresident bear and lion tags is reduced to $31.50. The prices were dropped to encourage harvest in these units, which have a surplus of bears and lions and where nonresident harvest has been traditionally low. The daily bag limit on bears and lions in these areas is the number of bears and lions for which a hunter posesses legal tags. Units 10 and 12 are part of an ongoing study to see if reductions in the number of bears and lions will help build elk herds. Resident or nonresident hunters may buy a deer or elk tag at nonresident prices out of the pool of unsold nonresident tags. The deer tag may be used to tag a deer, black bear or mountain lion. Bait is allowed in most units for hunting black bears only. The required $11.50 permit is available only at Fish and Game offices. Bears and lions may be hunted with hounds if the resident hunter has the $11.50 hound hunter permit. There are a limited number of nonresident permits at $128.50 but they have sold out for this year in most of the state, the exceptions being parts of units 10,12 and 17 and the Middle Fork elk zone, which is unlimited. The permit is required for any owner of pursuit dogs, anyone in control of dogs during a hunt, or anyone who harvests a black bear or mountain lion with the use of dogs. Clients of outfitters who have a permit are not required to get a permit of their own. Fish and Game will begin compiling the list for the nonresident drawing for 2003 permits in late October. Nonresidents who want to be in the drawing should call the licenses section at 334-3717. The law requires hunters to remove and care for the meat of bears, but not mountain lions.