The Busy Season Has Arrived

By Jay Crenshaw This is quite a busy time of year for Idaho hunters. Many have changed gears from summer pursuits and have been taking advantage of the great fall weather since the 2006 seasons opened. Upland game bird hunters are already afoot. Forest grouse hunters have reported success in the higher elevations since the season opened on the first of September. And September 16th was the beginning of the quail, chukar, and gray partridge seasons. However, pheasant hunters must wait for October 14 before they can get out the dogs and bag a rooster or two. Even turkey hunting enthusiasts have had opportunities to hone their skills at calling in a gobbler or hen since the fall season opened on September 15. Big game seasons are also in full swing. Those lucky enough to draw a moose, bighorn sheep, or mountain goat permit have been scouring the hills for their prey since the end of August, and many have had success. There have been a couple of dandy bighorns checked in at the IDFG regional office in the past two weeks. For those not yet successful, time still remains as sheep hunts stay open until mid-October and goat and moose hunts run into November. Early season archers pursuing deer and elk in the Clearwater Region have just wrapped up their hunts, as have rifle hunters participating in the September backcountry hunts. But for many, big game hunting opportunities are just beginning. With the opening of the deer and elk rifle season for most of the Clearwater Region units rapidly approaching on October 10th, many hunters are in the planning stages of determining how they might best out-fox their quarry. Although numerous wildfires throughout the area were of great concern only a couple of weeks ago, the recent autumnal weather conditions have put out or subdued these burns, to the extent that the Forest Service has relaxed or completely removed road and area closures. Still, as your departure date becomes imminent, it's not a bad idea to get in touch with the Forest Service to get the latest on restrictions if any fires are still burning. As in years past, the Department will be conducting hunter check stations east of Kooskia along Highway 12 and up the South Fork of the Clearwater along Highway 14 at Browns Creek. The Kooskia station will be open on weekends through October, while the South Fork station will not close until late November when the white-tailed deer rifle season ends. Biologists and volunteers manning the stations will be collecting pertinent data from hunters about their efforts and their harvested game. Even hunters without game are required to stop so that their visit may be recorded and used to calculate success rates. Other data include measurements of antlers, animal aging, tooth collection, and sampling for the presence of chronic wasting disease. All these data are useful in evaluating the status of big game herds and are some of the factors taken into consideration when determining if changes are needed in future hunting seasons. With all the options available in the fall, the hardest part may be deciding which activity to pursue on any weekend. But somebody has to do it, right? See you out in the woods. Jay Crenshaw is the regional wildlife manager for the Clearwater Region. He has worked for Fish and Game since 1985.