Idaho Fish and Game's proposed elk management plan was released in August for public review and comment; those comments are due by September 22.
The proposed 2013 elk management plan directs Idaho Fish and Game to maintain or increase current elk populations across most of the state. To accomplish this, Fish and Game has identified in the plan:
- Zone-level elk population objectives for each zone.
- Specific factors limiting elk numbers in each management zone.
- Strategies and performance objectives to address limiting factors.
This revised plan is not designed to prescribe specific hunting seasons; rather it is designed to establish goals that Fish and Game staff members, working with elk hunters and the public, will achieve over the next 10 years.
The plan is available for review and comment on the Fish and Game website at:
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/elkplanning. Copies of the plan also may be obtained at regional Fish and Game offices. Comments may be submitted on the website or mailed to Elk Plan Comments, c/o Idaho Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707.
Idaho's current elk management plan is more than 12 years old. Starting in late 2011, Fish and Game launched an effort to revise and update that plan. Strategies in the plan will be driven by public expectations and changes in elk populations.
Revisions are based largely on a survey of Idaho elk hunters in the spring and summer of 2012, and in part on changes in habitat, predation and agricultural depredation conflicts.
To stay informed anyone interested may track the elk planning progress online at
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/elkplanning.
The public comment period ends September 22. Copies of the plan also may be obtained through regional Fish and Game offices. Comments may be submitted on the website or mailed to Elk Plan Comments, c/o Idaho Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707.
