F&G Commission to Meet in Idaho Falls This Month

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will meet at the Idaho Fish and Game office in Idaho Falls on August 17 to set harvest quotas for Idaho's first wolf hunts this fall. The meeting will start about 1:30 p.m. Monday, August 17, at the Idaho Fish and Game Upper Snake Region office, 4279 Commerce Circle, Idaho Falls. In March, the commission adopted wolf hunting seasons statewide, pending removal of wolves in Idaho from the endangered species list, which happened in May. Legal challenges to the delisting, however, still are pending. The seasons would be the same as proposed last year, except in the Lolo and Sawtooth zones where they run from September 1 through March 31. In the Selway and Middle Fork zones they run from September 15 through December 31. Elsewhere the wolf season is from October 1 through December 31. Hunting may end sooner if the wolf management area quota is reached or the statewide quota is reached. Tags would go on sale at 10 a.m. August 24. A resident tag would cost $11.50, and a nonresident tag would be $186, which includes a $1.75 vendor fee. If the season is closed by court action before the start of the season, Fish and Game would issue rain-checks for next year. Successful wolf hunters would have 24 hours to report their kill, and they must present the hide to a Fish and Game regional office or conservation officer within five days. Other items on the agenda include setting seasons for waterfowl and for sage-grouse; discussions of fall Chinook fishing opportunities and the fiscal year 2011 budget request; and updates on plans for a headquarters building and the pelican management plan.