F&G Will Host Open Houses For '02 Deer, Elk, Antelope, Black Bear And Lion Seasons

The dates, locations and times are set for three open house meetings the Magic Valley Region of Idaho Fish and Game will host the last two weeks of January. These meetings are to take public comments on options for the 2002 hunting seasons on deer, elk, antelope, black bear, and mountain lion. For those individuals not able to attend an open house, they may still submit their suggestions and recommendations directly to this office, P.O. Box 428, 868 E. Main, Jerome 83338. In order for those comments to be timely, useful, and adequately considered, they should be submitted no later than February 15. Comments will however, be accepted through the end of February. Some items of special interest include management direction for elk in the South Hills - Owyhee Zone, and the future of mountain lions in the Gem State. A document covering this elk issue may be found on the Fish and Game website. Visit http://www2.state.id.us/fishgame; link to What's News and then to New Additions. You may submit comments online from this site. The Department receives numerous complaints every big game season about the improper and irresponsible use of off-road or all-terrain vehicles (ORV's or ATV's). In an effort to improve hunt quality, reduce hunter congestion, and limit complaints of people chasing and shooting game animals from these machines, the agency is looking into further restrictions as a way to manage these problems. December's winter brought a significant number of deer into game management unit 53, where a late archery hunt for deer ran through the end of that month. Unfortunately, the combination of many animals in a relatively small area, and close to roads tended to bring out the worst in some people. This office received numerous complaints of people chasing and harassing deer, trespassing on private property, and in general not demonstrating ethical and responsible behavior to even be called a hunter! We are considering a number of options for the archery deer hunt in unit 53, east of Highway 93. All options include a closing date of December 19, which is consistent with other late season deer archery hunts. Therefore, this one unit will not be left open when everything else is closed. This tends to attract hunters from many different locations and puts additional pressure on the wildlife. Another concern is the disturbance of deer on winter range by antler collectors. The presence of people can significantly alter animal behavior and stress them while on winter range. Reports of intentional chasing and harassing animals, whether on foot or by motorized vehicle, are totally unacceptable. This region will pursue the possibility of special closures and restrictions on winter range for deer and elk if this problem cannot be resolved otherwise. Meetings will be held in Hailey on January 23 at the Blaine County Courthouse, in Burley on January 24 at City Hall, and in Twin Falls on January 29 at the KMVT-TV Community Room. All times for these open houses are 5 - 8 p.m. The Southwest Regional Office will also host a Mountain Home meeting on January 30 at the Bingo Parlor on Airbase Road, from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.