Fish and Game Commission Adopts Hunter Orange Policy

Idaho Fish and Game Commission during its November 6 meeting in Lewiston adopted an advisory policy on hunter orange, and commissioners heard updates on wolf research, deer and elk survival and on a proposed fee increase. The hunter orange policy is not mandatory but recommends hunters wear hunter orange whenever appropriate for the hunt. The policy still requires hunter orange during Fish and Game sponsored hunts, primarily youth hunts. Hunter orange also is required while hunting on wildlife management areas where pheasant are stocked. Other Commission News - Revenue Increase, Wolf Update The last time Idaho Fish and Game asked for a fee increase four years ago it was told to come back more often for smaller increases, Director Cal Groen told commissioners. Since then inflation and mandated salary increase have driven up operating costs. Fish food for department hatcheries is up 31 percent, fuel costs up 58 percent and employee costs are up 17 percent over the past four years. "People want Fish and Game services on the ground, especially during these hard times," Groen told commissioners. "Fishing and hunting is part of what makes people live in some areas and helps drive economic growth." Commission Chairman Cameron Wheeler said he likes Fish and Game's positive approach of explaining what the department does and what it would like to do. The commission also heard a report on a better way of counting breeding pairs of wolves from Michael Mitchell, PhD, of the University of Montana. He described a "patch occupancy model" a new statistical method based on the size of packs. Using sampling that includes "howl boxes" that play recorded howls and record responses and genetic sampling, biologists can get information about pack size and composition in remote areas. Patch occupancy modeling combines various forms of data to predict the number of packs and their estimated size, and statistical analysis shows that breeding pairs are more probable in larger packs. In field tests, when compared with the known minimum numbers of packs, the method has been very close, Mitchell said. The method is effective for predicting numbers in places that are otherwise difficult to reach, he said. Other work by Idaho Fish and Game research biologists has shown a relationship between wolves and elk survival in some parts of the state where wolf predation is the primary cause of mortality. Craig White, a senior wildlife research biologist, explained to commissioners that in five elk management zones female elk survival is better than 85 percent, wolf density is low and the main source of mortality is hunting; in three elk zones, survival is above management goals, while wolf density is high and predation is the primary cause of mortality; in two zones, survival is below 85 percent and wolves are the primary cause of mortality, but one has medium and one high wolf density. In one of those zones, the Lolo Zone, female elk survival is 79 percent, while normal is 85 to 95 percent, said George Pauley, senior wildlife research biologist in northern Idaho. The primary cause of death is wolf predation. With wolves back on the endangered species list, Deputy Director Jim Unsworth reviewed the management options open to the state and the status of the wolf delisting effort. On October 28, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service re-released the delisting rule for additional public comment and information. The aim is to provide new information to answer the concerns of the federal judge that halted the process in response to a lawsuit from conservation and animal rights groups. The deadline for Idaho's comments and reviews to the Fish and Wildlife Service is November 28. If Fish and Wildlife can review the comments and publish a revised delisting rule in the Federal Register, it is possible that delisting could be final before the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama on January 20. Any rules not final before the inauguration would be suspended until the new administration can review them. "We could see a new delisting rule final by the third week in January," Unsworth told commissioners. "Whether or not those deadlines could be met, I don't know." Fish and Game could have hunting rules ready for the commission's consideration in March. In several zones, depredation controls killed nearly the limit set out in hunting mortality limits of proposed hunting seasons for 2008. Game managers also want to explore options under 10(j) rule of the Endangered Species Act for wolf control actions to benefit ungulate populations that aren't meeting objectives. And they want to work with Montana on a DNA database and to maintain corridors to connect populations.