Fish and Game Commission Meets in Boise

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission is expected to tackle big game seasons and limits, act on wolf management and mule deer management plans, and hear about the prospects for a spring Chinook salmon season during a meeting March 5 and 6 in Boise. A public comment period begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, in the North Star Room at the Doubletree Riverside, 2900 Chinden Boulevard, Boise. Thursday morning, March 6, the commissioners will convene at 8 a.m. in the Trophy Room at Fish and Game headquarters at 600 South Walnut. They are expected to consider and act on a proposed Mule Deer Management Plan. The plan would guide mule deer management statewide for the coming decade. About 10:30 a.m. the commissioners will take up the proposed Idaho Wolf Population Management Plan. The plan would lay out the framework for managing wolves once they are removed from the federal endangered species list. It also would establish the basis for hunting seasons. Wolf hunting seasons and rules would be set by the commissioners at their May meeting. Just before lunch, the commission will hear an update on legislation affecting Fish and Game. About 1 p.m., the commissioners will consider proposed changes to big game seasons and rules. And they would set seasons for deer, elk, antelope, bear and mountain lion. Commissioners also will hear an update on the 2008 spring and summer Chinook salmon runs and potential fishing seasons. They will preside over hunter education instructor awards, and they will provide direction for the 2010 budget.