Fish and Game Commission Sets 2013 Sage-Grouse Season

Idaho Fish and Game Commission Monday, August 19, set the 2013 sage-grouse hunting season. The season is similar to last year's hunting season, with hunting allowed at the "restrictive" level. The seven-day season runs from September 21 through September 27, with a one-bird daily limit and a two-bird possession limit open in:

• Butte, Camas, Cassia, Clark, Fremont, Gooding, Jefferson, Jerome, Lemhi, Lincoln, Madison, Minidoka, Power and Teton counties.
• Bannock County west of Interstate 15.
• Bingham County west of Interstate 15.
• Blaine County, except within the Salmon River drainage.
• Bonneville County west of Interstate 15 and north of U.S. Highway 26.
• Custer County, except within the Salmon River drainage upstream from and including Valley Creek.
• Oneida County west of Interstate 15.
• Owyhee County west of the Bruneau River.
• Twin Falls County east of U.S. Highway 93.

Closed Areas are:

• Eastern Owyhee County and western Twin Falls County, which continue to be affected by the 2007 Murphy Complex Fire.
• East Idaho Uplands area in the southeastern part of the state east of Interstate 15 and south of U.S. Highway 26, because of a lack of long-term data.
• Washington County and Adams County, Payette and Gem counties. This isolated population has been closed to hunting since 1984.
• Elmore County, because of a lack of long term data, 2012 fires and no known active leks south of Highway 20.

Any person hunting sage- or sharp-tailed grouse must have in possession a valid Idaho hunting license with a sage/sharp-tailed grouse permit validation at $4.75. Hunters should be aware that sage-grouse and sharp-tailed grouse occur in the same areas in south-central and eastern Idaho. Hunting season for these species do not overlap. The sharp-tailed grouse hunting season is October 1 to 31. Sage-grouse is a candidate for listing under the federal Endangered Species Act. Candidate species are under state management and hunting is legal. Idaho Fish and Game closely monitors sage-grouse populations annually. Please visit the Fish and Game website at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov or a regional Fish and Game office for specific information on sage-grouse hunting.