Moose/Mountain Goat Seasons Highlight Fish and Game Open House

Changes in moose seasons and a proposed new mountain goat hunt highlight two public open houses to be hosted by Idaho Fish and Game staff. On Wednesday, December 22 from 4:00 to 7:00pm, Fish and Game personnel will host open houses at the regional office in McCall (555 Deinhard Drive) and Nampa (3101 S. Powerline Road). Compiled information from the open houses will be presented to the Fish and Game Commission for consideration. The Commission will set final rules for the 2005-2006 trophy game (moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat) seasons in January. Regional proposals include consolidating three Unit 20A moose hunts into two hunts and reducing permit levels from seven to four. A new mountain goat hunt with two permits has been proposed for the Middle Fork Boise River drainage upstream from the Queen's and Yuba Rivers in unit 39. There are no changes proposed for regional bighorn sheep seasons. Statewide proposals focus on moose. Under current rules, persons harvesting a moose under Fish and Game's once-in-a-lifetime rule are eligible to purchase leftover moose tags. However, hunters who harvest a moose using a leftover permit lose their ability to participate in future moose tag drawings. A proposal is being considered that would place left over moose permits exclusively outside the once-in-a-lifetime rule. A second moose proposal considers the option of having trophy bull moose hunts in certain units. To do so, permit levels in these designated "trophy" units would be reduced, allowing some bulls to live longer and attain larger antler size. Other proposals include the use of conical bullets in traditional muzzleloader hunts and the use of scopes in muzzleloader-only hunts. For more information regarding these issues and how to provide your input, please contact Fish and Game's Nampa office at 465-8465 or McCall office at 634-8137.