Open House Set on 2011 Panhandle Wolf Seasons

The public is invited to an open house from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, July 21, at the Idaho Fish and Game Panhandle Region office at 2885 W. Kathleen Avenue in Coeur d'Alene. Regional staff members will be on hand to answer questions and to solicit comments on Fish and Game's 2011 wolf season proposals. Wolves were hunted during 2009 in Idaho, with 27 wolves legally taken during the hunting season. This harvest likely slowed the growth of the Panhandle's wolf population for that year, but wolf numbers increased further during 2010, a year in which no wolf season was held. The proposal for 2011 in the Panhandle is to start the hunting season a month earlier than in 2009, to allow trapping during a portion of the season, and to allow hunters and trappers to take more than one wolf per year. The harvest season proposal was designed to help Idaho meet its joint objectives of ensuring the long-term viability of wolves, while meeting other big game objectives and minimizing conflicts between wolves and people in general. Individuals interested in commenting on the proposed seasons are encouraged to go to http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/wolf/proposals.cfm for further information and a public opinion survey. All input will be provided to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission, which will be making a decision on these season proposals at the July 27 - 28 meeting in Salmon. Individuals with disabilities may request accommodations by contacting the Fish and Game Panhandle Region office at 208-769-1414 or through the Idaho Relay Service at 1-800-377-2529 (TDD) at least 24 hours in advance.