Upland Game, Furbearer Booklet Due

Upland game bird hunters can look for the new rules booklet at vendors as well as Fish and Game offices later this month. The new booklet deals with hunting for furbearers, but trapping rules will be 1 separately this year in a shirt pocket-sized book. All rules 1 in booklet form can now also be found on the department web site at www2.state.id.us/fishgame. A few of the highlights for the upcoming seasons include: Opening the Big Desert (Area 2 north and south of INEEL) and Birch Creek (Area 2) for sage grouse and closing the Curlew Grasslands to sage grouse hunting, including falconry hunting, because of population declines (Power, Cassia and Oneida counties south of Interstate 86 and north and east of Interstate 84). The required sage grouse and sharptail permit will continue as it provides a valuable source of hunters to respond to research needs. Sharptail season will not change. The pheasant season was extended in the Magic Valley to December 31 except in Minidoka and Cassia counties; Niagara Springs WMA was added to the WMA pheasant permit system; the pheasant bag and possession limits were increased to three and six on WMAs and for the youth pheasant season. Hunters will note no change for hunting forest grouse or for chukar and gray partridge. Quail season will be opened in the Panhandle Region and it will be added to "Area 2." Rabbit and hare seasons will be unchanged except for closure of the pygmy rabbit season (a species of special concern in Idaho of undetermined status; this would apply in falconry rules also). No changes were made for crows or doves.