Upland Game Open House Slated

The public is invited to comment on this year's upland game seasons at any of two upcoming open houses hosted by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Open houses are slated for Monday, April 12 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at Fish and Game's Nampa office, 3101 S. Powerline Road and the McCall office, 555 Deinhard Lane. For more information, call the Nampa office at 465-8465 or the McCall office at 634-8137. Three of this year's proposals focus on ring-necked pheasant hunting rules, with the first aimed at simplifying the season start time. "Some regions start the pheasant season at noon, others at one-half hour before sunrise," Fish and Game wildlife manager Jon Rachael noted. "We're proposing to have the season begin at one-half hour before sunrise across the state." Another proposal calls for reducing the pheasant bag limit on Department-owned Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) from three roosters/day to two roosters/day. Should this proposal be adopted by the Fish and Game Commission, it would impact southwest region pheasant hunters using C.J. Strike, Ft. Boise, Montour and Payette River WMAs. The final pheasant proposal applies to C.J. Strike, Ft. Boise, Montour and Payette River WMAs, where the daily pheasant hunting start time would change from one-half hour before sunrise to 10:00am. "Safety concerns for personnel releasing pheasants and efforts to minimize conflicts between upland and waterfowl hunters are driving this proposal," Rachael noted. Other proposals include: - extending the quail, chukar, and gray partridge seasons to January 31 (currently December 31, January 15 and January 15, respectively); - having a uniform (fourth Saturday of September) opening day for quail, chukar, gray partridge, sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse and; - extending motorized vehicle restrictions to include upland game seasons as well as big game seasons. Public comments from across the state will be assembled and presented to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission for review at their next regular meeting. After evaluating the comments, the Commission will determine whether any rule or season changes are warranted.