Big game rule books out this week
April 23, 2013
The 2013 Idaho Big Game Seasons and Rules brochures are back from the printer and are being distributed. They should be available at license vendors and Fish and Game offices in most locations later this week.

This year, deer hunters will have a new archery controlled hunt in Unit 45, more either-sex controlled hunt tags in Upper Snake Region, and new antlered deer controlled hunts in units 21, 28, 30, 36A and 36B.

Elk hunters will see a net increase of more than 2,000 controlled hunt tags around the state in response to population increases in some units. A new cap on Bear River Zone B tags means 20 percent fewer tags there this year. A general season A-tag muzzleloader hunt has been added in Pioneer Zone units 36A and 50.

Two pronghorn youth hunts have been added in units 39 and 54, and the archery hunt in Area 68 has been split into two hunts.

The Unit 1 archery-only black bear hunt has been converted to any-weapon and will open two weeks earlier. Bear hunters are urged to check out the bear identification training program on the Fish and Game website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/education/bearIdentification.

Mountain lion seasons in the Panhandle Region are longer.

Gray wolf hunting seasons are longer on private land in the Panhandle, and in the Middle Fork, Beaverhead and Island Park wolf management zones, and in that portion of Unit 16 north of the Selway River.

New wolf trapping seasons have been added in parts of units 2, 3, 13, 18, and 22, and trapping seasons in the Salmon and Island Park zones.

A few notes on errors:

Notes are missing from two elk hunts on page 58. Muzzleloader-only elk hunt 2161 should read antlerless only; and hunt 2164 should read antlered only.

On Page 11, What's New? includes an incorrect date for deer. The last bullet point should read "New October 10 - November 30 controlled buck hunts in units 21, 28, 30, 36A and 36B."

Hunting passport information on Page 115 is incorrect. It should read: Anyone who has previously held a hunting license in any state is not eligible. Anyone who has completed a hunter safety class but has not held a hunting license is still eligible.

Big Game Seasons and Rules are also available online at
http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/hunt/rules/?getPage=63.