Hunters asked to report hunting results |
| December 9, 2013 |
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By Phil Cooper Idaho Department of Fish and Game Most of the major big game hunting seasons are now over. Successful or not, hunters are already starting to think about next season. So are we at Fish and Game. Idaho Fish and Game is encouraging everyone who purchased a deer, elk or pronghorn tag to report the results of their 2013 big game hunts as soon as possible. As always, sooner is better. The information contained in the reports is critical to the (soon to begin) season setting process. Reporting by phone – 877-268-9365 – or online is required, either 10 days after a deer, elk or pronghorn is harvested or 10 days following the end of the last season for which a tag is valid. Fish and Game would prefer to receive the data in the very near future. Information collected later in 2014 is included in final figures, but it is not available in time for the important season setting process which starts in February. Prior to 2010, hunters had the option of completing paper reports that could be mailed in or dropped off at a Fish and Game office. When they did, each had to be entered manually in Boise. The paper option was discontinued in 2010 to reduce the costs of printing and mailing. Most hunters have shifted to filing their reports online in the past few years, or to the toll-free phone number. In recent weeks, tag purchasers across the state received a bulk-mail postcard reminding them to report. In most parts of the state, the seasons had concluded when the cards were sent. With seasons in the Panhandle running later than most of the state, many hunters there received reminders before seasons ended. Hunters who do not report within 10 days of the close of the season may get a phone call. The caller will ask the same questions that are in the online report and completion of the call will meet the mandatory report requirements. These phone calls are conducted in December and January to fill the gaps in reports not filed by hunters. It is an expensive process for Fish and Game, but it is worthwhile to get accurate harvest estimates. Hunters who file, won’t get the phone calls. The final hunter report statistics, combined with mid-winter aerial flight data, are used to develop proposed seasons for the following year starting in February. Public meetings are held in early March when hunters review and comment on the season proposals. Big game season recommendations are completed by March and rules brochures are printed by May. Harvest estimates are available on the Fish and Game website in time for the controlled hunt application period in early June. Harvested moose, sheep, mountain goats, cougars, bears and wolves must be brought in to a Fish and Game office or check point so that biological samples and measurements can be taken for management purposes. Fish and Game calls this process a “mandatory check.” During the mandatory check, cougar, bear and wolf hides are permanently tagged. These tags provide a paper trail to show where and when the animal was taken. Bobcats and otters must also be checked in, and they are also tagged. Bobcats are tagged as a requirement of international trade laws. Otters are tagged because there is an annual regional quota and an annual individual quota on otter harvest. Bighorn sheep receive a permanent pin metal in one horn to document when and where the sheep was taken. The “mandatory hunter report” is required only for deer, elk and pronghorn. About 230,000 tags for deer, elk and pronghorn were sold. To date, 76,000 reports – or 33 percent – have been filed. When you are cleaning guns and putting your hunting gear away, please take a moment to go online or call 877-268-9365, to file your mandatory hunting report so that your data can be included as Fish and Game sets season proposals for 2014. We appreciate your help in managing Idaho’s natural resources. Phil Cooper is the wildlife conservation educator in the Panhandle Region |