|
Sneak peek at new moose, sheep and goat rules |
|
February 1, 2017 |
 |
| By Roger
Phillips, Idaho Fish and Game |
|
By Roger Phillips
IDFG Public Information Specialist
Idaho Fish and Game Commission on January 26
adopted new rules for moose, bighorn sheep and
mountain goat for the 2017-18 hunting seasons.
Changes include:
Moose:
• There will be 805 moose tags available each
year in 2017-18, which is a statewide net
reduction of 45 antlered moose tags and 23
antlerless moose tags from 2015-16.
• Reduction of 45 antlered moose tags among
six different hunts in Unit 1, including closure
of Hunt Area 1-3 in response to consistently low
or declining hunter success rates, suggesting
moose population there is in decline.
• Increase of one antlered tag in Hunt Area
36A (up from one tag to two).
• Reduction of three antlered tags in Hunt
Area 76-3 (down to seven tags from 10).
• Reduction of 20 antlerless tags in Unit 2.
Previous tag level of 40 tags was intended to
reduce the moose population and improve public
safety (vehicle collisions) and homeowner
complaints. Reduction was accomplished, so tags
were decreased.
• Increase of two antlered and two antlerless
archery-only tags in Unit 68A to address
increasing moose population and human/traffic
conflicts with moose in American Falls and
Blackfoot and increase public safety on
Interstates 15 and 86.
• Eliminate antlerless hunt in Unit 75 (five
tags) in response to low and declining harvest
success and field observations suggesting a
population decline.
Bighorn Sheep
• There will be 99 bighorn sheep tags
available each year in 2017-18, which is a
statewide net increase of six Rocky Mountain
bighorn ram tags and a net increase of two
California bighorn ram tags from 2015-16.
Units 13 and 18 were added to Hunt Area 11.
• Hunt Area 27-4 was expanded and one tag
added.
• Hunt Area boundaries adjusted in Hunt Areas
28-1 (one tag added) and Hunt Area 28-2, and a
new hunt area 28-3 created with two tags.
• Increase from six to eight tags in Hunt Area
37 and the hunt split into early and late
seasons (August 30 to September 20 and September
21 to October 13) with four tags in each.
• Decrease of one California bighorn tag in
the early hunt in Hunt Area 42-1 (August 30 to
September 14) and one in the late hunt for Hunt
Area 42-2 (September 22 to October 8) in Unit
42.
• New ram hunt in Unit 54 with three tags, one
tag in early hunt and two tags in late hunt.
Increase of one ram tag (two total) on Jim Sage
Mountain Hunt Area 55 and no ewe hunts.
Mountain Goats
There will be 50 mountain goat tags available
each year in 2017-18. No changes from 2015-16
rules and hunts. |
|
Questions or comments about this
article?
Click here to e-mail! |
|
|
|
|
