Fish and Game proposes big game rule changes

The changes being considered by the Fish and Game Commission for the 2009 season in Southwest Idaho include:

® Archery pronghorn hunts could be changed to alleviate crowding.

"General archery season hunter numbers have doubled statewide during the last eight years," Fish and Game wildlife manager Jon Rachael said. "Hunter crowding has become an issue and buck quality has suffered."

Four options are being considered: controlled hunts by unit, unlimited controlled hunts, a statewide cap on the number of pronghorn hunters or a shorter season.

Changes could affect 30 pronghorn units across the state, including Southwest Idaho units 40, 41 and 42.

® Reduce permit levels from 125 to 50 for the Unit 39 late-season archery hunt.

"We've received annual complaints focused on hunter crowding and reduced hunt quality," Rachael said. "By reducing permit levels for this hunt, we can address both those issues effectively."

® Reduce hunting in the Sawtooth Elk Zone, units 33, 34, 35 and 36.

One proposal calls for changing the unlimited permits in the controlled muzzleloader hunt to 50 permits to reduce cow elk mortality.

Another calls for capping general season Sawtooth A tags at 550 and B tags at 1,500, a 46 percent reduction in both permit types for the zone.

"The herd as a whole is below population objective, and a number of proposals are being considered to address the problem," Rachael said.

® Establish an antlerless elk hunt in the Weiser Flats area of Unit 31 and an early antlerless-only A tag hunt in Unit 22.

Both hunts are designed to address local elk depredation issues.

® Add two senior antlerless mule deer controlled hunts limited to hunters 65 and older.

One hunt would include 50 permits in Unit 31 and a second for 100 permits in portions of units 40 and 41. Both seasons would run from Oct. 10 to Oct. 24.

® Establish wolf hunts if the state takes over wolf management.

Statewide big game proposals are on the Fish and Game Web site, fishandgame.idaho.gov. You can also comment on the proposals on the Web site.

A complete list of statewide proposals will be available at open houses, which are scheduled between 4 and 7 p.m. for the following dates and locations:

® Garden Valley (Monday): Garden Valley Senior Center, 261 S. Middlefork Road, Crouch.

® Nampa (Tuesday): Fish and Game Southwest Regional Office, 3101 S. Powerline Road.

® McCall (Tuesday): 555 Deinhard Lane.

® Boise (Wednesday): Fish and Game Hunter Education Center, 109 W. 44th St., Garden City.

® Weiser (Thursday): Weiser High School library, 690 Indianhead Road.

For more information call Kim Cox at 465-8465 or Judy Wallace at Fish and Game's McCall office at (208) 634-8137.

The commission will set big game rules March 23-24 at Fish and Game headquarters, 600 S. Walnut St., in Boise.

The public comment period starts at 7 p.m. March 23 in the headquarters trophy room.