The Idaho big game hunting seasons and rules brochure for 2010 seasons is available now from Fish and Game and on the Website.

The rules brochure is available at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/. The same brochure is in the printing process and copies will be available at license vendors and Fish and Game offices statewide in about a week.

The primary changes this year include some new caps on general season elk tags in three elk management zones to reduce harvest and provide better quality hunting. Caps are being placed on Lolo “A” tags, Smoky Mountain “A” tags and Salmon “B” tags. Caps are being reduced on Lolo “B” tags, and Sawtooth “A” and “B” tags.

Resident youth elk hunters who purchase a general season elk zone tag while they are between ages 12 and 17, inclusive, may participate in any A or B tag elk season within the specified zone, regardless of whether they purchased an A tag or B tag. All other season, weapon restrictions, and commission rules apply. Controlled hunts are excluded.

Changes in the black bear and mountain lion rules for the coming fall seasons allow bear and lion hunters to use electronic calls in the Lolo and Selway elk management zones, extend the mountain lion season to June 30, 2011, in the Lolo and Selway zones, and increase the bag limit to two lions in the Lolo Zone.

In 2010 mandatory hunter reporting for deer, elk, and pronghorn is moving towards a paperless system. All successful hunters are required to report by Internet or phone within 10 days of harvest. Hunters who do not harvest, or did not hunt on their tag, are required to report within 10 days of the close of the hunting season.

Congress in 2009 designated 517,000 acres of public lands in Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho as wilderness. Hunters should be aware of the new wilderness boundaries and regulations. For information see: www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/blm_...yhee_initiative.html

Hunters will notice no other sweeping changes in the big game seasons for this year, but adjustments have been made in all regions of Idaho, so attention to the rules for specific areas is important. The brochure explains general and controlled hunts.

The big game controlled hunt application period runs from May 1 through June 5.



Application Period for Controlled Hunts Opens Soon

The application period for this fall’s deer, elk, pronghorn and black bear controlled hunts starts May 1 and runs through June 5.

The 2009 harvest statistics and drawing odds for controlled hunts are now available on the Idaho Fish and Game Website at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov and in the Hunt Planner. Hunters can use harvest statistics and drawing odds from the past 10 years to search for similar controlled hunts for this year.

Hunters may apply for controlled hunts at any hunting and fishing license vendor, Fish and Game office; with a credit card by calling 1-800-55HUNT5; or online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov. An additional fee is charged for telephone and Internet applications.

Hunters must have a 2010 Idaho hunting license to apply.

Those who apply early also have a chance to win cash. Fish and Game’s annual early application contest for 2010 for those controlled hunts will be handing out one $550 prize and one $450 prize to two lucky winners.

Hunters who get their applications in by May 12 will be eligible to win $550 in the May 15 drawing. Those who get their applications in by May 19 will be eligible to win $450 in the May 22 drawing. Applications in by May 12 also will be eligible for the May 22 drawing, except for the winner of the May 15 drawing.

Those who don’t apply for a controlled hunt may submit their name, age, address, and telephone number on a 3-by-5-inch piece of plain paper to: IDFG Early Application Contest, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707.

The drawing is funded by Outdoor Central, a part of ActiveNetwork, and sponsored by the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The drawing encourages hunters to apply early and helps avoid last-minute congestion on license vendor computer terminals.