Sage-grouse hunting season slated for September 17-23

BOISE — The Idaho Fish and Game Commision approved a restrictive season for sage-grouse.

The 2016 season will start September 17 and end September 23, with a daily bag limit of one bird and a possession limit of two birds. The season will take place in the same areas as last year’s hunt with the exception of re-opening an area in Elmore County east and south of U.S. Highway 20 and north of Interstate 84.

The Sage-grouse Seasons and Rules brochure will be available soon at all license vendors, Fish and Game offices and on the IDFG website. The brochure includes a map of areas open to sage-grouse hunting.

Fish and Game advises hunters to refer to the 2016 and 2017 Upland Game, Furbearer and Turkey Seasons and Rules for general upland gamebird hunting rules, license and permit requirements, and grouse identification information.

The 2016 season follows the hunting season and bag-limit guidelines as laid out in the Conservation Plan for the Greater Sage-grouse in Idaho, which is available on the IDFG website. Current sage-grouse data indicate that many populations are stable to increasing and can be hunted at the “restrictive level.” The guidelines compare the current three-year running average of male sage-grouse counted at leks -- breeding sites -- from 1996 to 2000 when Idaho began intensified surveys statewide. The guidelines also allow the flexibility to consider local issues of concern, such as insufficient data, isolated populations or impacts of wildfire and West Nile virus.

Information: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov