Idaho wildlife officials approve single tag for grizzly bear hunt

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Idaho Fish and Game commissioners have approved a hunting season for grizzly bears in a portion of eastern Idaho.

The agency will offer one tag for the opportunity to hunt a grizzly in a controlled hunt, with the random drawing limited to Idaho residents. The month-long application period opens June 15th, and the hunt runs September 1st though November 15th.

Because actual implementation of the grizzly hunt may be subject to a pending lawsuit in federal court, hunters applying should be aware that the hunt could be canceled, in which case the pre-paid tag fees would be refunded, but the controlled hunt application fees would not.

Fish and Game says the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population has met federal recovery criteria since the early 2000s, and last year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took the population off of the Endangered Species list. Fish and Game says Idaho will continue to responsibly manage the population in coordination with Wyoming and Montana now that federal protections are lifted.

The conservation strategy for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly population includes hunting as a management tool when the population is more than 600 bears. The 2017 population estimate is 718 bears, and has been stable over the last decade.

Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming allocate available hunting opportunity based on the proportion of land each state has within the “designated monitoring area.” Idaho has 8 percent of the land in the DMA, and in 2018, 8 percent of the total allowable mortality available for hunting represents one male bear. (IDFG)

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