Sage-grouse season set

An area east and south of Highway 20 and north of the interstate in central Elmore County will reopen to hunters during this year's sage-grouse season.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved a restrictive season for sage-grouse this fall that's scheduled to run from Sept. 17 to 23.

The 2016 season features 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 Highway 20 and north of the interstate.

The sage-grouse seasons and rules brochure, including a map of areas open to sage-grouse hunting, will be available soon at all license vendors, Fish and Game offices and online at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov.

Hunters should also 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, department officials recommended.

The 2016 season follows the hunting season and bag-limit guidelines as laid out in the department's conservation plan, which is also posted online at https://idfg.idaho.gov/wildlife/sage-grouse.

Current sage-grouse lek data indicates that many populations are stable to increasing and can be hunted at the "restrictive" level, Fish and Game officials said. 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.