Press Releases and Articles
Fishing Heats Up on the North Fork Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers
| idfg-cwatkins
With the summer months upon us, trout fishing on the North Fork Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe rivers is heating up. Up until now, float fishing has been exceptional, but with flows receding on both rivers, walk-and-wade anglers will have access to more water and better fishing. Several reports have been filtering-in as… more
Holiday fishing fun!
| idfg-pcooper
The Fourth of July holiday is a day of great celebration in the U.S. Fireworks, family, and fishing are all great choices for activities during the Fourth of July holiday! And, because of the Idaho Fish and Game Price Lock program, buying your 2017 fishing license means the price of your next year’s license won’t go… more
IDFG Sunnyside timber sale to proceed
| idfg-pcooper
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s (IDFG) plan to conduct forest management activities on its Sunnyside property will proceed as proposed earlier this year.
The parcel includes approximately 52 acres of timber, with approximately 40 acres “landlocked” and not accessible to the public. parcel is located on… more
Owyhee Wilderness California bighorn sheep lamb survival study
| idfg-jpowell
When people learn that I work for Fish and Game, they immediately assume I am a conservation officer. When I tell them I am a wildlife biologist, most don’t know what a biologist does or they assume I spend all of my time in the field looking at animals.
In reality, much of my time is spent in the… more
Damage from flood waters temporarily close some fishing access in Salmon Region
| idfg-wschoby
High water in the Salmon Region has resulted in damage to two local fishing areas. South Butte Pond on Squaw Creek was damaged when flood waters from the creek pushed too much water through the pond. The outlet structure was damaged and the pond can no longer hold water. Plans are being made to repair the… more
F&G commission officially adopts Price Lock
| idfg-rphillips
Commissioners approved Price Lock during a conference call on June 23, which makes the deal official to save hunters, anglers and trappers money in the future by purchasing a 2017 annual license and continuing to buy one annually.
At the commission's request, the Idaho Legislature approved a 20-percent fee… more
What is the second controlled hunt drawing?
| idfg-staff
After the first controlled hunt drawing in late June or early July, hunters have until August 1 to pick up the controlled hunt tags they drew, but some don’t do it. These unclaimed tags along with controlled hunt tags no one applied for, are offered to hunters again through a second big game controlled hunt drawing… more
Second Chance at a Super Hunt Tag
| idfg-mdemick
Hunters have a second chance to draw a Super Hunt tag for the upcoming season.
29 of the 40 Super Hunt tags were drawn in the first drawing in early June. The second Super Hunt drawing has 11 tags.
2 Super Hunt elk tags 2 Super Hunt deer tags 2 Super Hunt pronghorn tags 1 Super Hunt moose tag 1… more
I Found a Bat in my Home! What Do I Do?
| idfg-snass
They come out after sunset in the summertime, swooping through the backyard hunting for moths, flies, beetles, spiders, crickets, and other insects. That is all okay. But what if you find a bat trapped inside your home? First, stay calm.
Many people assume that bats “carry” rabies, that is, spreading the… more
Fishing Activities Continue at Esthers/Quinns Ponds
| Anonymous (not verified)
Elevated E. coli levels at Boise's Esther Simplot Pond and Quinns Pond have resulted in swimming/wading activities at these two popular park locations. A number of anglers have called our office asking if fishing activities are included in this closure.
Fishing remains open at both ponds. However, in the… more
Rainbow Trout Stocking Schedule
| Anonymous (not verified)
Personnel from Fish and Game's McCall and Nampa Hatcheries will be releasing more than 38,000 catchable-sized rainbow trout at the following locations during July.
Location Week Stocked Number of Trout
Big Creek (Cascade) July 3 200
Boise River, Middle Fork July 17 2,000
… more
Winter kill was less than expected for mule deer, and elk fared better
| idfg-rphillips
Turns out Idaho’s mule deer fawn mortality wasn’t as bad as feared, but still the second-lowest winter survival in nearly 20 years.
About 30 percent of radio collared fawns and 90 percent of collared does survived the harsh conditions last winter with deep snow and frigid temperatures… more
Fish and Game Director Virgil Moore’s statement on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s announcement delisting Yellowstone grizzly bears
| idfg-rphillips
The delisting of Yellowstone grizzly bears is a conservation success, and we are proud of the role that the states and local communities have played in grizzly bear conservation. A team of federal and state scientists has monitored and researched the Greater Yellowstone population for a long time, and their efforts… more
Trailers clip millions of fins so anglers can spot the keepers
| idfg-rphillips
Here's your task: Clip millions of tiny fins off young salmon and steelhead so they can be identified as hatchery fish when they return from the ocean. Do it in a few months and at nine different hatcheries from Springfield to Orofino. You will also need to insert a needle-tip sized wire tag into… more
Commission to meet via conference call June 23
| idfg-mdemick
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will meet by conference call Friday, June 23 to adopt the Price Lock order to discount license, tag, and permit fees with consecutive year purchases. An update concerning the Chinook salmon season will also be included.
The call will begin at 8:30 a.m. (MST) at Fish and Game… more
South Fork of the Salmon River will not open for Chinook fishing
| idfg-rphillips
A poor return to the South Fork of the Salmon River means anglers will miss a year of Chinook fishing on the popular river, but anglers can still get a crack at the fish starting Thursday, June 22 on the Lochsa and upper Salmon River upstream of Challis. Here are the boundary details in the season and rules.
… more
Awkward Moment Reveals Old Bonds
| idfg-snass
It was one of those awkward social moments we all dread. Fish & Game Officer Marc Porter was doing a routine summer patrol below American Falls Reservoir in eastern Idaho. A group of senior citizens from an area nursing home were fishing off a pier. Porter was chatting with the director of the home when a young… more
Lake Pend Oreille Kokanee Fishing Warms Up
| idfg-prust
Kokanee fishing is finally beginning to pick up on Idaho’s largest body of water.
Unusually cool and blustery spring conditions, and high inflows have kept most kokanee anglers away from Lake Pend Oreille. With the increasing numbers of kokanee in Pend Oreille over the past few years, anglers… more