Commission To Meet In Lewiston

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission will meet Wednesday and Thursday, May 19 and 20 in Lewiston. A public comment period will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, at the Fish and Game office at 3316 16th St., in Lewiston. Agenda items on Thursday, May 20, include commissioner consideration of proposed rules to put 2010 state statutes into practice, including rules that would:

• Clarify definition of waste of edible meat.
• Allow nonresident deer or elk tags to be valid for black bear, mountain lion or wolf.
• Allow hunter education certificates from other countries.
• Allow 9-year-olds to apply for controlled turkey hunts.
• Add raccoons to predatory wildlife.
• Allow release of captured predatory and unprotected wildlife with written permission of landowner.
• Allow Fish and Game to require records from taxidermists and furbuyers and add reporting requirements for purchase of raw cougar and black bear parts.

Agenda items also include updates on grizzly bears, wolves and bighorn sheep. And they will hear proposed new rules to be submitted for public response and comment, including:

• A bonus point system.
• Changes to landowner appreciation program.
• Methods of take for wolves, such as traps, electronic calls, bait and depredation hunts.
• Muzzleloader restrictions on sabots.
• Rules against using telemetry for hunting game animals.
• Consider allowing additional bear baiting sites.
• Prohibit shooting upland game from boats.
• Taking native reptiles.
• Trap placement restrictions for furbearers.
• Remove motorized vehicle restrictions from game management units 48 and 57.

Commissioners will consider proposed Chinook salmon seasons on the upper Salmon and South Fork Salmon rivers. And they will elect a chairman and vice-chairman. The day will end with an executive session. All times on the agenda are approximate and subject to change. For the complete agenda go to http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/about/commission/10agenda/may/.