Hunters asked to report hunting results
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December 9, 2013 |
By Phil Cooper
Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Most of the major big game hunting seasons are
now over. Successful or not, hunters are already
starting to think about next season. So are we
at Fish and Game.
Idaho Fish and Game is encouraging everyone who
purchased a deer, elk or pronghorn tag to report
the results of their 2013 big game hunts as soon
as possible. As always, sooner is better. The
information contained in the reports is critical
to the (soon to begin) season setting process.
Reporting by phone – 877-268-9365 – or online is
required, either 10 days after a deer, elk or
pronghorn is harvested or 10 days following the
end of the last season for which a tag is valid.
Fish and Game would prefer to receive the data
in the very near future. Information collected
later in 2014 is included in final figures, but
it is not available in time for the important
season setting process which starts in February.
Prior to 2010, hunters had the option of
completing paper reports that could be mailed in
or dropped off at a Fish and Game office. When
they did, each had to be entered manually in
Boise. The paper option was discontinued in 2010
to reduce the costs of printing and mailing.
Most hunters have shifted to filing their
reports online in the past few years, or to the
toll-free phone number.
In recent weeks, tag purchasers across the state
received a bulk-mail postcard reminding them to
report. In most parts of the state, the seasons
had concluded when the cards were sent. With
seasons in the Panhandle running later than most
of the state, many hunters there received
reminders before seasons ended.
Hunters who do not report within 10 days of the
close of the season may get a phone call. The
caller will ask the same questions that are in
the online report and completion of the call
will meet the mandatory report requirements.
These phone calls are conducted in December and
January to fill the gaps in reports not filed by
hunters.
It is an expensive process for Fish and Game,
but it is worthwhile to get accurate harvest
estimates. Hunters who file, won’t get the phone
calls.
The final hunter report statistics, combined
with mid-winter aerial flight data, are used to
develop proposed seasons for the following year
starting in February. Public meetings are held
in early March when hunters review and comment
on the season proposals. Big game season
recommendations are completed by March and rules
brochures are printed by May. Harvest estimates
are available on the Fish and Game website in
time for the controlled hunt application period
in early June.
Harvested moose, sheep, mountain goats, cougars,
bears and wolves must be brought in to a Fish
and Game office or check point so that
biological samples and measurements can be taken
for management purposes. Fish and Game calls
this process a “mandatory check.” During the
mandatory check, cougar, bear and wolf hides are
permanently tagged. These tags provide a paper
trail to show where and when the animal was
taken.
Bobcats and otters must also be checked in, and
they are also tagged. Bobcats are tagged as a
requirement of international trade laws. Otters
are tagged because there is an annual regional
quota and an annual individual quota on otter
harvest.
Bighorn sheep receive a permanent pin metal in
one horn to document when and where the sheep
was taken.
The “mandatory hunter report” is required only
for deer, elk and pronghorn. About 230,000 tags
for deer, elk and pronghorn were sold. To date,
76,000 reports – or 33 percent – have been
filed.
When you are cleaning guns and putting your
hunting gear away, please take a moment to go
online or call 877-268-9365, to file your
mandatory hunting report so that your data can
be included as Fish and Game sets season
proposals for 2014. We appreciate your help in
managing Idaho’s natural resources.
Phil Cooper is the wildlife conservation
educator in the Panhandle Region |
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