May IDFG Commission Recap
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission met for their quarterly meeting on May 22nd. Non-resident tag draw framework, IDFG Strategic Plan update, South Fork Snake River rainbow trout suppression program, history of Idaho mule deer, and more were on the agenda.
The first big agenda item was moving non-resident deer and elk tags from over the counter and quota system to a draw for the 2026 season. Going forward it’s looking like the time to get a tag for non-residents will still be in December, but rather than the first come first serve that has become more popular and tougher to get in recent years, people will need to apply and wait to see if they are lucky enough to draw. This will allow non-residents to apply in a group with up to 4 people per application with up to 5 total hunt choices. There are more details like second draws, Disabled American Veteran tags, and leftover/returned tag sales, but the highlight is that Idaho will now have a draw system in place for 2026 deer and elk tags for non-residents.
IDFG has also been working to update their Strategic Plan this year and IWF staff has been heavily involved by providing sportsman input at multiple stages through the public engagement portion of the process. It was good to hear the review of where they currently are and going forward they will have meetings with internal working groups for the main focus areas which include predation, user satisfaction, habitat loss, wildlife disease, etc. By this fall they plan to develop action plans and share what they have with partner groups, and IWF will look forward to being involved in that process.
One interesting presentation was on the South Fork Snake River rainbow trout suppression project. For years IDFG has been working to reduce the abundance of non-native rainbow trout in hopes of increasing native yellowstone cutthroat trout in the same waters. The South Fork Snake is the last drainage within Idaho’s borders that anglers can target big native yellowstone cutthroat. If left unchecked, rainbows in the South Fork will continue to hybridize with cutthroat, leading to a reduction of native genetics. To accomplish this IDFG has removed limits, started harvest incentive programs, put in weirs to remove spawning rainbows, and removed and relocated rainbows through electrofishing. This has resulted in some success, but there has also been pushback from anglers and guides, mainly around electrofishing in the spring. As a result department staff has been working with fishing guides and agreed to stop spring electrofishing if they agreed to harvest more rainbow trout. The results for 2024 were better relationships between the department and anglers on the water while the rainbow suppression goal was met for the first time using exclusively angler harvest. 2024 fish surveys showed an overall reduction of about 300 rainbow trout per river mile and yellowstone cutthroat trout made up more than 50% of the total trout population for the first time since 2008!
The history of Idaho mule deer was another presentation that should interest many hunters. It was super interesting and we’ll just say that anyone who loves chasing mule deer should go back and watch this portion of the recorded meeting online. A few of the interesting highlights were when the Lewis and Clark expedition came though Idaho there were likely fewer mule deer than than there are now, many areas had more bighorn sheep than mule deer, and major landscape wide habitat changes along with major predator control helped result in the huge bump in mule deer numbers from the 1930’s-1980’s. While we’re unlikely to ever see mule deer populations like there were then, there are things like habitat work, migration mapping, highway over/under passes, land protection easements, etc. that can be done to help grow these populations from where they are today.
Here are few other things to note from the meeting:
The limit for spring chinook on the Clearwater River upstream of the Orofino bridge has been changed from 1 to 2 fish per day.
The draft Mountain Goat Management Plan was approved to be released for public input and the deadline for comments is 6/8/25.
The Commission approved directing $450,000 of fish and game funds to the Wolf Depredation Control Board for the management of wolves in areas with underperforming ungulate populations due to wolves and in areas of chronic wolf depredation on livestock. They also directed $100,000 to the State Animal Control Board with $50,000 for general animal control, $25,000 for depredation control of mountain lion and black bears, and the remaining $25,000 to manage the effects from piscivorous birds(primarily pelicans) on fisheries resources.
The next Commission meeting will be held in Coeur d’Alene July 16-17.