BOISE, Idaho — The archery hunting season is already underway and the general rifle deer season starts on October 10, Idaho Fish and Game classifies this season as highly promising for big game.
"I think it will be a relatively good season," said Rick Ward a wildlife manager with Idaho Fish and Game. "We had a mild winter this last winter, which is really the third mild winter in a row meaning high survival for deer and elk and especially for fawns and calves. That's a really good indicator for what the season will bring.
WATCH|Check out the video to learn what hunters need to know this season
This summer, wildfires burned hundreds of thousands of acres in Idaho, and Rick Ward says that moves the herd around, and hunters need to respect wildfire closures and private property. Unit 31 north of Weiser was impacted by the Tartar Fire, which burned around half the perimeter of the unit.
"It’s the Brownlee Elk Zone where we are experiencing a real population boom over there for elk, so we actually want to get hunters onto elk over there, and the fire kind of complicates that," said Ward. "That means less groceries on the hill for elk and a reduced ability for elk to sustain the population."
Another issue in Idaho has been chronic wasting disease that was first detected in 2023 in unit 23 near Riggins. Idaho Fish and Game has found no new cases in the past two years, but seven units have mandatory testing, with two units being removed near Riggins and two being added in southeast Idaho.
However, Idaho Fish and Game will take all the samples they can get from hunters, as that provides the best way to track CWD. Hunters can provide samples at check stations, regional offices, or they can submit samples themselves.
"We have seen a big uptick in that over the last few years, with about 25 percent of all the samples over the last year coming from hunters who took the sample themselves," said Ward.
Idaho Fish and Game has a comprehensive outlook on their website that provides more details for hunters and where to get CWD testing packets. They also provide the harvest numbers for the different species of big game in Idaho over the last ten years.
Another change is a new law passed by the Idaho legislature that prohibits the use of thermal imaging, night vision, drones and transmitting trail cams to assist in hunting big game animals.
CLICK HERE to see a report on that this past spring
