The Idaho Fish and Game Commission has approved a limited hunting season for grizzly bears in eastern Idaho.
Under the plan approved Thursday, the Department of Fish and Game will hold a random drawing to award one Idaho hunter a grizzly tag for a hunting season running from Sept. 1 to Nov. 15.
Neither baiting nor hound-hunting is allowed, and successful hunters won't be allowed to reapply for future tags.
Fish and Game is also warning would-be hunters that the grizzly hunt could be canceled because of a pending federal lawsuit.
The U.S. Department of the Interior is locked in a court battle with conservationists and American Indian tribes over the lifting of protections for a group of grizzlies in and around Yellowstone National Park. Wyoming, like Idaho, is planning a limited trophy hunt for those animals this fall.
Attorney Andrea Santasiere with the Center for Biological Diversity called Idaho's hunt approval “a sad day” for residents who value Idaho's native wildlife.
(by Associated Press)
