Idaho Commission approves grizzly bear hunt

An Idaho hunter will have an opportunity to hunt a grizzly bear this fall.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved a hunting season Thursday.

One tag will be offered for a hunt that will run September 1 through November 15.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population has met federal recovery criteria since the early 2000’s. In 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took the population off the Endangered Species Act list. Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana were charged with the responsibility of coordinating continued management of the population, now that the federal protection is lifted.

The conservation strategy allows for hunting as a management tool when the total grizzly population is more than 600 bears.

The 2017 population estimate is 718 grizzly bears in the greater Yellowstone management area. That area includes all of Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, but no hunting will be allowed in either park.

Idaho’s one controlled hunt tag will be awarded by a random drawing, limited to Idaho residents. The application period will be June 15 through July 15. Resident hunters who applied for any other controlled hunt in 2018 may also apply for the grizzly bear hunt.

No baiting or hound hunting will be allowed and the hunt permit will be “once in a lifetime.”

Scientists have determined how much mortality on male and female bears can occur while managing a sustainable population. Hunting is allowed if the predicted mortality is less than the total allowable mortality in any given year. The opportunity is determined by subtracting the known and predicted annual mortality from the total allowable mortality for the population.

Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming allocate hunting opportunity based on the proportion of land each state has within the management area, not counting the two national parks. Idaho has an 8 percent share of the land and for 2018, the allowable mortality for hunting represents one male bear.

You can find further details and a history of the grizzly bear recovery effort here.