Comments on Idaho’s moose management plan sought

Tonight the public has a chance to comment on the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s moose management plan.

The Coeur d’Alene meeting starts at 5 p.m. in the IDFG regional office at 2885 W. Kathleen Ave., Coeur d’Alene.

A year ago the Idaho Fish and Game commission voted to reduce the number of available moose tags for the 2019-20 seasons. The large ungulates have been declining in Idaho and elsewhere, with wildlife managers blaming climate change, reduced forage and predation.

Now, IDFG is seeking public input on the state’s Moose Management Plan which will run from 2020 through 2025. Public comment can be received through Jan. 12.

Moose tags are a once-in-a-lifetime draw for hunters in Idaho. In the past, drawing a tag more or less insured a successful hunt with an 80 or 90 percent success rate in most Panhandle units. Those numbers have dropped to anywhere between 50 and 70 percent in recent years prompting the reduction.

The following is from an IDFG news release:

“The updated moose plan identifies strategies for addressing these issues. The department’s statewide moose management direction in the proposed 2020-2025 plan includes:

• Increase knowledge of moose survival, recruitment, habitat use, genetics and the impacts of disease, habitat changes, predation and recreational activities.
• Improve the quality of moose population monitoring data to better evaluate population trends. Create guidelines for moose translocations in Idaho.
• Collaborate with private landowners and land management agencies to incorporate measures in land use and resource management plans that benefit moose.
• Provide harvest opportunity while maintaining stable to increasing moose populations statewide.”