Idaho considering change to muzzleloader rules
Idaho wildlife officials are considering a change to the types of ammunition allowed for hunters using muzzleloaders.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced earlier this month that it’s seeking public comment on allowing metal projectiles with accuracy tips and pressure bases to be used during the state’s muzzleloader-only hunting seasons.
The existing rule requires muzzleloader hunters to use a round ball or conical nonjacketed projectile made of lead or lead alloy.
Idaho Fish and Game said in a news release that hunters asked the agency to consider the change because of the decreasing availability of lead-only projectiles for muzzleloaders. Ammunition made of other metals is becoming more available.
The agency is taking public comment on the proposed rule until Oct. 25. People can read the rule on pages 271-272 of the Idaho Administrative Bulletin Volume 23-10. Comments can be submitted via email to rules@idfg.idaho.gov.
Muzzleloaders are a type of gun that is loaded through the barrel. Several states offer separate seasons for hunters who use that type of weapon.
Idaho landowners given OK to kill more deer to monitor chronic wasting disease
Idaho Fish and Game is letting landowners kill more deer in a part of the state known to harbor chronic wasting disease.
The agency announced earlier this month that landowners within the Slate Creek “hot spot” can get authorization to harvest additional deer on their land or on land they lease to help track the spread of the always-fatal disease.
The hot spot is southwest of Grangeville and runs from Fiddle Creek north to Skookumchuck Creek. It covers the areas that are most likely to have animals infected with CWD.
The authorizations are valid only on private land, and a landowner can designate other hunters to carry out the authorization on their land. Either male or female deer can be killed under the authorizations, which are valid until Dec. 31.
Idaho Fish and Game said the authorizations are meant to slow the spread of CWD and increase the number of samples it gathers to test for the disease.
CWD is a brain disease affecting deer, elk and moose. It has been found in more than 30 states and four Canadian provinces. In places where it has popped up, it has had significant impacts on wildlife populations.
It was first found in Idaho in 2021 between White Bird and Riggins.
The disease has not been found in Washington, but the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is encouraging hunters in Eastern Washington to get their animals tested for the condition this fall. Those who do want to have their animals tested can visit WDFW’s CWD surveillance web page.
Teton Gravity Research to bring ski film to Spokane
A ski film will be shown next week in Spokane.
Teton Gravity Research’s “Legend Has It” will be shown Thursday at the Bing Crosby Theater.
The film, TGR’s 28th, takes viewers to a variety of iconic mountain landscapes, including Patagonia, the California Sierras and the mountains right outside the company’s home base in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It also features a roster of well-known skiers and snowboarders.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the film begins at 7:30 .
Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The price for those who are 16 years old and younger are $7.