On Wednesday, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved a seven day season for sage grouse. The season opens October 1st.
“Sage grouse hunting has been a tradition in Idaho for a long time,” says Don Kemner. He’s the sage grouse program coordinator at the Department of Fish and Game. “However it has declined in the last 15 years as we
have become more conservative with seasons.”
In the early 90’s, harvest levels were in the tens- of-thousands of birds. but, according to Kemner, last year, that number was just over four-thousand. Greater sage grouse are a candidate for future listing under the endangered species act. However, Kemner says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service indicated in its decision to potentially list the bird that conservative hunting does not affect the species range-wide.