IDAHO, USA — The Idaho Fish and Game Commission recently approved temporary rules for black bear hunting in Idaho that include new requirements for bear baiting and a mandatory bear identification course for hunters.
Starting Sept. 1, any person placing bait to hunt black bears, hunting at a bait site or witnessing the use of a bait site by a grizzly bear, must immediately report the presence of a grizzly bear at a bait station to a Fish and Game regional office.
"Hunters must stop hunting over that bait site for the remainder of that specific hunting season," the release said. "The bait site may not be rebaited and must be removed as soon as it’s safe and feasible."
The temporary rules adopted Aug. 15 will still go through a formal rulemaking process and include public comment.
A male grizzly bear was shot and killed June 10 at a bait site near the Lower St. Joe River about 5 miles from the town of St. Maries, "an area not commonly used by grizzly bears," the release said.
A June 18 Fish and Game press release said that two days prior to the incident, the hunter recorded video of the bear at the bait site and sent it to Fish and Game for review.
"The hunter expressed concern that the bear was a grizzly and not a black bear," the release said. "Unfortunately, Fish and Game staff misidentified the young bear as a black bear because it lacked some common features of a grizzly and shared that misidentification with the hunter."
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