A record amount paid for an Idaho bighorn tag will help pay for research and population work with wild sheep.
A Colorado sheep hunter paid $101,000 for the one Rocky Mountain bighorn tag Idaho contributes each year to the Foundation for North American Sheep (FNAWS) auction.Tags are offered for bid by 13 states, the Navajo Nation, and Alberta. The Arizona tag brought the highest price at $285,000, Montana's brought $220,000, and Alberta's raised $200,000. The California desert bighorn tag also sold for $101,000 and the New Mexico tag, good for either a Rocky Mountain or a desert bighorn, sold for $100,000. Utah got $62,000 for a desert and $40,000 for a Rocky Mountain.
Since Idaho sheep tags have been donated to the auction, beginning in 1988, amounts paid have varied widely between a low of $25,000 to this year's record bid.
HUNTING CHANGES - The rumbling of anxious big game hunters is starting to surface and can be heard all over the state. Answering a few questions early about the big game season may alleviate some anxiety experienced by hunters.
Following are some of the changes:
- As of this year all general season deer hunt boundaries have changed to follow rivers and roads. In years past the boundaries have been on drainages and ridges. There has been some confusion on which region to choose for your hunt. By placing the boundaries on rivers and roads the boundaries are easier to locate and follow on a map.
- Everyone, except lifetime license holders must purchase a $5 Wildlife Habitat Authorization to hunt big game.
- The antlerless deer and elk hunt boundary descriptions will be a separate document from the Big Game Proclamation.
- Credit cards will not be accepted on the Big Game Drawing.
- Exchanges may be made for general season buck deer and general season bull elk if: the permit that the person would like to exchange for is not sold out, both permits are for the same sex and species, and the exchange occurs before either hunt begins. All exchanges must be made at DWR offices and a fee of $5 will be charged for each exchange.
- The Big Game application period for special permits has been extended by three days. The Big Game application period will still begin on May 5 but will end on May 28. The Big Game Drawing will be held on July 12. General season deer and elk permits will go on sale over-the-counter beginning July 19 at all DWR offices and participating license agents.
CAMPGROUND RESERVATION: Its time to start thinking about family camping trips. This year the U.S. Forest Service is suggesting people try to make camping reservations as early as possible.
By making reservations early, there is a better selection of campsites. Also, it's easier to get through on phone lines. Last year phone lines became so congested that few people were able to get through.
This year to help alleviate the phone congestion problem the reservation center has extended their business hours and increased the number of phone lines.
Hours are March 1 through May 5, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
From May 6 through July 31, hours will be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The number is 1-800-280-CAMP (2267) TTY/TDD number is 1-800-879-4496.
While reservations may not be required in most national forest recreation facilities, campers can plan ahead for a more enjoyable time knowing that their favorite campsite is waiting for them.
LAKE POWELL BARRICADE: There's a striper fishing barricade around the Glen Canyon Dam.
Since the Oklahoma bombing, federal agencies have taken extra safety precautions to prevent terrorist acts. That's good, but this particular barricade is placed around some of the best striper fishing on Lake Powell and it will prevent anglers from getting close enough to the stripers.
"I think there's a way for both of us to accomplish our mission," says Wayne Gustaveson, fisheries biologist for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
"They need security and we need to allow anglers in to harvest the fish. The most vulnerable portions of the dam are at the spillways which are cut into the rock. If we took these heavy aluminum barricades and placed them in front of the spillway mouths, that would protect those portions of the dam and open up the middle portion for fishing."
Large aluminum boxes are chained end to end across the face of the dam. When stripers begin their prespawn staging near the dam inlets, anglers would have a great chance to take on a boat load and help improve the resource by thinning the overall population.
It's estimated that anglers could take between 30 and 50 thousand stripers per week from March through May along the dam. That would go along way toward meeting management objectives.
WILDLIFE MEETINGS - The Wildlife Board is scheduled to meet on March 21 at 9 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Department of Agriculture, 2nd floor conference room. Agenda items include:
Big game proclamation and rule; posted hunting units for big game; conservation and sportsman permits; lifetime hunting and fishing license issues; big game hunting permit exchanges; establishing standards and procedures for regional advisory councils; and commercial harvesting of protected aquatic wildlife.
The Department of Agriculture is located at 350 North Redwood Road in Salt Lake City.