A black bear searches for food at Yellowstone National Park. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is accepting comments on its draft Idaho Black Bear Management Plan for 2025-2030.
Black bear tags are the third most popular big game tag purchased in Idaho, following deer and elk. The draft plan offers guidance to implement programs that support black bear conservation and management.
Idahoans are encouraged to review the draft plan and submit comments on the Idaho Fish and Game website by 6 p.m. Mountain time on Dec. 3. The final draft of the plan will be presented to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission for consideration at its January meeting, according to a news release from the agency.
The last Idaho black bear management plan was completed in 1999, and it was meant to guide management for 10 years. Since then, Idaho has experienced changes in human, hunter and black bear populations.
For example, black bear harvest in Idaho has increased from an average of 2,300 bears annually between 2001 to 2005 to an average of over 3,000 bears annually between 2018 and 2022. This increase, and the state’s growing population and the increase in bear-human conflicts have prompted changes in management structure. Additionally, the increase in grizzly bear populations pose new challenges to black bear management in certain parts of the state, according to the draft plan.
The draft Idaho black bear management plan can be found at the Idaho Fish and Game website.
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