Comment period is open for black bear plan
A black bear looks around in the Idaho wilderness.
Photo courtesy Idaho Fish and Game
Idaho Fish and Game is seeking comments on its draft Idaho Black Bear Management Plan for 2025-2030. The plan will provide guidance for staff to implement management actions that will aid in the protection and management of black bear populations and guide harvest recommendations.
People should review the draft plan and provide comments by 5 p.m. Dec. 3. The final draft of the plan will be presented to the Fish and Game Commission for consideration at its January 2025 meeting.
The plan identifies issues that affect black bears and their management, guides Fish and Game in annual work plan development and program prioritization while providing direction for development of season recommendations. The plan will also provide guidance to implement programs that support black bear conservation and management.
Major sections of this plan include:
• Hunter opportunity and harvest management
• Black bear ecology
• Population monitoring
• Human-black bear conflicts
• Predation management
• Statewide management direction
• Region-level bear harvest data and priorities
How is a management plan different from season setting?
Species management plans set overall goals and objectives for managing a species and generally are intended to guide management for six to 10 years. They include guidance for staff and the Commission to evaluate populations, hunting season structures and overall hunter preferences.
Season setting is a process that occurs every two years. Staff use management plans to make recommendations during season setting that are consistent with management plan guidance.
The commission can evaluate those recommendations relative to the management plan, and including public input, to make decisions about potential changes to hunting season structure.
What happens next
After the public comment period closes, Fish and Game staff will consider comments, and they will revise and update the draft plan before the January Commission meeting.
— Idaho Department of Fish and Game