Elk plan comments due this month

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game's proposed elk management plan was released in August for public review and comment. Those comments are due by Sept. 22.

The proposed 2013 elk management plan directs IDFG to maintain or increase current elk populations across most of the state. To accomplish this, IDFG has identified in the plan:

• Zone-level elk population objectives for each zone;

• Specific factors limiting elk numbers in each management zone; and

• Strategies and performance objectives to address limiting factors.

This revised plan is not designed to prescribe specific hunting seasons. It is designed to establish goals that IDFG staff members, working with elk hunters and the public, will achieve over the next 10 years.

The plan is available for review and comment on the IDFG website at: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/elkplanning. Copies of the plan also may be obtained at regional IDFG offices. Comments may be submitted on the website or mailed to Elk Plan Comments, c/o Idaho Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25, Boise, ID 83707.

Idaho's current elk management plan is more than 12 years old.