Outdoor Briefs

• Idaho auctions off 21 Payette Lake cabin sites

BOISE - The Idaho Department of Lands has auctioned off 21 vacation home sites at Payette Lake as part of its plan to divest itself of the lucrative but difficult-to-manage assets.

The Idaho Statesman reports that incumbent lease holders bought all but one of the sites at the auction on Saturday in Eagle.

The site not bought by a current leaseholder was appraised at $37,000 but went for $42,000. The buyer will also have to pay the former leaseholder $68,580 for the value of a home and other improvements.

The sale raised $6.1 million for education and State Hospital South.

The State Board of Land Commissioners late last year approved holding voluntary auctions of 74 cottage sites at Priest Lake and 21 cottages at Payette Lake.

• Trail closed after coyote attacks dog

POCATELLO - Authorities in Pocatello have closed a trail after two coyotes approached a woman walking a small dog on a leash and one of the coyotes attacked the dog.

The Idaho State Journal reports in a story on Wednesday that the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is attempting to catch the coyotes following the attack on Sunday on the AMI Greenway Trail.

Fish and Game spokeswoman Jennifer Jackson says a coyote took the small terrier mix into its mouth, but soon released it.

Jackson says the dog is recovering and is going to be fine.

She says the attack is unusual in that coyotes rarely approach a dog when a human is nearby.

Jackson says it's possible the coyotes have pups in the area.

• Yellowstone park bison hazing begins

BOZEMAN, Mont. - Montana officials have begun hazing bison back into Yellowstone National Park to make way for livestock.

The bison leave the park during winter in search of lower-elevation grazing, and are forced back each spring to keep them from spreading diseases to cattle.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports officials from the Montana departments of livestock and fish, wildlife and parks already have made a few trips into the area north of the park, pushing back 100 or more bison each time.

The conservation group Alliance for the Wild Rockies says helicopter hazing of bison began Saturday. The group is suing to bar the use of helicopters, saying they harass and displace threatened grizzly bears.

The case is pending with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

• Drivers urged to watch for migrating bison

BOZEMAN, Mont. - State wildlife officials are asking drivers to watch for bison as they migrate out of Yellowstone National Park north of Gardiner.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports this year's combination of deep snow and increased tolerance for bison outside the park adds up to an increased chance of running into large animals on the roads in the Gardiner basin.

Two bison died last week after being struck on U.S. Highway 89 north of Gardiner.

The posted speed limit in the area is 70 mph, but state Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials are asking drivers to slow down and use caution, especially at night. Officials say the risk of hitting bison and other wildlife will remain high until May, when the bison are hazed back into the park.

- The Associated Press