Idaho Fish and Game initiates winterfeeding action in Bear Lake County – Local News 8

BEAR LAKE COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) – The Idaho Division of Fish and Sport with enter from the Southeast Idaho Winter Feeding Advisory Committee (WFAC) has initiated a winter-feeding motion on the west and east sides of Bear Lake in Bear Lake County, with further actions to be rolled out within the close to future in precedence areas. 

Winter situations within the southeast nook of the area, particularly areas of Bear Lake, Caribou and Franklin Counties, have been significantly extreme in latest weeks. With the newest storm and vital drop in temperatures, the standards Idaho Fish and Sport makes use of to make choices on winter feeding of huge recreation has been met or exceeded in sure areas in these counties.

Idaho Fish and Sport is not going to be feeding each deer and each elk in each canyon. Efforts will likely be centered on places the place feeding will handle considerations with struggling animals, conflicts with animals in haystacks and feedlines, and public security considerations with animals on highways and roads. Different elements thought-about when deciding on feeding websites embody variety of animals reached, accessibility, adequate distance from roads and highways, and seclusion from public disturbance.

It’s necessary for the general public to recollect large recreation animals die each winter, particularly in extreme winters. This can be a pure occasion that nobody—not biologists, sportsmen, wildlife watchers– prefer to see. And despite feeding, we’re nonetheless going to lose animals to hunger in these hardest hit areas of southeast Idaho.

“Supplemental feeding is barely able to reaching a small proportion of the bigger large recreation populations,” Regional Fish and Sport Supervisor Dan Garren mentioned. “However, we’re hopeful that our response will assist some animals, will alleviate some battle with agricultural producers, and can end in decreasing security considerations with motorists in our hardest hit areas.”

Idaho Fish and Sport will likely be assembly weekly with the WFAC members and as a employees to proceed monitoring winter situations, present winter-feeding actions, and assessing different places all through the area which may be candidates for feeding websites if vital.