Shooting events planned this weekend near Lapwai
LAPWAI — The Lewis-Clark Wildlife Club will host a Youth Hunter Education Challenge shooting session at its gun range Saturday.
The group will occupy the six-bench side of the range and use the classroom space. The 18-bench side and the trap range will remain open for public use.
And on Sunday, the Lewis-Clark Wildlife Club will host a concealed-carry permit class at the range.
The class will be held on the six-bench side of the range from noon to late afternoon. The 18-bench side and the trap range will be available for public use.
Kelly Creek Flycasters meeting is set for Thursday
Gary Thorgaard, a member of the Kelly Creek Flycasters, will talk about the history of sterile triploid trout production and how the fish are used in fisheries during the group’s meeting Thursday.
The meeting, to be held at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel in Lewiston, will begin with a 6 p.m. dinner and the presentation will start at 7.
Staff training to close Spalding Visitor Center 3 days
LAPWAI — The Spalding Visitor Center of Nez Perce National Historical Park will be closed March 15-17 for staff training.
Other areas of the park, such as the Spalding picnic area and associated trails, will remain open, as will remote sites like Buffalo Eddy and the White Bird Battlefield.
Washington commission rejects petition to ban baiting, OKs Chelan River catch-and-release plan
OLYMPIA — The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected a petition last week that could have banned using bait while hunting deer and elk, but approved a petition that may open the upper Chelan River to catch-and-release fishing.
Commissioners asked staffers at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to begin rulemaking that could open the upper Chelan River to fishing. The river was closed to fishing in 2015 to accommodate a resident fish evaluation and restoration project.
Commissioners turned away a petition that would have prevented hunters from using bait to attract deer and elk and was designed to reduce the spread of chronic wasting disease, should the fatal ailment ever show up in Washington. Using bait to attract deer and elk during hunting is illegal in some states, such as Idaho.
The petition also asked that the use of natural and artificial scents to attract deer and elk be banned. Commissioners said the use of baits and other attractants “is a sensitive topic with hunters,” according to a news release from the agency.
Idaho may increase Unit 14 deer permits and tags
GRANGEVILLE — Idaho Fish and Game game officials will hold a 6 p.m. meeting Thursday at the Grangeville Senior Center to discuss chronic wasting disease and how it may affect hunting seasons.
Topics to be covered at the meeting include information about the disease, recent aerial surveys of elk in the Elk City Zone, statewide CWD management strategies and the proposed changes to hunting seasons in Unit 14. Those who attend will have an opportunity to ask questions.
The department also will hold a meeting for Unit 14 landowners from 1-3 p.m. Thursday at the Confluence Store in White Bird.
More information about the meetings, proposals and CWD is available at bit.ly/3sB99Uf.
IFG plans meeting on hunting proposals
Idaho Fish and Game officials will hold an online open house meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, to provide information on proposed deer and elk hunt changes this fall in response to the detection of chronic wasting disease in Unit 14 and an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in the Clearwater Region.
People can join the meeting by logging onto zoom.us/j/98740232387.
Wildlife managers will present information about the current situations regarding CWD and EHD and discuss why season changes are being proposed. People can ask questions before the meeting by posting them online, and there will also be an opportunity for questions and answers during the meeting.
