BOISE -- Idahoans will have the chance to put in for a for a grizzly bear hunting tag this summer, marking the first approved grizzly hunt in decades.
Idaho Fish and Game commissioners approved a grizzly hunting season Thursday, with a single tag offered. That means only one hunter in the state will get the green-light, and will be allowed to kill a single bear.
The application period for the tag will run from June 15 through July 15, with only resident hunters considered. The winning hunter will be randomly selected from all applicants.
The hunt will run Sept. 1 through Nov. 15.
Grizzly bears were removed from the Endangered Species List last year, after the population rebounded from 136 to an estimated 718 in the Yellowstone "demographic monitoring area" (DMA), which encompasses suitable grizzly habitat in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's conservation strategy allows hunting as a management tool when the grizzly population surpasses 600 bears, according to Fish and Game.
Although the Yellowstone DMA includes both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, hunting will not be allowed in either park.
The hunter who draws the Idaho grizzly tag must shoot a male bear. Fish and Game biologists will work with the person who receives the tag to make sure the hunter understands how to tell a male bear from a female as well as rules and hunting zone boundaries.
Bear-beating and hunting with hounds will not be allowed. Idaho will limit the grizzly tag to "once in a lifetime" to successful hunters.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game warned that due to a pending lawsuit, the grizzly bear hunt could be canceled before it starts. Of that happens, Fish and Game will refund any pre-paid tag fees but not controlled hunt application fees.
Idaho, Wyoming and Montana have agreed to work to keep the grizzly bear population in the Yellowstone DMA between 600 and 748 bears.
"Idaho will continue to responsibly manage the population in coordination with Wyoming and Montana now that federal protections are lifted," IDFG officials wrote in a release.
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