Hunting Opportunities for Members of Armed Forces: In national security emergencies, people called to service in the national interest may lose their hunting opportunities. In such cases, ODFW may now 1) allow a hunter to hunt during the same hunt in the following year for bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain goat and pronghorn; or 2) refunding general or controlled hunt season tag fees and reinstating controlled hunt preference points. Requests under this rule must be made within one year of the hunt in question by the affected individual or family member. The request must include documentation of the call to service and proof of tag purchase.

Arizona

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission will meet in Yuma on Friday, February 22 at the Game and Fish Yuma Regional Office. Two of many items on the agenda are:
• A briefing on possibly establishing a night hunting, limited-weapon, shotgun shooting shot-only predator season.
• A briefing on the status of the 2001 buffalo hunt on the House Rock Ranch and potential action plans for future hunts.

Wyoming

Acting on the proposed Grizzly Bear Management Plan and setting black bear hunting regulations highlight the February 21-22 Game and Fish Commission meeting at the Best Western Inn in Douglas.

Idaho

As many as 60 elk died during a trapping operation at Weiser Cove shortly after noon on Tuesday, January 29, 2002.

Fish and Game crews began the trapping operation Saturday, January 26th. Southwest Region Fish and Game officials were forced to turn to trapping as a final resort in order to remove elk causing damage complaints in the Weiser River valley. The herds were not trimmed sufficiently by hunters, even with a five-month hunting season last year, because access to private lands in the area is often difficult.

About 200 head of elk flooded into the trap around noon Tuesday. Crews
immediately realized too many elk had gone into the trap and successfully released 32 but some 60 animals, mostly yearlings and calves, were killed in the panic.

Workers removed 132 animals from the trap during the operation and shipped them away to remote areas of Hells Canyon. Thirty-five animals were salvaged, but 25 were not salvageable. About a dozen bulls were turned out of the trap. The dead elk were immediately field-dressed while mobile butcher units were called. The carcasses will be donated to needy families.