The Courier
NEWS
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
July 6, 2022
Vol 46 Num 27
Rodeo Season Begins this Weekend F&G To Set Sage Grouse Tag Numbers
The Camas County Pro Rodeo will be held this Friday and Saturday - July 8th & 9th - at the C Me Later Arena on the West side of Fairfield. Online sales have ended but you can still get tickets at the gate: Adults (9+) $16, Kids $10, and 3 and under are free. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. each night. Stick around after the last ride for live music by the Dave Nudo Band, free admission with your rodeo ticket. This Saturday, July 9th, Richfield will host a Ranch Rodeo at the Richfield Arena. Events include team branding, muley roping, team doctoring, and trailer loading. Registration begins at 10 a.m. with a mandatory participant meeting at 11 a.m. The fun begins at 12 noon. Admission is free and there will be a food booth and beer garden at the arena. The Little Wood Saloon will have live music at 8:00 p.m. Come cheer on your favorite cowboys & cowgirls. The Lincoln County Fair & Rodeo will begin Saturday, July 23rd, with the Ardis Swan Junior Rodeo. However, the Rodeo Queen Contest will be held this Saturday, July 9th. Contestants in two age divisions (3-13 & 14-20) will compete for a High Point Saddle, Scholarships, and other great prizes! For more information, please contact Nicole Kindred 208-490-7877 or Amie Taber 208-308-1549. The Lincoln County ICA Rodeo will be held July 28th & 29th at the rodeo grounds. The Gooding Pro Rodeo will be held August 17th thru 20th. Ticket sales will begin July 15th at the Gooding County Fair Office (201 Lucy Lane). Tickets will also be available online at tickets.goodingprorodeo.com (tickets will not be available at Valley County Stores this year). Prices are $16-$21 (adults) and $10-$11 (children). There will be no general admission seating.
Arts in the Park & Food Trucks
This weekend is the world famous Shoshone Arts in the Park. Over 60 vendors will be set up on the courthouse lawn from 9 to 6 on Saturday and from 10 to 4 on Sunday. Along with antiques, crafts, festival foods, there will trolley rides and live music. The Museum will be open as well. Wright Physical Therapy and Alpha Dawgs will be hosting a Food Truck Fundraiser this Friday, July 8th, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. All proceeds will be used to benefit Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) an organization that rescues children from slavery, and assists law enforcement in seeking justice against those who violate children.
by Roger Phillips, Public Information Supervisor
The Fish and Game Commission is scheduled to set sagegrouse tag numbers at its July 28 meeting in Salmon, and tags will go on sale on a first-come, first-served basis starting August 1. People can comment on the proposed sage-grouse hunting season on the Fish and Game public comment webpage. Since 2021, sage-grouse tags are now designated in 12 separate management zones. Hunters must choose a single zone in which to hunt, and the department’s proposal is to increase the number of tags a hunter may purchase from one to two. Proposed season dates are: Firearm season: Sept. 17 through Oct. 31 Falconry season: Aug. 15 through March 15, 2023 Sage-grouse tags are $22.75 each for residents and $74.25 for nonresidents. An updated seasons and rules brochure will be available online shortly after the July 28 Commission meeting. The sage-grouse tag system is designed to limit harvest to no more than 10% of the estimated fall population in each of 12 hunting zones. In each zone, fall populations were estimated based on spring lek counts and recruitment estimates derived from juvenile:adult ratios observed in the harvest. This is the second year tags have been required to hunt sagegrouse in Idaho. To set 2021 tag numbers for each zone, Fish and Game staff first determined an allowable harvest of 8% of the estimated fall population in most zones, then assumed a 90% success rate for each tag purchased. Harvest success during the 2021 season was lower than anticipated; consequently, proposed tag numbers in most zones were increased in 2022. Statewide, sage-grouse populations increased 26 percent in 2022 compared to 2021, but are still down 28 percent from 2016. Trends were up statewide in 2022, with modest increases in across southern Idaho. Fish and Game officials will continue to adapt harvest recommendations annually to maintain sustainable sage-grouse hunting opportunities in Idaho.