A elk calf that had become entangled in garden materials near Hailey was freed by Fish and Game officers on Dec. 28.

That day, Fish and Game officers received reports from Blaine County residents about an elk calf that had become entangled in a discarded tomato cage and bucket just north of Hailey. By mid-day, officers were able to locate the calf on the west side of Highway 75 in a grove of trees.

Knowing the calf would not be able to free itself from the metal, Fish and Game staff made the decision to dart the calf and remove the metal cage.

According to Senior Conservation Officer Clark Shackelford, “Darting an animal with an anesthetizing drug is a difficult undertaking. We can never be sure how much stress the animal has been in prior to darting or how each animal will react to the drugs. And more importantly, handling these drugs, often in extreme conditions, can place the Fish and Game officers at risk too.”

In this instance, the elk was successfully anesthetized, and the metal tomato cage and plastic bucket were removed.

Shackelford noted, “Once we removed the metal cage, we administered a second drug to reverse the effects of the first drug. The elk quickly recovered, and within minutes was up and running.”

This is not the first time that wildlife has become entangled in things such as Christmas lights, swing sets, rope, hammocks and fence wire. Residents are encouraged to properly store items on their property that could entangle wildlife.

A fishing derby Jan. 25 at Sportsman’s Park on the west side of American Falls Reservoir features a $500 first-place prize for the largest Rainbow trout and a $250 first-place prize for perch.

The derby runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Sportsman’s Park near Aberdeen. The derby is a fundraiser for the Portneuf Unit of the American Fisheries Society, a student-run organization at Idaho State University.

In the Rainbow trout category there will also be a $250 cash prize for second and a $150 cash prize for third. No Cutthroat or Rainbow-Cutthroat hybrids will be considered for the derby.

The runner-up prize for in the perch category is $200 and third is free entry into next year’s derby.

Winners will be announced at 3:30 p.m. Participation is limited to the first 150 participants. If spots still remain, limited registration will be available during the fishing derby at the registration booth.

A copy of the rules and release of liability will be provided at the registration table. All contestants must sign the release of liability form to participate in the derby.

Sportsman’s Park is located off Highway 39 at the end of Boat Dock Road.

In the event of derby cancellation due to unsafe ice conditions or inclement weather, refunds of entry fees will be granted or carried over to the next year. Only in the event of an extreme blizzard that closes the interstate will the event be cancelled.

There is a $35 per person entry fee. Participants can register online and review all derby regulations at shorturl.at/hkmBM or call 208-709-7538.

One raffle ticket is allotted to participants and additional raffle tickets will be available for sale.

One thing that impresses the new Harriman State Park manager is that people are passionate about the park.

“That has been the biggest surprise, just the passion that people have for the park,” said park manager Mark Eliot who started in May. “It means so much to so many people from such a wide geographic area. I’ve never seen anything like that. People are willing to do what they can.”

Eliot took over for John Sullivan, who left about a year ago. Eliot is new to the state park system, coming from the Idaho Department of Lands where he worked in fire prevention.

This is his first winter at Harriman, and he’s learning that the park just south of Island Park is just as busy under a blanket of snow as it is during summer.

“I’m still learning grooming schedules and winter access and different usage,” Eliot said, “the process of what we can do to make the park a more enjoyable experience for visitors.”

Interpretive park ranger Morgan Smith reported that the park attracted more than 400 people last Saturday during its free access day.

“Our winter is just as busy as summer,” Morgan said. “We’ve got good winter trails and grooming, so it brings in a whole bunch of people. It’s been really steady here, especially over the winter break. I think we get more locals here in the winter than in the summer.”

Eliot said he rode a fat bike for the first time during the Saturday free access day.

“One of the Nordic ski patrol lent me their fat bike,” he said. “That was the first time I’d ever been on one. That was a lot of work.”

Eliot said during the summer he spent a good deal of time hiking and mountain biking some Harriman’s 24 miles of trails to become familiar with the park. This winter he’s been cross-country skiing the trails in his spare time.

Eliot is considering organizing an advisory committee to take input and make recommendations on issues such as grooming trails for different uses and separating skate skiers from fat bikers.

“We’re not going to be able to make everybody happy,” he said. “But we’ll do our best.”

The park’s three main winter user groups will come together Feb. 1 for the fourth annual Moose on the Loose winter triathlon. The race involves 6 miles of fat biking, 1.5 miles of snowshoeing and 6 miles of cross-country skiing. For more information on Moose on the Loose, go to trithemoose.com.

Another busy park feature during the winter and summer months is its rentals. The park rents out for overnight use several buildings and yurts. Some of the larger log-cabin-style buildings will sleep up to 38 people. Yurts and smaller buildings generally sleep six. Reservations are generally filled months in advance.

The historic buildings in the Railroad Ranch area were once owned by Edward H. Harriman, the chairman of Union Pacific Railroad.

“(Buildings) are booked pretty much throughout the winter,” Smith said. “Our slowest seasons are April and November. In winter and summer, they’re booked out all the time.”

For information on facilities and reservations, go to parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/harriman.

Daily entrance fee into the park is $5 per car. There is also a per person grooming fee of $5 for people accessing trails.

“I’m pretty content here, so I’d sure like to stay as long as they have me,” Eliot said.

A elk calf that had become entangled in garden materials near Hailey was freed by Fish and Game officers on Dec. 28.

That day, Fish and Game officers received reports from Blaine County residents about an elk calf that had become entangled in a discarded tomato cage and bucket just north of Hailey. By mid-day, officers were able to locate the calf on the west side of Highway 75 in a grove of trees.

Knowing the calf would not be able to free itself from the metal, Fish and Game staff made the decision to dart the calf and remove the metal cage.

According to Senior Conservation Officer Clark Shackelford, “Darting an animal with an anesthetizing drug is a difficult undertaking. We can never be sure how much stress the animal has been in prior to darting or how each animal will react to the drugs. And more importantly, handling these drugs, often in extreme conditions, can place the Fish and Game officers at risk too.”

In this instance, the elk was successfully anesthetized, and the metal tomato cage and plastic bucket were removed.

Shackelford noted, “Once we removed the metal cage, we administered a second drug to reverse the effects of the first drug. The elk quickly recovered, and within minutes was up and running.”

This is not the first time that wildlife has become entangled in things such as Christmas lights, swing sets, rope, hammocks and fence wire. Residents are encouraged to properly store items on their property that could entangle wildlife.

POCATELLO — Pocatello officials say they are applying for grants that would help them improve the Cusick Creek trailhead and provide more access to the Portneuf River.

“We’ve seen the use of trails at places like Cusick Creek increase substantially and events like the Poky Portneuf Paddle showed us that residents want the Portneuf River to be floatable,” Hannah Sanger, Pocatello’s Science and Environment administrator, said in a news release. “These grants would help make sure that our trailheads and river access points are meeting the community’s needs and limiting erosion that makes its way into the Portneuf River.”

City officials say they are applying for a pair of grants through the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. The first would help them make trailhead and erosion control improvements at the Cusick Creek trailhead.

“Proposed enhancements include enlarging the parking area and re-grading the surface to limit erosion, improving fencing, and adding interpretive signage about the historic water reservoir structures in the area,” according to the news release.

The second grant would allow them to create kayak and canoe access points on the Portneuf River near Sacajawea Park and the Abraszewski trailhead, officials said. If they receive the funding, they would be able to start the projects in late 2020 or 2021.

City officials are seeking public input for the grant applications. Those who would like to comment or get involved in the efforts can contact Sanger at (208) 234-6518 or hsanger@pocatello.us.

The take season for both female and male mountain lions is closed in Game Management Units 66A and 76 in Southeast Idaho. The harvest limit for males in these units as established in the 2019-2020 Idaho Big Game Seasons and Rules was reached earlier in December, and the take season for males was consequently closed at that time. The harvest limit for female mountain lions in Units 66A and 76 was reached last week, and the take season was, therefore, closed effective Dec. 27, 2019.

Hunters will be allowed to keep female mountain lions taken in Units 66A and 76 prior to the Dec. 27 closure and must report them within 5 days of harvest. A dog training season (pursuit only — no harvest) for both male and female mountain lions in both units is open and will close March 31.

The most current information on whether a quota has been met or the season has been closed for a particular game management unit anywhere in the state can be obtained by calling or stopping by any regional Fish and Game office or by calling 1-800-323-4334 (24/7 toll-free line). Information is also updated regularly on an Idaho Fish and Game webpage at idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/harvest-quotas.

Feeding birds is enjoyable and mutually beneficial because you can watch nature from the warmth of your home, and birds get much-needed nutrients.

Idaho Fish and Game discourages people from feeding most wildlife because they can become habituated to hand outs, but birds are an exception. They typically don’t become dependent on feeders, but instead add them to their daily food searches and seek out other sources when feeders are empty.

Winter feeding helps our feathered friends survive a challenging season, and you will likely see local and migratory birds from as far away as Canada and Alaska.

When feeding, remember to offer food at different levels to meet the needs of different types of birds. A ground feeder will attract quail, dove, song sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, dark-eyed junco and others.

Hanging feeders, or hopper feeders, will attract songbirds, such as house finch, chickadee, jays, nuthatches and others. Thistle feeders will bring goldfinches, siskins and house finches. Suet can attract woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches.

Many kinds of bird seed are available. Black-oil sunflower seed is a favorite of many species. Millet and cracked corn are favorites for many ground-feeding birds. Finches and siskins love nyjer thistle.

Buying bird seed from a reputable source ensures the seed is free of dust, insects and weed seeds.

Birds are also attracted to water. While maintaining bird baths during winter may seem odd, ice-free water attracts more birds than feed alone. Not only will birds drink, they will also bathe and keep their feathers clean, boosting their insulating power against the cold.

While feeding provides obvious benefits to birds, dirty feeders and baths can also harm them.

Rita Dixon, Idaho Fish and Game wildlife program coordinator, says diseases, such as Salmonella and Avian Pox, are easily spread when birds are crowded at dirty feeders and watering devices, but a few simple steps can reduce the spread of disease.

“Simply disinfecting feeders and baths with a bleach solution each month significantly reduces the spread of many diseases,” Dixon said.

Using feeders that require birds to perch and reach for food can also reduce the risk of disease outbreaks. Avoid open feeders where birds can hop around on the food and contaminate it with feces.

Here are more tips for safely feeding birds:

• Store seed in tight, waterproof containers to prevent mold and to deter rodents.
• Place feeders in a quiet place near cover to protect feeding birds from weather and predators. Move feeders if you notice birds striking windows.
• If possible, provide water nearby. You can buy a heater that keeps a bird bath from freezing.
• After water and food are offered during winter, try to continue until spring, but don’t be concerned if you miss a few days. birds are mobile and probably visiting other feeders besides yours.
• Clean feeders regularly to prevent disease by using one part liquid chlorine household bleach in nine parts of lukewarm water to make a 10 percent bleach solution. Make enough solution to immerse an empty, cleaned feeder completely for two to three minutes. Allow to air dry.
• Remember feeding wildlife, other than birds, is not recommended. If food set out for birds is being eaten by other wildlife, move the food to a safe location or discontinue feeding.