In brief: Big-game second tag discounts are available in Idaho for deer and elk.

HUNTING – Resident and nonresident hunters can buy remaining nonresident big-game tags as second tags for discounted prices of $199 for deer and $350 for elk, Idaho Fish and Game Department officials announced last week.

The discount is being offered only during August.

In September, sale of nonresident tags used as second tags will increase to $300 and $415, excluding vendor fees.

Here are details from IFG:

Any hunter who has purchased a hunting license and a 2015 deer or elk tag at the regular resident or nonresident prices can buy a discounted second tag for the same species.

Tags are sold on a first come, first served basis and supplies are limited to the available nonresident tag quota.

Tags are available at Fish and Game offices and license and tag vendors, online at  fishandgame.idaho.gov, or by calling 1-800-554-8685.

Fish and Game sold discounted deer and elk tags last year as an incentive for hunters to buy the remaining quota of nonresident tags, but commissioners decided this year to limit the discount sale to August.

The nonresident quota is 12,815 elk and 15,500 deer tags. Since 2008, a portion of the nonresident quota has gone unsold.

But Fish and Game has seen increased tag sales due in part to improved deer and elk hunting in Idaho and a better economy, write IFG spokesman Roger Phillips. Through July, sale of nonresident elk tags is up 25 percent over the same period last year, and up 14 percent for deer tags, he said.

Fish and Game is forecasting better deer and elk hunting this year because of mild winters and excellent survival rates of deer and elk.

Nonresident tag quotas are factored into projected harvest rates, so Fish and Game officials don’t expect increased sales, either as nonresident tags or second tags, will lead to overharvesting of deer or elk, Phillips said.

Last year, hunters using second tags accounted for 2.5 percent of the statewide elk harvest and 3 percent of the statewide deer harvest.

While this is the second year of discounted nonresident tags sold as second tags, the program is not new. Nonresident deer and elk tags have been sold as second tags since 2000.

Forest Field Day geared to private landowners

The Northeast Chapter of the Washington Farm Forestry Association is organizing a free all-day private lands forestry event on Saturday at a Colville-area property that was hit hard by a recent wind storm.

Participants will learn about post-storm salvaging and logging, as well as other forest and water management issues affecting private landowners.

“This event should be one of the most educational and hands-on for anyone interested in learning how to deal with a variety of forest and forest health issues,” said Randall Hansen, Northeast Chapter president. “We have a variety of educational activities planned, including a review of the damage from the windstorm, a discussion of fast-track salvaging of timber, a hands-on demonstration of pre-commercial thinning, and a discussion of Riparian Management Zones as they relate to forest management,” he said.

The annual Forest Owners Field Day is scheduled at Hesseltine property at Black Lake, east of Colville off Tiger Highway, starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending mid-afternoon.

From Colville, take Highway 20 east and drive for approximately 18 miles. Turn left onto Black Lake/Squaw Creek Road. Go left toward Black Lake. Drive around the lake to the north end. Signs will be posted from the Black Lake turn off. Follow the signs to the Hesseltine property gate.

Attendees are asked to wear outdoor-appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear, as well as to bring a sack lunch and camp chair. Water and other refreshments will be provided by WFFA.

The WFFA is a non-profit organization of and for forest landowners in Washington state. 

Hesseltine property is one of the nearly 90,000 small private forestland owners across the state, with private ownership totaling about 5 million acres out of Washington’s 22.1 million acres of forestland.

Info: wafarmforestry.com/NorthEast.

Spokane Geo Tour Kicks-Off

Spokane Geo Tour, a new GPS activity for visitors and locals, will debut with an event on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. at the Northbank Shelter in Riverfront Park.

The tour involves an organized route of geocaches for participants to find by walking or biking scattered through different organized routes.

The trails will run through historic sites, parks and urban areas in and around Spokane.

“We are thrilled to have the Geo Tour take visitors through the most sought after places in the Spokane region,” said Cheryl Kilday, Visit Spokane President & CEO.

Spokane Geo Tour  will be a self-guided tour with an incentive. Similar to the Inland Northwest Ale Trail idea, geocachers will use a passport to collect stamps at various locations. Upon completing the passport, users receive a Geocoin, specifically designed for the Spokane Geo Tour.

The tour has been funded by a $7,440 Tourism Promotion Area Grant awarded by the Spokane Hotel-Motel Commission.