POCATELLO — Successfully harvesting a moose in Idaho is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and there could be more areas in Southeast Idaho to bag one of the round-nosed creatures.

On Monday, Idaho Fish and Game held an open house at the regional office on Barton Road in Pocatello to discuss the proposed changes to the 2015-2016 moose hunting seasons.

Martha Wackenhut, Idaho Fish and Game regional wildlife manager for the southeast region, said hunters have been generally supportive of the proposals. However, some hunters have said Fish and Game should be more conservative with the number of tags available.

The proposals include the addition of a new archery-only hunt for both antlered and antlerless moose hunts in Unit 68A along the Snake River near Fort Hall, American Falls and Blackfoot. Two antlered and two antlerless tags will be available.

Recent field observations in and around Unit 68A have indicated the area’s moose population is strong enough to support a hunt.

“Hunters participating in the antlered moose hunt in Unit 70 south of Pocatello have had an over 90 percent harvest success rate over the past 10 years,” Wackenhut said.

In September, wildlife officials were called on two separate incidents where moose had to be removed and relocated from Blackfoot’s city limits. The presence of moose is exasperated by I-15 and I-86, which is adjacent to Unit 68A’s boundaries. Officials fear the growing moose population could create more wildlife collisions in the area.

New hunts in Unit 73 in southern Bannock County and Unit 74 near Lava Hot Springs and Downey have also been proposed.

The proposals also include combining the hunts in Areas 71-1 and 71-2 into all of Unit 71. The proposals will also combine Hunt Areas 76-1, 76-2 and 76-3 into all of Unit 76. The number of tags available in Unit 77 will be decreased from 5 to 3.

All of Idaho’s moose hunts are controlled hunts, meaning a limited number of tags are available.

Hunters have until Jan. 5 to submit comments on any of the proposed changes to the 2015/2016 moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat seasons at fishandgame.idaho.gov/content/webform/2015-16-season-proposals-moose-sheep-goat.

Once the public comment period for the moose hunting proposals ends, Fish and Game will start working on new proposals to the local deer and elk hunting seasons.

These proposals are expected to be announced in mid-February, followed by a series of public meetings around Southeast Idaho.

Wackenhut says the 2014 deer hunting season was successful.

“The animals were in good shape, and the hunters at the checkpoint stations were satisfied,” she said. “There was a higher percentage of adult bucks harvested and a lower percentage of yearling bucks harvested compared to the 2013 season.”