BREAKING: Idaho Legislators Setting Seasons, Again
Photo: YouTube/Western Hunter
If you are an Idaho hunter, angler, or trapper, you likely disagree with the ballot-box biology and legislative decisions deciding game management and hunting opportunity in states like California, Colorado, Washington and Oregon. Pulling such decisions from qualified professionals - biologists, game managers and others that inform Fish and Game Commissions - is a stark departure from the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
Unfortunately, Idaho has had its own trend of bucking the Model in favor of political and personal whims of elected officials. A few years back the legislature decided to set wolf seasons despite the population getting under control. Most wanted a reduced wolf population, so there was little pushback for lawmakers setting a season. Soon after, a single legislator decided Idaho should allow certain archery equipment, despite near unanimous opposition by Idaho sporting groups who thought such decisions should stick to the decades-old Commission process. That bill passed too. Last year, Rep. Shepherd from Riggins introduced a bill to stop mule deer doe hunting statewide for two years because he wasn’t “seeing any deer” by his house, a far cry from objective observation. Luckily, that bill died after staunch opposition.
Fast forward to this year. The House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Mendive just presented H0469, which would prevent Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG) from adopting or enforcing any rule that makes it unlawful to use 209 primers, pelletized powder, or sabots in a muzzleloader-only season. Put simply, IDFG must allow this modern tech in muzzleloader seasons and cannot regulate it. It’s a very specific move to turn a “primitive” 90 yard range weapon into a 200+ yard range weapon.
Late last year IDFG engaged in public scoping to collect hunter sentiment on muzzleloader issues. In all, 9.4% of the comments indicated a desire to see sabots allowed and 10.7% mentioned the desire for 209 primers or pelletized powders. With a lack of public support, the IDFG Commission sided with not expanding to use of these modifications. Now Rep. Mendive, a muzzleloader hunter himself, is circumventing the Commission’s authority (granted by the 1938 Voter Initiative) and hunter sentiment, and setting the rules himself.
By prohibiting IDFG from regulating sabots, 209s and pelletized powder, the only biological response left for IDFG - when harvest increases - will be to reduce the season length or issue less muzzleloader tags. Either of which will impact all muzzleloader hunters. It should also be mentioned that 209s, sobets, and pelletized powder can already be used in all short range weapon seasons.
The beauty of the North American Model provides game managers with many tools to tweak seasons and harvest methods to maximize the social desires of hunters in individual states. When politicians remove those tools, regardless of their intent, the cascading effects are felt by wildlife and hunters in some way, and usually negatively. IWF supports leaving the minutiae to the experts, not politicians or voters.
Actions such as these, as trivial in detail as they may seem, push Idaho closer towards other states in the West, where fish and wildlife populations are unfortunately a political football.
Tell your representative you oppose HO 469 and support adherence to the North American Wildlife Model of WIldlife Conservation using the form below.