HB 110 Would Protect Poachers

Sponsored by Rep. Heather Scott (R-Blanchard), House Bill 110 would make poaching a whole lot easier to get away with.

The bill eliminates a clause that gives IDFG Conservation Officers the ability to search a suspect for illegal animal harvest if they have probable cause. For example, inspecting a truck with an exposed bloody tarp after a tip the driver poached a deer would no longer be allowed. The bill would actually give a poacher time to ditch evidence until a warrant is procured.

The clause HB 110 eliminates, is referred to as an “exception clause”- a clause that voids the need for a warrant if probable cause exists. Every law enforcement agency (municipal, county, state, federal) has such a clause, which begs the question: why single out Conservation Officers and wildlife crimes only?

Sportsmen overwhelmingly despise poaching and support measures to stop illegal harvest that don’t violate constitutional rights. The 4th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects against unreasonable search and seizure. If an IDFG Officer, or any peace keeper, violates the 4th Amendment, courts can settle the matter. The existence of the exception clause does not allow officers to violate the U.S. Constitution

Eliminating the best poaching enforcement tool we have based on the premise that officers may violate an entirely different federal law is not warranted and allows poachers to get away.

Let’s not make Idaho a poacher’s paradise. Send a letter to your Representatives and tell them you support constitutional measures to enforce poaching. Ask them to vote no on HB 110.