AUGUST TOWN HALL RECAP

After a two-month hiatus to enjoy the summer season and the outdoor opportunities Idaho and the West offer up this time of year, isn’t it time to get back to the business at hand? After all, if Idaho kids are gearing up to return to class, it just makes sense that the Idaho Sportsmen Board and its members re-engage with the hunting, fishing, and trapping matters of the day. 

Let’s start with a reminder that the 2025 Annual Clay Buster Bonanza is just days away. The event is scheduled for Aug. 20th at the Caldwell Gun Club Shotgun Complex. We’re pleased to co-sponsor this fundraiser with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and this year participants will have an opportunity to shoot and mingle with state agency leaders and legislators, as well as staff from Idaho’s congressional delegation.

Once again, we appreciate the generosity of CCI/Speer for donating the ammo for the event. There is still time to register and anyone interested in signing up or putting together a team should click the link below

Ok, on to the policy updates and developments shared during our Aug. 5th townhall meeting.

The top-of-mind item for Idaho Fish and Game Director Jim Fredericks right now is the recent ruling by a federal judge in a lawsuit over wolves and the question of whether the species merits increased protections. While U.S. District Judge Donald Malloy, based in Missoula, Mont., did not rule directly on the question of re-listing wolves, Fredericks said the disappointing news for states like Idaho is that Malloy found the regulatory and management mechanisms for wolves to be inadequate. Under the ruling, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will have to fix some of the flaws the judge identified in the agency’s determination that wolves do not require Endangered Species Act protections.

Fredericks said the ruling will not lead to any immediate changes for wolves in Idaho and, for now, does not mean relisting. Overall, however, he said the ruling is not favorable because he believes the state has been managing wolves responsibly and successfully.

Stay tuned, as we’ll obviously be monitoring this case and its implications for wolf management in Idaho. In addition, days after Molloy’s decision, a group of sportsmen organizations joined together to file an appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

In other news, Fredericks said his staff is actively engaged in the negotiated rulemaking for two high-profile policy changes.

The first relates to the use of technology in the pursuit of big game. The agency is currently taking public comments on the proposed rule, specifically restrictions on the use of thermal imaging technology while hunting for ungulates and a prohibition on the use of remote trail cams for big game on public land. Thermal imaging binoculars are allowed when hunting predator species. Fredericks said the Idaho Fish and Game Commission engaged in a robust discussion on these rule changes and the concept of fair chase during its summer meeting.

He acknowledged that putting restrictions on technology is tricky in an era when technological innovation continues to advance and said enforcement will be a challenge for wardens in the field. Fredericks said the agency is hoping to receive more feedback from hunters when the second comment period on the rule opens on Oct. 1. The agency's website is the place to submit comments this fall.  

Rulemaking is also underway for selling nonresident big game licenses and tags through a draw system rather than over the counter. Fredericks said he is curious to see how this change, which will be implemented this year, will impact revenue and demand for nonresident tags.

Fredericks concluded with some good news for hunters chasing elk this season. After several years of discussion, officials at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho have agreed to open 80 square miles of INL property to hunters chasing elk and antelope. Hunters must obtain a special pass available at all agency offices and follow several other rules before accessing the property and hunting the big game that takes refuge there each fall and winter. To learn more about this development and the process for accessing the acreage that falls within the boundaries of hunt units 63, 58, and 51, check out the agency’s press release.

If you haven’t noticed, wildfire season is off to a slow start (knocks on wood). Dustin Miller, director of the Idaho Department of Lands, reports that to date, 248 fires have been reported across the state, with a total cost of $18 million. Of that sum, $13.6 million is covered by the state, with the balance to be repaid by the federal government. Aside from a handful of active fires burning deep in the backcountry, the majority of those fires have been put out pretty quickly, he said. 

The department recently announced Stage 1 fire restrictions for portions of south central Idaho and much of the eastern portion of the state. Under Stage 1, campfires are prohibited, and other precautions must be taken to prevent human-caused wildfires.

Remember the public lands sell-off idea last month? Well, Casey Atteberry, the director of Natural Resources for Sen. Mike Crapo, talked about the joint effort of Crapo and fellow Idaho Sen. Jim Risch in removing the public land sale provision that was in an early version of the “Big Beautiful Bill.” That provision added by Utah Sen. Mike Lee would have authorized the sale of up to 3 million acres of public land to help with the nation’s affordable housing crisis.

Atteberry praised the sportsmen and conservation community for rallying in opposition to the public land sale component and playing a big role in turning public opinion against the idea.  He also said Sen. Lee has backed this idea for several years and saw an opportunity to exert his leverage as a committee chairman to test the waters on the idea of selling off a portion of the nation’s inventory of public land.

Benn Brocksome, from Idaho Sportsmen, led a round of thanks to Sens. Crapo and Risch for all the hard work to remove Lee’s language from the bill.

Our next Town Hall is scheduled for September 2 at 6 p.m. at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game office in Boise.