SEPTEMBER TOWN HALL
IDAHO SPORTSMEN | ACCESS & OPPORTUNITY
MONTHLY REPORT
September 2026
It’s here! Hunting season in Idaho is back! We’re into the start of some of the early big game seasons, dove season is open, and the rest of the fall seasons are on their way. As summer gives way to cool mornings and mild afternoons, let’s explore what’s top of mind for Idaho sportsmen
Our monthly townhall included a full and robust discussion on the challenges, costs and risk to Idaho wildlife posed by captive elk hunting ranches scattered across eastern Idaho. It’s an issue that has irritated hunters and wildlife managers for years. Frustration with the industry, and its thirty or so operators throughout the state, increased over the summer and ultimately boiled over during our Sept. 1 meeting, likely due to fresh media reporting about a costly enforcement action at an operation near Rexburg with a herd of elk under a Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) quarantine. As part of that enforcement operation, Idaho Fish and Game dispatched dozens more wild deer that somehow got inside the high-fence elk operation.
This is not the first action of this kind. Heck, it’s not even the first this year. Complicating things is the fact the state is working to curb the spread of CWD. Yet some captive elk operators are still importing animals with CWD and failing to manage their facilities and test correctly. As a result, these “private animals” are getting out; wild animals are getting in. The lack of concern and common sense from some of the captive elk operators is disconcerting.
This is not a performance issue for Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG). The wildlife agency has devoted significant staff hours and several hundred-thousand dollars a year to mitigate the impact and risk of these operations spreading CWD. But Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) is tasked with oversight and regulation of these operations in Idaho statute. To date, staff at ISDA hasn’t been able to eliminate the contamination risk. Not enough has been done to hold operators accountable. While some operators have outright admitted to being carless or sloppy, they have not been compelled to change. Despite efforts from other operators, state agencies, concerned legislators, this organization along with several of our partners and members of the public, some operators continue to put Idaho’s wildlife at risk without any providing real commitments for change in practice.
We recognize there are some operators who manage their business in accordance to best practices and have operated without raising any red flags. Yet, too many others taint the industry. Ultimately, bad actors are creating an environment perfect for CWD exposure to Idaho’s wildlife, jeopardizing big game heard health for generations.
For sportsmen across the spectrum right now, it’s no longer a question of when to do something. We can all agree the time has come to pursue change at the statutory or regulatory level. The question is how we approach change and reform. Following feedback expressed during the townhall meeting and subsequent conversations, we recommend the following:
Ban domestic cervid and high fence operations in Idaho.
Ban importation of wildlife for such operations.
Move all regulatory oversight and authority to Idaho Fish and Game.
Impose harsh penalties for non-compliance and exposure to Idaho’s wildlife.
Update and modernize requirements, enforcement and reporting at operators’ expense rather than making sportsmen cover the tab.
Beyond these recommendations and the politics surrounding them, we must also consider how to better protect Idaho’s wildlife resource. Deer and elk belong to the people of Idaho as outlined in Idaho Code 36-103.Which States:
WILDLIFE PROPERTY OF STATE — PRESERVATION. (a) Wildlife Policy. All wildlife, including all wild animals, wild birds, and fish, within the state of Idaho, is hereby declared to be the property of the state of Idaho. It shall be preserved, protected, perpetuated, and managed. It shall be only captured or taken at such times or places, under such conditions, or by such means, or in such manner, as will preserve, protect, and perpetuate such wildlife, and provide for the citizens of this state and, as by law permitted to others, continued supplies of such wildlife for hunting, fishing and trapping.
The right to hunt, fish and trap is also embedded in the Idaho Constitution Article I, Section 23 where it specifically mentions the heritage of hunting, fishing, and trapping and says these traditions are valued parts of the state's heritage and must be preserved for the people. The captive elk industry is private, governed by statute outside the wildlife sections of code and faces no risk if mismanagement failures expose the public’s wildlife resources to deadly disease. This is the crux of the issue for us.
As we prepare for the upcoming legislative session, we are asking sportsmen to weigh in. Should state agency oversight of the industry shift? Currently, two agencies are involved when it comes to enforcement actions. The Idaho Department of Agriculture deals with the industry, while Fish and Game handles the wildlife side of things. Does this bifurcated oversight model still work or should it be moved to one single agency? If so, which one? We believe IDFG is properly and better equipped, but we want to hear from you.
What should be done with the industry to protect Idaho’s wildlife resources now and future generations? The nuclear option is an outright ban on captive elk facilities. Idaho is a private property rights state and it may be difficult to bet on an outright prohibition. And yet, Montana and other states have taken such actions. Former Gov. Jim Risch used his executive order powers on this issue before. Has the time come to ask Gov. Little to step in?
“The threat to our wildlife is just too great to sit here and watch it,” said Rob Thornberry, with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “We have some obligation to do this. The ball is in our court.”
Part of the new spasm of frustration for sportsmen, Brocksome said, is that multiple invitations have been extended to the captive industry operators to sit down at the table and negotiate some meaningful reform. The lack of participation will likely spur various different pieces of legislation in 2027 that would tighten rules, fines and compliance, Brocksome said.
“There are people from the sportsmen community calling me every week wondering what’s going on and what the play is,” he said. “It’s getting loud and something has to give, and where we draw the lines and what we have to give is going to be an issue in the months ahead.”
Stay tuned here for updates on this issue. We’ll be at the forefront of the discussions and transparent about the direction the policy may be headed.
While the captive elk industry talk dominated, there are some other topical tidbits to share, including:
The Big Grass Fire that scorched nearly 575,000 acres in Oregon and southwest Idaho included some habitat of the protected sage grouse. Though the habitat loss was not as extensive as it could have been, Idaho officials reported. In fact, Mike Edmondson, who oversees endangered species for the state, said he is not recommending any changes in hunting regulations for the bird.
Fish and Game wrapped up its agriculture depredation case, known as the Big Willow project. The agency trapped and relocated elk to north Idaho and relocated another 75 elk from five different ranches in the Weiser area. The goal was to thin the herd responsible for more than $1 million in crop damage over the last few years.
Edmondson also said the state is in the third phase of the ongoing effort to eliminate quagga mussels from a stretch of the Snake River in the Magic Valley. While progress has been made, Edmondson emphasized that the goal is complete elimination. This year features the use of divers to pinpoint more precise, hard-to-reach locations where the mussels are reproducing.
We also want to extend thanks and appreciation to the sponsors who played a key role in pulling off our successful Claybuster Bonanza shooting event last month. It was one of our best turnouts ever as participants included state legislators, congressional staff, representatives from hunting groups and wildlife organizations. You can check out some of the photos and teams on our Instagram feed. We look forward to hosting it again next year.
Best of luck to all who are heading out to hunt birds or big game. Be safe as well. Keep in mind that our next townhall is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. If you can’t make it in person, join via Zoom