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Idaho Press Release
Comments Sought on Trophy Species Seasons

Nonresident hunter numbers will be trimmed, California bighorn sheep permits cut dramatically, and moose hunting expanded in proposals by Fish and Game that are on the table now for public comment.

The Fish and Game Commission will meet January 18-19 in Boise to set trophy species seasons for 2001 and 2002. Open house meetings have been
held, or are going on now in Fish and Game's seven regions. Comment will be taken up to the time of the Commission meeting and during the Open House scheduled for 7:30 p.m. January 17 at Fish and Game Headquarters. The Commission wants public comment on a proposal to change the way nonresident permits are distributed in trophy hunts. The current system allows nonresident hunters 10 percent of the tags available in individual hunts, or one permit per hunt if fewer than 10 permits are available. Because less than 10 permits are offered for many trophy species hunts, nonresident hunters have been able to obtain more than 10 percent of the total number of tags available for bighorn sheep or mountain goat hunts. The new proposal would cap the number of nonresident hunters to permits at no more than 10 percent of the total tags available for a single species in any year.

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Assault on Nonresident Hunters

This nonresident pressure must be counteracted. Hope that other subscribers will feel the same and send comments to Idaho against the proposed "new" way of capping nonresident tags for these highly sought species. Further, nonresidents aren't even allowed to apply for all of the various species available in Idaho. Idaho will take anyone's money to aid in their conservation efforts but they sure don't want to share the bounty of the harvest (or even the opportunity) with hunters and conservationists that don't happen to live within its borders. People should know that the caps now in place just went into place within the last year or two, and now they want further reductions — no way. The desire on Idaho's part appears to be to get the nonresident to buy an Idaho license (required to even apply for drawings) thereby creating revenues, but make the odds of a nonresident so low that Idaho never gives up a hunt opportunity in exchange for that revenue stream. I guess I'm simply fed up with the continual assault on nonresident hunting rights by many of the western states...

Thanks,
Brenton Scott
Trabuco Canyon, California

I'm an archer and just a bit concerned about the use of the word archer in the article (Game Law Violations). The correct name for those guys is poachers. Anybody who illegally takes a game animal, whether with a bow or gun is a poacher. If they need to harvest animals that way, they shouldn't even be considered hunters. I am proud of being an archer and want people to know that a true archer doesn't support such activity.

Thank You

Editor's Note: We feel exactly the same way and edit our information accordingly. Obviously, this one got past us. Thanks for bringing it to our attention.

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I am thoroughly disgusted with this "supposed hunter's" behavior (Teachers Get An F for Ethics). This is an inexcusable act, one that cannot be condoned. It shows total lack of respect for not only the landowner, but the honest law-abiding hunters.

There are ample public hunting areas without infringing on private land without written permission. Our beloved sport is under attack and in jeopardy without providing fuel for the fire. Anyone willing to jeopardize our hunting privileges does not deserve to have these privileges returned to him. This whole scenario is an insult to all of us who love and respect our sport. I, for one, rely on public lands for most of my hunting and know how difficult public land can be but would rather deal with numerous hunters than to chance losing my license.

I, for one, would cast a vote of never returning his hunting privileges to him! I think laws should be stricter in cases such as this. It is quite evident he had been hunting this area long enough to locate, feed and kill at least 3 deer. These illegal acts are serious, and made even worse by the fact he is a teacher, a role model for young people — but he is a teacher without ethics and morals! The situation couldn't get much worse than that.

Your coverage of the above, although disgusting, is vital to the hunting community. Thank you.

Jan Perry
California