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From Idaho Fish and Game

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From Idaho Fish and Game

Postby Lefty » 02 18, 2021 •  [Post 1]

Blame covid why you didn't get an Idaho big game tag :?:


BOISE — In the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Idaho saw a 65% increase in fishing license sales over the previous year, Fish & Game officials told lawmakers Monday, as Idahoans did “social distancing Idaho style.”

Paul Kline, deputy director of policies and programs for Idaho Fish & Game, “Idahoans have found much-needed respite in Idaho’s outdoors, including hunting and fishing.”

For 2020 as a whole, he said, “Over 450,000 Idahoans purchased an annual fishing license or hunting license, an increase of 11% over 2019. And I’m sure tens of thousands of younger kids that don’t need a license were going fishing on those family outings as well.”

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee held its budget hearing on the Department of Fish & Game on Monday; the department receives no state general tax funds. Instead, it’s funded by licenses for hunting and fishing, at 52%; and federal grants for the remainder.

Fish & Game Director Ed Schriever didn’t participate in Monday’s budget hearing because he was out sick. “He is under the weather and made the difficult but correct decision to stay at home,” Kline told JFAC.

As the pandemic hit Idaho, Kline said, “Idaho Fish & Game worked diligently to keep facilities and access points open to ensure folks had opportunities to recreate.” He said worked “to push back against the initial response to close facilities and recreational access — knowing that those actions simply result in more crowding at fewer places, unsafe conditions and resource damage.”

“Fishing and hunting generally lend themselves to social distancing,” Kline said. “However … it’s a balancing act, and the increased recreational use and participation presented challenges relating to crowding and congestion. These concerns are larger than the reaction to short-term shelter in place orders, and related to Idaho’s population growth and the general popularity of hunting and fishing in our great state.”

The way the state Fish & Game Commission has been dealing with that, he said, is to limit nonresidents, particularly in general deer and elk hunts.

“The actions taken by the commission to limit nonresident participation to 10 or 15% of the total number of hunters will reduce nonresident participation in some of our general elk hunts by up to 50%,” Kline said. “It will make a meaningful difference in hunter numbers and relieve crowding.”

Licensed outfitters in Idaho still were allocated a portion of nonresident tags, he said, equal to their historic use in each elk zone.

Last year, the Legislature approved a substantial nonresident fee increase for hunting and fishing. Also funded was a shift to a new license vendor.

“The culmination of these efforts occurred on Dec. 1, when over 20,000 nonresidents logged into our new system to purchase a license and tag for the 2021 deer and elk hunting seasons,” Kline said. “For the first time in our history, the department issued over 13,000 items, and sold almost $10 million in license permits and tags in one day. The response by nonresidents demonstrated the fact that Idaho remains a destination for hunters due to the diversity and quality of opportunity that our resources provide.”

The nonresident fee increase was designed to be revenue-neutral, Kline said, selling fewer permits and tags at higher prices. “So far, revenue is coming in close to that original forecast,” he said.

Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee, praised the moves. “We get a lot of complaints about things that are happening in Fish & Game; I think it’s a topic that raises the blood pressure for a lot of folks,” she said. “And this year, I loved the complaints that I got, because I got a lot of complaints from friends of mine that live out of the state and were frustrated, because they couldn’t get online to get a tag, and they were very frustrated by the limited number of tags. I told them if they want to hunt Idaho game, they’d better move to Idaho.”

Fish & Game officials also noted substantial changes in the agency’s “footprint” in the Treasure Valley, with a new regional office that opened in Nampa consolidating an array of services previously located elsewhere with a “new facility more centrally located to better serve the people of the Treasure Valley,” Kline said. As a result, the agency’s Garden City location is no longer needed and is currently on the market for sale; plans call to use the proceeds to pay off remaining leases of five regional offices, resulting in an ongoing budget savings of $500,000 a year into the future.

Fish & Game also is currently constructing a new headquarters building in Boise. When it opens in December, Fish & Game will have dropped from five locations in the Treasure Valley to two, Kline said. “We’ll put all of our headquarters staff under the same roof for the first time in over 20 years, and demonstrate to sportsmen our commitment to fiscal responsibility.”

The governor’s proposed budget for Fish & Game for next year reflects a 3.7% increase in total funds, with no general funds. The increase includes the lease payoffs and $6 million in mitigation work related to the Albeni Falls Dam in North Idaho, funded by a negotiated settlement between the Bonneville Power Administration and the state of Idaho. Due to COVID-19 related delays, $2 million that had been planned to be spent on that this year was shifted into next year’s work, increasing next year’s amount.
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Re: From Idaho Fish and Game

Postby saddlesore » 02 19, 2021 •  [Post 2]

The same thing has occurred in CO. There was a big jump in big game and fishing license sales. 150% increase in applications.
The current uptick in gun sales and general outdoor gear has been a boon to Pitman Robertson funds that states recieve an I believe their is a similar tax on fishing gear. I sure wish they would have included that in their press release so people will know some of that federal grants come from hunter sand fishermen/women, not Washington.

Another thing about the increase of use in the outdoors, is more and more people that do not hunt or fish are using the outdoors.Here in Colorado,that has impacted the calving grounds for elk and cow elk are abandoning their calves .

The one thing that concerns me in the article is the raising of fees to account for the less tags.That is going to happen in Colorado too and it is going to end up biting us all in the butt.
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Re: From Idaho Fish and Game

Postby 7mmfan » 02 19, 2021 •  [Post 3]

I have to say, the comment by Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy rubbed me wrong. I get it, you have to limit NR hunters because resident hunter numbers are on the rise, but don't talk to me like I'm the enemy. NR funds are what run that game dept. If NR hunters stopped coming, they would be in a world of hurt. The part that really frustrates me is that no matter how much they piss me off, there is a basin in Idaho that is near and dear to my heart and I will continue to try and give them my money every year so I can go back there for a week in October.
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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Re: From Idaho Fish and Game

Postby Swede » 02 19, 2021 •  [Post 4]

The bottom line is that it is all about greed and the money.
That applies for all states. I see on other forums where the Idahoans are complaining about all of the out of state truck licenses they see out in hunting season, but the state and the businesses like their money. When I go to the coast, to the parking lots where fishermen leave their vehicles, I commonly see Idaho plates. Apparently they are comfortable fishing out of state, but want all Idaho game for themselves. If it was not for the money there would be no out of state hunters here in Oregon or Idaho. I don't hear complaining about Idaho fishermen. Here the complaints are about the commercial fishermen and the Indians. It is all about greed and the money. If I did not get an elk some year, it is due to some Californian.
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Re: From Idaho Fish and Game

Postby Lefty » 02 19, 2021 •  [Post 5]

7mmfan wrote:I have to say, the comment by Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy rubbed me wrong. I get it, you have to limit NR hunters because resident hunter numbers are on the rise, but don't talk to me like I'm the enemy. NR funds are what run that game dept. If NR hunters stopped coming, they would be in a world of hurt. The part that really frustrates me is that no matter how much they piss me off, there is a basin in Idaho that is near and dear to my heart and I will continue to try and give them my money every year so I can go back there for a week in October.

I really dont know what her deal is .
A buddy from Utah received the same info, and went ballistic. Then turned around and went on how a bunch of local kids hunt too much and too many properties where he hunts, then went on how guides wont be allowed to hunt waterfowl on State lands and something about waterfowl blinds. Some people dont get it.

My worries; we keep getting restrictions. Limiting the public ground hunter. While it was a learning experience last week my wife and I had a great discussion and education from the Genis Solar project near Las Vegas. We were the last people to camp and pee on a 7000 acre Section B future solar farm because of the tortoise. Habitat for the 216 tortoises with transmitters and most live in 100 acres of that 7000 acres.
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Re: From Idaho Fish and Game

Postby Lefty » 02 19, 2021 •  [Post 6]

saddlesore wrote:The same thing has occurred in CO. There was a big jump in big game and fishing license sales. 150% increase in applications.
The current uptick in gun sales and general outdoor gear has been a boon to Pitman Robertson funds that states recieve an I believe their is a similar tax on fishing gear. I sure wish they would have included that in their press release so people will know some of that federal grants come from hunter sand fishermen/women, not Washington.

Another thing about the increase of use in the outdoors, is more and more people that do not hunt or fish are using the outdoors.Here in Colorado,that has impacted the calving grounds for elk and cow elk are abandoning their calves .

The one thing that concerns me in the article is the raising of fees to account for the less tags.That is going to happen in Colorado too and it is going to end up biting us all in the butt.


and 1/2 of our fish and game monies are PR funding
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Re: From Idaho Fish and Game

Postby saddlesore » 02 19, 2021 •  [Post 7]

Swede wrote:The bottom line is that it is all about greed and the money.
That applies for all states. I see on other forums where the Idahoans are complaining about all of the out of state truck licenses they see out in hunting season, but the state and the businesses like their money. When I go to the coast, to the parking lots where fishermen leave their vehicles, I commonly see Idaho plates. Apparently they are comfortable fishing out of state, but want all Idaho game for themselves. If it was not for the money there would be no out of state hunters here in Oregon or Idaho. I don't hear complaining about Idaho fishermen. Here the complaints are about the commercial fishermen and the Indians. It is all about greed and the money. If I did not get an elk some year, it is due to some Californian.


We get a lot of complaints about non residenst here.They don't bother me much.What most Coloradians refuse to acknowledge is the quota on nonresidents for big game only apply for the 1st draw.The 2nd draw, anyone can put in for that. Residents and NR alike can put in for 2nd tag with no quotas,.Then there are leftover tags after that.The resident can put in for the 1st draw that has a NR quota and if they don't draw,they can put in for the 2nd draw.That means that there are lot of units that do not get enough applications to fill out the 1st draw. Plus you have unlimied OTCtags which draws hunters that didn't not draw in other states. CPW could care less about crowding. They want to sell everyone of those tags.Yep.Bottom line is greed
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Re: From Idaho Fish and Game

Postby Old school » 02 19, 2021 •  [Post 8]

On some other social media sites the Idaho residents are worse than horrible. The only thing worse to them
than wolves are NR elk/deer hunters. Don’t bother sharing data with them - their hatred defies science and data and you’re not going to change their minds. Literally ignorant red necks full of hate. Yet when I’ve hunted elk in Idaho (3 times) all the residents I’ve met out in the mountains have been friendly, helpful and real good people. I think the internet can sure bring out the worst in some people.
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Re: From Idaho Fish and Game

Postby Lefty » 02 19, 2021 •  [Post 9]

Old school wrote:,,,, The only thing worse to them ,,,, than wolves are NR elk/deer hunters..
For got waterfowl hunters and fisherman and ,,,, :oops:
Sadly there is a huge vocal group that want it their way.

My wife was part of an outdoorsman's survey.
The Fand G has their hands tied by legislatures and dont get to practice sound science and wildlife biology.
I thik Ive mentioned this but what happened to NR elk hunters this year may be the beginning of real management.
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