Idaho Fish AND MONEY, I mean GAME

[MountainMann]

Any of you other Idaho boys, think Idaho fish and game is doing a horrible job lately?

[Elkoholic307]

I'm not from Idaho, so maybe I'm missing something.. but, that seems like a pretty broad question. Horrible job at what?

[T43]

I'm not sure I like the Governor tag idea that is headed through the legislature. I have never been a proponent of someone being able to "buy" a trophy. Other than that I don't have many issues. We have a wolf problem but there isn't a lot they can do about it until the feds get out of the picture. I suppose they could cut down some of the tag numbers to increase trophy quality but the money lost to fewer tags would most certainly equate to higher tag and license fees. If you look around and see what other states are doing I think Idaho is fairing well. Our legislature isn't trying to rewrite the book like I read about in Montana this year, I have yet to see a commercial about all the elk like Colorado is pushing, the jury is still out on what the changes in Utah will do and they haven't made it nearly impossible for a non resident to hunt like New Mexico seems to be trying. I figure I would give them about a B but if I graded on the curve it would have to go up.

[MountainMann]

Overall I think the IDFG has done a decent job of managing idaho wildlife, they take pride in providing hunting oppurtunity, but then trophy quality does suffer. What I meant by doing an unsatisfactory job lately in my opinion is do to the season changes here in the northern part of the state. Two winters ago we had a devastating winter up here and it took its toll on the big game herds. Especially the Elk calves and deer. The IDFG responded accordingly and cut seasons and antlerless hunting. Now only two years down the road they are reinstating the old seasons. In the meetings on the proposed changes, residents were expressing their worries and FG personel made it sound like they needed more revenues. The wolf predation in the Lolo elk zone has made non resident tag sales fall off the map. It now seems they are going to put the burden on the last decent elk herds in the state. Wolves are just now takeing a strong hold here in the panhandle and the fish and game is going to sqeeze the last of the tag sales before wolf predation ruins the elk hunting. Wolves and over hunting ruined the elk herd on the clearwater and now we are seeing the effects of wolves on the St Joe. The FG knows this too, they cut all antlerless hunting in the units just north of the clearwater due to the low numbers in calves in their aerial surveys. I say keep the antlerless hunting to a minimum until we can manage wolf populations. F and G doesn't see it that way, they increase the season length in order to attract more non residents. More non residents into in already unbelievable crowded area. Maybe I'm just venting but it sure seems IDFG is all about the money and maintaining their budgets, rather than the good management practices of our big game herds.

[wolftalonID]

Dont worry. Wolves are being managed every year in greater numbers than the biologists say even exist up here.

[T43]

I haven't payed much attention to whats going on in the north but in the regions near where I hunt they are dropping tag numbers. I suppose they will make it up somewhere. I know they are adding several tags on the southern border but I don't know how many and how much that will cover lost tags in the areas where the wolves have done so much damage.

[T43]

Dont worry. Wolves are being managed every year in greater numbers than the biologists say even exist up here.

At this point I'm not sure conventional hunting will control wolf populations. I'm not for poaching but I think it will take government supported aerial gunning and possibly poisoning to get the wolf population under control.

[wolftalonID]

At this point I'm not sure conventional hunting will control wolf populations. I'm not for poaching but I think it will take government supported aerial gunning and possibly poisoning to get the wolf population under control.

No mention of poached eggs here, just plain ol management. Ask a few ranchers, guides, and the numbers just dont add up from their work to the biology reports.

[T43]

Agreed. The whole "Numbers are in the eyes of the biologist" puts a new spin on the whole beauty beholder theory.

[Ikeepitcold]

Ive hunted ID for years and the last two was guided. Dam shame that such awesome Elk and Deer country and cant find anything worth shooting. 3 years ago there were Deer by the hundreds and plenty of Elk as well not to mention the moose but last year nothing compared to past years. Didnt see a single Elk and only a hand full of Deer and Moose. We hunt in the Cashe Wilderness area and Tex Creek zone. The country is so awesome it has held lots of animals in the past but not so much any more. Has anyone heard of wolves in these areas? Maybe just on the downward side of being over hunted wich is my opinion for both areas. ID could be a great state for trophy Elk and Deer if they would manage for quality not revenue.