Contact: Ellary TuckerWilliams, Inter-Mountain Western States Coordinator
On September 23, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) submitted a second letter in support of regulations proposed by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), including the establishment of additional limitations on dry ground sets using body-gripping traps and an effort to simplify the rules associated with the use of bait for trapping furbearing and predatory animals.
As discussed in detail in a previous article, CSF supports the proposed rule defining allowances for the use of bait and trap placement for furbearing animals and predatory wildlife, including placement of traps over or near naturally killed big game species as long as the carcass was undisturbed, and the use of legally collected road-killed animals as bait. Such allowances will help increase the probability of successful harvest and sportsmen’s ability to assist in effective wildlife population control and management of predatory and furbearing wildlife, and bring uniformity and consistency across trapping regulations.
Additionally, CSF supports the Idaho trapping community’s effort to preemptively address concerns surrounding body-gripping traps and applauds its effort to work with IDFG towards viable solutions that maintain the Department’s ability to utilize the tools necessary to reach defined wildlife management objectives and reduce impact on non-target species.
Based off of the results of this second public comment period, the Fish and Game Commission will decide whether or not to forward these rules to the Idaho legislature for approval. The proposed rules must be approved by the legislature before they can take effect.
Studies conducted at both the state and federal level have found that the number of hunters and trappers have been on a generally declining trend over the past several decades. To increase recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of hunters and trappers, which initiative do you think would have the greatest impact?
