BLM receives 38,000+ comments on Salmon Predator Derby

The Bureau of Land Management is going through more than 38,000 public comments regarding Idaho For Wildlife’s special recreation permit request for its Predator Derby in Salmon.

The Predator Derby is a competition among hunters killing wolves, coyotes, and even raccoons and skunks. After several requests to extend the 15-day comment period, the BLM agreed to accept comments on the agency’s Environmental Assessment for another seven days.

With the period over, staff is reading and organizing the nearly 40,000 letters at its Salmon field office. Public Affairs Specialist Sarah Wheeler said many of the letters were form letters that activist groups put out on websites for others to simply plug in their information and signatures.

Wheeler said by the middle of next week, the BLM will decide whether 500 hunters would negatively impact 3.1 million acres of land during the derby. The BLM cannot regulate hunting activity, but denying the permit would prohibit animals killed on BLM lands from being entered into the competition.

“A lot of the comments we’re receiving, it’s an emotional issue,” said Wheeler. “They’re saying, ‘How can you allow these animals to be killed,’ and I think people need to step back and realize we are a land management agency, so we’re not looking at the actual action. What we’re looking at is is it going to impact the environment.”

Last year, Idaho For Wildlife didn’t apply for a permit in time, so animals killed on BLM land weren’t allowed to be submitted. Last year’s derby yielded 21 coyotes and no wolves.

Idaho For Wildlife’s submitted application listed Jan. 2-4 of 2015 as the dates for the derby.