Idaho Fish and Game propose license fee

The Henry Creek Fire burned 54,000 acres of land this past summer, and an estimated 4,000 elk and 2,500 deer were affected.

The fire burned 22,000 acres of winter range on the Tex Creek, this is a popular area for wildlife to find food and shelter. But with the grasses, forbs and brush burned off this year, elk and deer were forced to find food 13 miles away in farm fields, haystacks, livestock yards, neighborhoods and towns, which resulted in farmers losing money.

Knowing private property had to be protected, Fish and Game set up an emergency feeding operation in a remote valley on the Tex Creek. Fish and Game hauled 1,500 tons of hay to a fenced-in stock yard. The department acquired a hay shredder to chop and spread the hay and hired , and a three-person crew to feed the animals through the winter.

On Dec. 7, the crew started feeding up to 15 tons of hay daily to upwards of 4,000 elk.

According to Idaho Fish and Game communications bureau chief Mike Keckler, the cost of the emergency feeding at Tex Creek has reached $450,000. The money comes from a special winter feeding account. It is funded solely by sportsmen, with 75 cents of the cost of every deer, elk and pronghorn tag purchased going into this account to pay for winter feeding and prevent wildlife damage to agricultural assets.

“The proposal is to deal with wildlife when they get into trouble and it’s also important for Fish and Game to have necessary resources required to manage wildlife effectively. A proposal that we have put together to increase the available resources for depredation and landowner compensation is the route we believe will help solve the issue,” Keckler said.

This situation led the Idaho Fish and Game Commission to propose a bill that would allow the state to direct agency staff to develop a new fee proposal to manage big game depredation and improve fishing and hunting access.

A proposed bill would create a new $5 charge to purchase an adult resident annual hunting, fishing or trapping license.

Revenue from the proposed fee would be used for three purposes: to provide additional money to compensate landowners for depredation damages, to create more resources for preventing big game depredations and to increase funding for more hunting and fishing access.

“Here’s how the funds would be utilized: $500,000 more funding to compensate for crop damages caused by wildlife, up to $1.5 million annually based on available cash balance,” Keckler said.

Keckler said the proposed fee would generate an estimated $2 million annually.