February 15, 2024
Senator Van T. Burtenshaw
Chair, Senate Resources & Environment Committee
P.O. Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0081
Chairman Burtenshaw:
The Idaho Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (“BHA”) respectfully opposes Senate Bill 1340, which would direct the Fish and Game Commission to provide the opportunity to any outfitter who harvests a wolf to purchase an additional moose, bighorn sheep, or mountain goat tag. Moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat tags are highly coveted opportunities in Idaho, and we do not believe that utilizing these scarce resources as an incentive is an appropriate mechanism to promote the management of other species.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is the voice for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife. We seek to ensure North America’s outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting through education and work on behalf of fish, wildlife and wild places. With chapters in 49 states, Washington D.C., two Canadian provinces and one Canadian territory, as well as over 1,000 dues paying members in Idaho, BHA attracts sportsmen and women, as well as other public land users, from across the continent.
As a group of avid hunters and anglers, many of our members wait decades for the opportunity to hunt moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats, and apply every year with the understanding that never having the chance to hunt one of these iconic species is a real possibility. These are once in a lifetime tags in our state, and successfully harvesting any one of the three comes with a corresponding level of reverence. Utilizing such highly prized resources to incentivize wolf management by outfitters – thereby reducing the opportunities for all other Idaho hunters - is not a course of action we can endorse, even as the state works towards the wolf population goals identified in the Idaho Grey Wolf Management Plan.
While we understand the goal of working to promote a balanced landscape, this can be achieved without further reducing the most scarce and sought-after hunting opportunities in our state and we therefore oppose this legislation. Thank you for your consideration, and we ask that you hold Senate Bill 1340 in committee.
Sincerely,
The Idaho Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
About Nick Fasciano
Nick lives in Boise and currently volunteers as the Idaho Chapter Policy Chair. He is accustomed to wading into the waters of conservation policy and is committed to helping ensure the public land hunting and fishing opportunities we have in Idaho.