The Idaho legislature adjourned the 2024 session on April 10, bringing to a close what was ultimately a fairly average session from a conservation and public lands perspective. Idaho BHA tracked a wide range of bills that were introduced through both the House and the Senate – a few passed through and were signed into law, some were voted down, and still more ended up stalled for one reason or another but could easily come back in a slightly different form next session. Here are the highlights:

A wildlife-friendly bill that Idaho BHA was proud to support this session was House Bill 404, which exempts detailed location data of gps-collared wildlife or wildlife photographed by remote camera from public records requests. Tracking data on wildlife, when used for research purposes, has revolutionized our understanding of migrations and other key aspects of wildlife behavior that inform management decisions, and remains an essential tool for biologists. Tracking of individual animals by the public, however, runs a risk of violating fair chase principles and so we were happy to see this bill move through the legislature and be signed into law by the Governor.

One bill that the Chapter and the conservation community at large opposed quickly was Senate Bill 1340, which would have directed the Fish and Game Commission to provide the opportunity for any outfitter who harvested a wolf the opportunity to purchase an additional moose, bighorn sheep, or mountain goat tag. We understand that work will be required to move the wolf population towards the objective laid out in the Idaho Gray Wolf Management Plan, and many Idaho BHA members will go into the woods with wolf tags in our pockets this year, but we do not believe that coveted once in a lifetime tags are the appropriate incentive for wolf harvest. Thankfully the bill did not move forward.

While most bills relevant to conservation are introduced in either the House Resources and Conservation Committee or the Senate Resources and Environment Committee, Senate Bill 1258 came through the Senate Transportation Committee and was a pro-public access bill that Idaho BHA supported. The bill stalled in the legislature, but it would have required counties that vacate an access point to public lands to ensure that equivalent access was available before doing so. Access to public lands and waters has always been one of our key priorities, and we will work to push legislation of this nature forward in future sessions.

Muzzleloader seasons had a moment in the spotlight during this session with House Bill 469, which would have prohibited Fish and Game from enacting regulations that did not permit the use of 209 primers, pelletized powder, or sabots within muzzleloader-only hunting seasons. While the Chapter does not have a view on these technologies in particular, we opposed this bill due to our belief that decisions of this nature should be made by the Fish and Game Commission and not through legislation or ballot initiatives. Any technology that increases how effective a method of take can be – particularly in a season designed for primitive technologies – may well result in a higher harvest rate and a corresponding decrease in opportunity. When regulations are determined legislatively these outcomes can be difficult for Fish and Game to adapt to, which is one reason why we prefer to see these decisions made through the Commission process. The House Resources and Conservation Committee had a robust and thoughtful discussion on the issue with significant input from hunting groups (Idaho BHA provided testimony alongside multiple partner groups), and the bill ultimately did not pass.

The Chapter monitored a series of other bills where we took no formal position. The legislature discussed issues related to grizzly bear and wolf depredation, CWD, the enforcement of Fish and Game regulations, and other topics. As always, we kept a close watch on everything that might impact our public lands, waters, and wildlife.

The Idaho legislature may have completed its business for the year, but the 2025 session isn’t as far away as it seems. Monitoring and reacting to issues that impact the wildlife and wild places we all care about takes dedicated effort on behalf of our volunteers. It takes writing op-eds, building relationships with legislators, making phone calls, and generally staying engaged. Check back often for ways to get involved. Conservation can always use more voices.