This just hitting the news (link at bottom). Idaho senate allows Fish and Game to continue to regulate hunters using ATV's to hunt.
This is a win for the hunters who want to hike/hunt without ATV's. I'll say right up front I was for this defeat. While Idaho Fish and Game has their problems, they were trying to help stop the onslaught of hunters using ATV's and give all of us a better experience on the mountain. Good for F&G!
Just last night, at a spring break barbeque, I got into an edgy discussion with a Forest Service employee and a pretty hard core hunter who were arguing that Fish and Game SHOULD NOT be able to regulate hunters using ATV's.
They think all that authority should be to the land managers (Forest Service, BLM, etc,). I conceded that would be great but the land managers are the first to say they are understaffed and have a hard time enforcing trail closures, and those managers aren't specialists in managing hunters, just forest users. They pretty much agreed with me and both said that ATV's are a big problem in Idaho.
If hunting is to be preserved, then we must challenge the greatest threats to its existence. I know many hunters who won't hunt because they can't get away from the ATV's. If this bill would have passed, we'd be telling those hunters they are old fashioned and the future is here. Thank God we didn't send that message.
Also, for those of you who know Lou Griffin of Idaho Falls, (a real deer hunter!), he was instrumental in bringing about awareness of this bill and its defeat- thanks Lou
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/...ills-atv-hunting-bill.html#storylink=misearch
This is a win for the hunters who want to hike/hunt without ATV's. I'll say right up front I was for this defeat. While Idaho Fish and Game has their problems, they were trying to help stop the onslaught of hunters using ATV's and give all of us a better experience on the mountain. Good for F&G!
Just last night, at a spring break barbeque, I got into an edgy discussion with a Forest Service employee and a pretty hard core hunter who were arguing that Fish and Game SHOULD NOT be able to regulate hunters using ATV's.
They think all that authority should be to the land managers (Forest Service, BLM, etc,). I conceded that would be great but the land managers are the first to say they are understaffed and have a hard time enforcing trail closures, and those managers aren't specialists in managing hunters, just forest users. They pretty much agreed with me and both said that ATV's are a big problem in Idaho.
If hunting is to be preserved, then we must challenge the greatest threats to its existence. I know many hunters who won't hunt because they can't get away from the ATV's. If this bill would have passed, we'd be telling those hunters they are old fashioned and the future is here. Thank God we didn't send that message.
Also, for those of you who know Lou Griffin of Idaho Falls, (a real deer hunter!), he was instrumental in bringing about awareness of this bill and its defeat- thanks Lou
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/...ills-atv-hunting-bill.html#storylink=misearch
