By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
The only good predator is a dead predator.
That mentality, which was oh-so-American around the turn of the
century, could make a bit of a return to the Gem State.
On Aug. 12, Idaho’s Fish and Game Commission announced that it
would direct the Department of Fish and Game to "severely and demonstrably"
reduce the number of Idaho predators that affect game species.
According to the meeting’s minutes, the commission voted
unanimously to pursue means by which predator populations could be curtailed. It will look
into the issue again at its upcoming meeting, Sept. 30 through Oct. 1, when a
department-prepared "predator plan" is scheduled for presentation.
The seven-member commission is required by Idaho law to meet quarterly
but often meets monthly, Magic Valley Region supervisor Carl Nellis said in an interview.
According to local Fish and Game conservation officer Lee Frost, each
of the state’s seven Fish and Game regions were asked to research ways to reduce
predator populations for the commission’s "predator plan." Frost said that
in the Magic Valley Region, predator numbers are not overbearing, and game species
populations—including deer, elk, grouse and duck—are healthy.
"The Magic Valley Region does not need a reduction in
predators," Frost said. "In the past, local Fish and Game officials have told
the commission that there is no need for a reduction here."
Northern Idaho and the Panhandle Region, on the other hand, have
smaller deer and elk herds, which are below Fish and Game’s desired numbers, Magic
Valley Region spokesman Mike Todd said.
Frost said details compiled to date for the seven-region-based
"predator plan" are still under wraps, even within the department.
Regardless what the final plan will dictate, wildlife advocates are up
in arms over the commission’s proclamation.
Wildlife biologist Christopher Papouchis, who works for the
California-based Animal Protection Institute, said the Fish and Game commission’s
recommendation gives Idaho a bad name and gives groups like his a lot of fire power.
Also, a Ketchum-based citizen’s group is mounting a petition drive
in the Wood River Valley, Moscow and Boise asking that the commission abandon its efforts.
"Studies have shown that dwindling deer and elk herds are the
result of poor habitat and over-hunting, not over-predation," the petition reads.
Papouchis confirmed what the Ketchum wildlife advocates assert in the
petition.
"The commission isn’t looking at biology at all," he
said. "They’re not being responsible."
Papouchis contended that the commission’s objective in reducing
predator populations is to support larger game populations of deer and elk, species that
garner the bulk of hunting license proceeds in Idaho.
Frost agreed that at least part of the commission’s intent is to
raise more revenue.
"We’re strapped for money right now," he said.
Biological studies report that any game species’ decline is
primarily due to habitat loss, Papouchis said.
He called the commission’s decision a "knee-jerk reaction by
folks who aren’t aware of biological practices. It really puts Idaho in a bad
light."
The commission’s recommendation was conceived by one of the newly
appointed commissioners, Roy Moulton.
According to a short biography on Fish and Game’s website, Moulton
is an avid hunter and an organizing member and past president of the Teton Valley
Sportsmen’s Association.
Neither Moulton nor other Fish and Game Commission members could be
reached this week.
