My letter is in regard to the muzzleloader definition rewrite. What is the Idaho Fish and Game Commission trying to pull now? I called the Idaho Department of Fish and Game today and was told the reason for the definition change was that a recent survey showed muzzleloader hunters shot as many elk this year as did center fire rifle hunters.
If you do much hunting, then you know that the majority of center fire rifle hunters are hunting for bulls. Muzzleloader hunters are hunting anterless elk and spikes. If you do much hunting, then you also know there are more anterless elk than there are bulls. More elk are shot with a muzzleloader because there are more to shoot at, not because in-line muzzleloaders shoot too far.
Over the past 10 years people have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on in-line muzzleloaders and now they are telling us to put them in the closet and forget about them.
If Fish and Game is concerned about the elk population, then they need to address the real problem of wolves and not make a definition change that will adversely affect hunters. Every hunter who enjoys hunting with their in-line muzzleloader needs to either write or call their region's game commissioner and tell them to stand up and fight for the rifle, bow and in-line muzzleloader hunters in their region. We have had enough taken from us in the past. Don't let them fool you and take more. Write or call or just sit back and let them take more away from you.
Dale Biederstedt
Lewiston, Idaho
