clearwater150
Member
- Messages
- 75
I see House Resources Chairman, Mark Gibbs (R-Grace) is holding our needed hunting license fee increase hostage to his politics. He, of course, is declaring innocence.
The legislation IDF&G introduced was a simple, "clean" bill to authorize the Idaho Fish and Game to increase fees. Gibbs wants the bill to also include new methods for addressing elk, deer, antelope, moose, etc., depredation on private lands. (http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/bois...t-all-mean-those-folks-arent-doing-great-job/)
Make no mistake, this is simply Mr. Gibbs extending his political agenda (from last year) that exploded in his, his cronies, and Governor Otter's face when we sportsmen learned that Otter's and Gibbs little private landowner clique was trying to force the Game Commission to 1.) increase the number of private land tags; 2) authorize the private sale of those hunting tags and: 3) auction more trophy tags....without our permission (we Idaho sportsmen pay 100% of the cost of managing Idaho's wildlife).
Rep. Gibbs held a stint on the Commission....so he knows just how many "tools" are in the tool box for addressing livestock/crop - Big game conflicts...and depredation. Most private landowners that are hollering for these changes don't allow public hunting access which would easily solve the problem. The very fact that then want more landowner tags...and they want to sell them for profit is proof that they really are not interested in solving their depredation problem. They are just wanting to take monetary advantage of the big game animals on their property.
Increasing the number of private tags and allowing these landowners to sell them to the highest bidder would actually exacerbate the problem by encouraging less use of "tools" to move the offending big game animals off their property. I would encourage everyone to drop a line to Rep Gibbs and tell him to keep the legislation clean...and not clutter it up with stuff unrelated to the intent of the legislation and contrary to the wishes of us Idaho hunters who have agreed to the need for an increase...but not a need for increased private land tags, the sale of tags or more auction tags. You can Contact Gibbs by e-mail by going to his website (https://legislature.idaho.gov/legislators/membership/2016/id748/) and navigating to a mail box where you can contact him.
The legislation IDF&G introduced was a simple, "clean" bill to authorize the Idaho Fish and Game to increase fees. Gibbs wants the bill to also include new methods for addressing elk, deer, antelope, moose, etc., depredation on private lands. (http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/bois...t-all-mean-those-folks-arent-doing-great-job/)
Make no mistake, this is simply Mr. Gibbs extending his political agenda (from last year) that exploded in his, his cronies, and Governor Otter's face when we sportsmen learned that Otter's and Gibbs little private landowner clique was trying to force the Game Commission to 1.) increase the number of private land tags; 2) authorize the private sale of those hunting tags and: 3) auction more trophy tags....without our permission (we Idaho sportsmen pay 100% of the cost of managing Idaho's wildlife).
Rep. Gibbs held a stint on the Commission....so he knows just how many "tools" are in the tool box for addressing livestock/crop - Big game conflicts...and depredation. Most private landowners that are hollering for these changes don't allow public hunting access which would easily solve the problem. The very fact that then want more landowner tags...and they want to sell them for profit is proof that they really are not interested in solving their depredation problem. They are just wanting to take monetary advantage of the big game animals on their property.
Increasing the number of private tags and allowing these landowners to sell them to the highest bidder would actually exacerbate the problem by encouraging less use of "tools" to move the offending big game animals off their property. I would encourage everyone to drop a line to Rep Gibbs and tell him to keep the legislation clean...and not clutter it up with stuff unrelated to the intent of the legislation and contrary to the wishes of us Idaho hunters who have agreed to the need for an increase...but not a need for increased private land tags, the sale of tags or more auction tags. You can Contact Gibbs by e-mail by going to his website (https://legislature.idaho.gov/legislators/membership/2016/id748/) and navigating to a mail box where you can contact him.