North Idaho hunters not seeing return on investment with Fish and Game | Opinion

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is responsible for managing the wildlife resources that define life in north central Idaho. Because of that responsibility, the agency’s performance and spending deserve close public scrutiny. Between fiscal years 2021 and 2027, IDFG’s budget has grown dramatically — yet many of the wildlife populations that matter most to residents of the Clearwater region, especially elk and deer, have declined. That disconnect raises serious questions about priorities, accountability and results.

In FY2021, IDFG’s total budget was $124.31 million. The FY2027 budget signed into law is $161.52 million, a 30% increase in six years. During that same period, IDFG’s statutory mission did not change. Resident hunter participation remained relatively stable. What did change was the agency’s spending trajectory.

This year, IDFG requested $200.01 million for FY2027 — a 61% increase over the 2021 budget. Lawmakers rejected that request and instead approved a maintenance budget of $147.3 million and $14.18 million in enhancements. Even with the Legislature’s restraint, the agency’s budget continues to expand at a pace that many Idahoans believe is out of step with on-the-ground results.

Nowhere is this disconnect clearer than in the Dworshak Zone (Unit 10A). IDFG’s own data show that both bull and cow elk numbers remain well below population objectives. Yet the agency continues to manage the zone for hunting opportunity instead of herd recovery. Even more troubling, IDFG has not meaningfully reduced nonresident pressure in a zone that is already struggling. Residents see fewer elk, declining success rates, and shrinking opportunity, while IDFG maintains the same management approach year after year. When a herd is below objective, continuing business as usual is not wildlife management — it’s avoidance.

A closer look at the budget numbers deepens those concerns. In the FY2027 budget personnel costs total $74.19 million, and operating expenditures total $71.17 million. These two categories alone account for nearly all of the agency’s maintenance budget. The Wildlife Division, in particular, shows a striking increase in operating expenditures. Yet elk and deer populations in several regions — most notably Region 2 — have declined. For many Idahoans, the concern is not whether IDFG should be funded. It is whether the agency’s performance is keeping pace with the steep rise in its budget.

The FY2027 enhancements add another $14.18 million. The largest items include $8.21 million for fisheries habitat projects and $4.05 million for Good Neighbor Authority work. Additional items include inflationary adjustments for fisheries facilities, wolf depredation response funding, and IT hardware replacement. While these projects may have merit, they do not address the core issue: IDFG’s budget is growing rapidly, but key wildlife populations are not improving.

For many Idahoans, the concern is not whether IDFG should be funded. It is whether the agency is delivering results that correlate to its budget growth. Historically, when IDFG’s spending increases, the agency often follows with proposals to raise license and tag fees. Those increases fall most heavily on Idaho residents, who already shoulder the majority of the costs associated with hunting and fishing. When budgets grow faster than wildlife populations or mission needs, residents understandably question whether future fee hikes are inevitable.

The Legislature’s decision to trim nearly $40 million from IDFG’s FY2027 request suggests that lawmakers share some of these concerns. Their action signals that the agency must justify its growth more clearly and demonstrate how additional spending will improve wildlife outcomes — not just expand administrative capacity.

Idahoans value wildlife, and they value responsible wildlife management. A public minded review of IDFG’s spending trajectory and wildlife performance — especially in struggling zones like Dworshak — is not anti conservation. It is responsible stewardship of public dollars and a necessary check on an agency whose budget has grown far faster than its results.

Nancy Lehman serves as executive director of Concerned Citizens of the Clearwater Region, an Idaho nonprofit corporation. A dedicated hunter and angler, she advocates for science‑based, transparent wildlife management across Idaho. She can be reached at concernedcitizensclearwaterreg@gmail.com.