‘Not again!’: Critics compare controversial Fish and Game elk study, plans for new hunt
A recently announced Idaho Department of Fish and Game effort to address crop damage caused by elk has been met by ire online from hunters, many of whom are still incensed over an unrelated study last fall in which the agency killed 206 elk.
According to Mike McDonald, regional wildlife manager for Fish and Game’s Magic Valley Region, the controversial study, in which a University of Idaho student researched methods for deterring animals from crops, concluded last fall. The Magic Valley Fish and Game office announced its new effort to address elk depredation in the Little Camas area in a post on its Facebook page on Tuesday.
The two efforts are not related; however, some similarities in the methods used in both drew strong criticism from hunters across the state, much of it echoing the critiques that followed the research study.
“Not again!” wrote one person who shared the agency’s Facebook post.
“Didn’t slaughter enough in 45 last year,” wrote one commenter, referring to hunt zone 45, where part of last year’s study took place.
Both depredation efforts include hazing as well as nighttime sharpshooting carried out by Fish and Game employees to keep elk away from crops. The upcoming elk depredation project, which McDonald said will begin this fall, will also offer hunters the opportunity to participate — though it’s not yet clear to what extent.
“Large portions of the area are privately owned,” McDonald said. “… So the number of hunters we get (to participate) — we hope it’s a lot, but it depends on the agreements in place (with the landowners).”
The lack of hunter involvement in the depredation study last fall was a major bone of contention for critics, and many of the 100-plus comments on the agency’s Facebook post urged officials to consider issuing depredation hunting tags as the sole means of addressing the issue in Little Camas.
Concerns echo controversy over 2019 elk killing
Rumors swirled on social media in late 2019 after photos surfaced of some of the elk killed in the study. The elk were being butchered at a Magic Valley business before being donated to families in need.
Critics alleged that Fish and Game had tried to hide the study from hunters, though the agency had publicly discussed the study at season-setting meetings the previous winter. Some also claimed the study would cause a shortage of elk, a criticism that has resurfaced in response to Fish and Game’s upcoming plan in Little Camas.
McDonald said Fish and Game numbers show elk populations in the area are at or above the management objective.
Numerous critics on the Tuesday social media post expressed frustration that landowners aren’t explicitly required to allow hunting on their property if they hope to be compensated with sportsman dollars when depredation occurs. A group of Magic Valley hunters, spurred by the outcry over last fall’s study, met in March to workshop potential legislation in that vein, though none has been proposed.
Idaho already has a law, implemented in 1990, that encourages landowners to allow hunting as a means of dealing with depredation, but the legislation is somewhat vague.
“Because hunting is an effective tool in reducing depredations, landowners must have allowed reasonable public access for hunting during the preceding hunting season or as a response to a current depredation, provided such access does not impact on their operations, or the claim for damage may be disallowed,” the law reads.
Several commenters on the Magic Valley Fish and Game post also pointed the blame toward wolves, saying predators are driving elk down to agricultural areas where they become a nuisance to farmers. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission voted earlier this year to expand wolf hunting season across the state.
For its part, Fish and Game has repeatedly pointed to a clash between growing agricultural operations in the Magic Valley and a growing elk population. The agency said it will also be relocating some elk from Little Camas to backcountry areas of Idaho where elk populations are struggling.
The plan wasn’t met entirely with criticism, however. Some commenters praised Fish and Game’s plans to include hunters in the effort, while others defended the need to remedy depredation in the area.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
