Idaho’s new restrictions on certain hunting technologies have one more hurdle to clear before they are adopted into code.
The rules that were crafted as recommendations by a panel of hunters and later adopted by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission following a public comment opportunity will be subject to a final nod by the Idaho Legislature. The legislative review is required of all new administrative rules adopted by state agencies.
Hearings are expected to be held in March, where Fish and Game officials will make a presentation and Idaho residents will have an opportunity to weigh in.
“We just present what the rule changes are, why they were made and the rationale that went into it,” said Ellary Tucker Williams, legislative and community engagement coordinator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game at Boise.
The rules are designed to ensure that advances in technology don’t reach a level where fair chase — giving hunted animals a reasonable chance to know they are being pursued and thus escape — is violated.
While the agency conducted a robust public information campaign about the process and more than 700 people applied for membership on the working group that crafted the recommendations, the proposed rules may have taken some of the hunting public by surprise.
Here’s a quick recap of the hunting technology rules.
