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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Rattlesnakes and roadkill…

Idahoans can now legally sell the skins of a limited number of rattlesnakes like this one, something that previously was strictly illegal, thanks to new Idaho Fish & Game rules. (Courtesy photo / Idaho Fish and Game Department)
Idahoans can now legally sell the skins of a limited number of rattlesnakes like this one, something that previously was strictly illegal, thanks to new Idaho Fish & Game rules. (Courtesy photo / Idaho Fish and Game Department)

Thanks to concerns from Idaho state legislators, Idahoans now may legally sell up to six rattlesnake skins a year, and the state’s Fish and Game Department is looking into whether to allow Idaho hunters to salvage some road-killed animals. “I’m all for it,” said Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, who last year caused a stir when he proposed legislation to let folks with hunting licenses harvest pelts from bobcats and the like that are found dead on the state’s roads; you can read my full story here from Saturday's Spokesman-Review.

The state Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to oppose Harwood’s bill, and he pulled it before it could be debated; but now the commission is examining whether its rules could be adjusted to allow for some salvage; it's also already approved rules, which the Legislature will review in its upcoming session, to let Idahoans sell a limited number of rattlesnake skins. Said Harwood, “I just hate to see that stuff go to waste.”



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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