Ban On Initiatives On Hunting Killed

Rep. Jeff Alltus revived a measure Monday designed to limit initiatives that challenge hunting practices, but it was quickly killed by a House committee.

Alltus, R-Hayden, had withdrawn the proposed constitutional amendment, HJR 2, because he thought it had a big problem with missing language referring to big game species.

But the bill’s main sponsor, Don Clower of the Idaho Wildlife Federation, told Alltus he left that language out on purpose. So Alltus asked the House Resources & Conservation Committee to give the measure a hearing Monday.

Committee members pointed out other problems with the wording of the measure, and some said it would unfairly limit the initiative process.

The measure would have declared that only the appropriate executive agency, with regulation by the Legislature, could establish hunting, fishing and trapping season dates or methods of taking the animals.

Placing that language in the state constitution would have prevented citizen initiatives from addressing such issues.

Constitutional amendments require two-thirds approval by the Legislature plus a public vote.

Clower headed the campaign against the anti-bear baiting initiative last November, which sought to ban the use of bait and hounds in hunting black bear and to eliminate the spring bear season.