HUNTING/FISHING -- It's up to Gov. Butch Otter whether he'll sign a bill that raises Idaho’s hunting and fishing fees and also boosts funding for programs that compensate farmers for wildlife crop damage, and helps hunters and anglers gain access to private land.

The Idaho Senate unanimously approved legislation last week and Idaho Fish and Game officials said they were hopeful it will become law.

Here's more information from a report by Eric Barker of the Lewiston Tribune:

If Otter signs the bill, it will raise the cost of resident licenses, tags and permits by 20 percent starting May 1. However, a provision of the bill known as the “price lock” freezes costs for people who purchase Fish and Game products every year.

Even so, regular license buyers will have to shell out more bucks to get licensed. The legislation mandates a surcharge of $5 on resident licenses and $10 for nonresidents. Revenue from the charge will be split, with half going to a crop damage fund or for measures to prevent crop damage by deer and elk, and half paying for access to private land.

The surcharge was a compromise added after the department’s original fee increase bill was blocked by Rep. Marc Gibbs, chairman of the House Resources and Conservation Committee. The compromise also called for a cap on the crop damage fund to be raised from $750,000 to $1.5 million. Gibbs further raised the cap to $2.5 million.

Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner Dan Blanco of Moscow said the fee increase is needed, but he opposed the bill because he feels the cap on the depredation fund is too high.

“I think it ties up too much money in that fund when it could be put to work on programs that could prevent depredations,” he said.

“I’m going to work hard to make sure the emphasis remains on depredation prevention and in preserving the principle that landowners who receive depredation compensation also incur an obligation to provide reasonable access to sportsmen for hunting, fish and trapping on their land.”

Blanco also said he will watch to ensure the department spends revenue from the fee increase on “putting more fish in the water and more game on the hillside, rather than department overhead.”

The Senate also approved House Bill 168, which increases funding for salmon and steelhead fishing amenities such as boat ramps, outhouses and even fisheries research. A law passed in 1990 dictated that $4 from every salmon or steelhead permit sold be deposited in a set-aside account used to improve fishing infrastructure. But as the costs of the permits rose over the years – they now cost $12.75 for residents and $25.75 for nonresidents – the $4 set aside did not. Bill 168 dictates that 50 percent of the permit price be deposited into the account.