Attempt to expand hunting ranch ends

BLACKFOOT, Idaho – The owner of a 2,000-acre private hunting ranch in eastern Idaho says he has dropped plans to add 2,000 acres of public land to the reserve because of problems involved in trying to get the plan approved.

Instead, Rulon Jones said he will continue to use the public parcel located outside the private hunting ranch to raise cattle.

On Monday, state officials and sportsmen, with Jones’ permission, rode horses and ATVs to try to drive any wildlife out of Jones’ largely fenced property. They managed to flush only one moose.

“We had maybe 15 people there, and we tried to push animals through one drainage,” state Fish and Game Regional Conservation Officer Tom Lucia said. “It was almost futile.”

Lucia said Tuesday that about 90 percent of the private hunting ranch was enclosed with an 8-foot-high fence. He said Jones planned to close the remaining 10 percent of the 11-mile-long fence after Lucia and others finished trying to drive out wildlife. The ranch has canyons with side drainages that are thick with brush.

Any wild animals that remain inside the fence will not be allowed to leave the enclosure, Lucia said, because they could pick up diseases from the domestic deer and elk that Jones plans to introduce.

Jones said he may allow returning veterans and hunters with disabilities to shoot the wild animals.

“There’s no reason to waste the (trapped) animals,” said Jones, a former professional football player with the Denver Broncos.

Lucia said Jones planned to introduce the domestic deer and elk in September, and would begin selling hunts for the animals inside the fence.

Jones said the cheapest hunt would cost $3,900. A trophy hunt will cost $5,900. He said he will charge $12,000 to hunt the biggest bulls.

Jones has a similar operation in Liberty, Utah.

“It’s very much a fair chase thing,” Jones said.

“It will be a challenging hunt.”

Officials with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game are concerned that the fence could cause problems for migrating wildlife.

“You also have the potential of domesticated animals getting outside of the enclosure,” said Fish and Game spokeswoman Jennifer Jackson.