Hunt Decline Hurts Outdoor Programs

Hunting is a popular pastime in Idaho. It’s just not as popular as it used to be. What does that mean for Idaho? Less revenue for outdoors programs. Hunting license and tag sales have slowly declined over the past several years, according to data from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. “Fishing licenses have stayed relatively steady as far as the numbers of licenses sold,” regional conservation officer Gary Hompland said. “Most of that, from what we can tell, is because we’ve had some really good salmon and steelhead runs the last few years. … What is really disconcerting is our hunting licenses, both resident and non-resident. “When those sales start to slump, all of our programs that function primarily on a budget related to those sales are affected”/ Andrew Weeks , Twin Falls Times-News. More here. (2009 AP file photo: First wolf killed in Idaho after resumption of wolf hunting)

Question: Do you hunt?