Fish and Game commissioners eye doubling money for wildlife depredation

Idaho Fish and Game commissioners will consider doubling the amount of money available to compensate landowners for crop damage caused by deer, elk and other wildlife, the Lewiston Tribune reports. Commissioner Dan Blanco of Moscow said the commission directed the Idaho Department of Fish and Game on Feb. 2 to prepare a proposal that would lift the ceiling on the depredation fund from $750,000 to $1.5 million. Increasing the limit would require legislation, either as a standalone bill or an addition to the department’s stalled fee increase package.

Blanco said the department also is exploring other measures that could help prevent crop damage, writes Tribune reporter Eric Barker.

Commissioners and the leadership of the department are scrambling to find a way to appease Rep. Marcus Gibbs of Grace, who has refused to print legislation that would increase hunting and fishing fees by $1 to $6 and keep the department flush with cash. In January, Gibbs, a former Fish and Game commissioner and current chair of the House Resources Committee, said the department won’t get a fee increase until unspecified problems with its depredation program are fixed. You can read Barker’s full report here .