Idaho Fish and Game to look at rules that limit hunting tech

LEWISTON – The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is starting a rulemaking process that seeks to balance ever-evolving technologies with fair chase hunting ethics.

At its last meeting, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission directed the agency to adopt recommendations authored by the Hunting and Advanced Technology Working Group. To do that, the agency will go through its rulemaking process that includes multiple rounds of public participation.

The department will begin developing rules on subjects that the working group unanimously supported and three additional subjects that fell just shy of unanimous support.

Recommendations included potential rules against the use of drones “to spot, locate, or aid in the taking of any big game ungulates from July 1 through Dec. 31.”

The group said the state should retain its regulations that forbid so-called smart optics when attached to or incorporated into a firearm, but allow scopes with battery-powered or tritium-lighted reticles.

The group recommended keeping regulations for muzzleloader-only and archery-only hunts unchanged and that the commission review the weapons allowed in short-range seasons to ensure they align with the safety goals designed to allow those hunts to take place near populated areas.

The group wants the Idaho Department and Fish and Game to increase its emphasis on ethical hunting in its hunter education courses and to promote ethical hunting through public education campaigns.

It recommends that hunting access be balanced with conservation.

The group did not write a specific regulation related to the use of artificial intelligence but asked the commission to closely monitor AI-hunting applications as the field continues to evolve.

The group fell one vote shy of 100% consensus on recommendations to regulate the use of night vision, thermal imaging and transmitting trail cameras but the commission directed the department to begin rulemaking that would ban all three. The trail camera rule would apply only on public land or property open to public access.

Commissioner Don Ebert, of Weippe, asked why the rule should not pertain to private land as well.

Idaho Fish and Game Director Jim Fredericks said including private land might raise opposition within the Idaho Legislature, which has veto authority over agency rules.

“I would expect there would be a lot of concerns about restricting what people can or can’t do on their private property – remembering whatever rules come out of our process that you approve and become pending, need to be approved by the Legislature,” he said. “So we have to bear that in mind. It doesn’t preclude that conversation from happening, but I just think there are a lot of sensitivities about what happens on private property that we just need to be cognizant of going forward.”

Ebert and Commissioner Tim Murphy, of Boise, also hinted that even though rulemaking won’t look at limiting long-range hunting, they have concerns about it.

“Now is not the time to address that. It doesn’t mean we never address it again,” Ebert said.

The 23-member group was commissioned last fall to assess public attitudes about the use of technology in hunting and to make recommendations to the commission about rules or regulations that may be needed to ensure some advances don’t pose threats to wildlife abundance and hunting opportunity.

The effort focused on hunting for big game and trophy species but excluded predators like mountain lions, black bears and wolves.

A public survey associated with the group’s work showed Idahoans have strong opposition to the use of night vision and thermal imaging technology, drones and trail cameras with live feeds.