BEAR HUNT: A solution without problems

An open letter to Fish and Game staff:

It has come to my attention that there is a movement underway to require bear hunters to take a mandatory course to confirm that they can tell the difference between a grizzly and a black bear. This is after a grizzly was misidentified by Fish and Game personnel, and then shot and killed over a legal bait site by a hunter who immediately reported that a grizzly had been shot, which had previously been identified as a black bear by F&G personnel.

I would think that if common sense prevailed, that first: All F&G employees would know the difference between a grizzly and a black bear. And second, anyone who wanted to buy a bear tag could get a 3 by 5 card that showed the differences between the two species.

I think of the countless number of deer and elk (and the occasional moose) that are killed on Idaho highways, and yet there is no movement to educate Idaho drivers about precautions that are easy to take to prevent these types of accidents. PLEASE DON’T CREATE A PROBLEM (and a solution) WHERE IT DOESN’T EXIST.

I want to remind you of Amendment 13 of the U.S. Constitution: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the States, the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. This enacted law would nullify the F&G requirement for all hunters to stop at F&G checkpoints, regardless of whether they have harvested or not, and mandatory classes not directly related to hunting skills.

The burden already falls on hunters to identify a legal bear, elk, deer, moose or cougar. The simple 3-by-5 ​​card issued with the purchase of a bear tag would only add to that burden.

As a resident, hunter, and advocate of common sense, I urge Idaho Fish and Game to stop straining mosquitoes and swallowing camels and instead use common sense in future decisions and regulations.

RAY GODDARD

Emida