Idaho Fish & Game is considering opening a trophy hunting season for grizzly bears in southeast Idaho for the first time in more than 4 decades.
Despite strong public and Tribal opposition and active litigation challenging the removal of Endangered Species Act protections for Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears last summer, trophy hunting of Idaho’s rare and iconic grizzlies could begin this fall -- just as bears are fattening up for hibernation.
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is currenly hosting a series of public meetings and an open comment period that closes on May 3rd for their proposed grizzly bear trophy hunt. We need you to stand with us to protect this incredible species in Idaho. Speak up and tell Idaho Fish & Game that now is not the time to begin hunting Idaho’s extremely rare and iconic grizzly bears!
Here are some of the reasons the Idaho Chapter Sierra Club thinks that a trophy hunt is not the right choice for Greater Yellowstone grizzly bears or Idaho:
- Idaho grizzly bears are critical for establishing connectivity between the Greater Yellowstone grizzly population and grizzly populations to the north in Montana and Idaho. These bears are particularly important and should not be subjected to a trophy hunt given their genetic importance, the continued isolation of the population, and flat population growth rate.
- Idaho should follow Montana's lead and not have a trophy hunting season, especially so soon after protections were removed.
- Idaho’s “share” of allowable hunting mortality between the three Greater Yellowstone states is one male grizzly bear. If a hunter accidentally kills a female grizzly, Idaho will violate the mortality limits in the hunting agreement between the states.
- Killing bears, especially females can have a rapid and detrimental impact on the overall population. It has taken forty years of endangered species protection to increase the population by roughly 500 bears in the Yellowstone region. The growth rate of the population has been essentially flat since the early 2000s, largely due to record-high levels of human-related grizzly bear deaths in recent years.
Use some of these talking points or create your own to submit comments to the Idaho Fish and Game online today,. If you can, please join us for the Idaho Falls Public Meeting on April 17th and at the Boise Public Meeting on April 19th.
Please tell Idaho Fish & Game to focus on continued recovery of grizzly bears, preventing conflicts and promoting coexistence and safety for people and bears -- not trophy hunting.
TAKE ACTION
Submit comments: https://idfg.idaho.gov/form/public-feedback-2018-proposed-big-game-grizzly-bear-seasons
Idaho Falls Public Meeting: details and RSVP
Boise Public Meeting: details and RSVP