Caught in the Act of Doing Good

The Idaho Fish and Game's Magic Valley Region created the "Caught in the Act of Doing Good" program to recognize sportsmen who were "caught" conducting themselves in a commendable manner or displaying good sportsmanship. This recognition is provided in the form of a special coin, which has been imprinted with a drawing entitled the "Cowboy and the Baby Bird". This image reveals a rough and tough cowboy holding a baby bird in the palm of his hand while feeding it an insect. This image was captured on paper in 1975 by Conservation Office Bill Pogue, who was shot and killed while protecting Idaho's wildlife by Claude Dallas in 1981. Every Year, while in the field, Fish and Game's Magic Valley regional staff provides sportsmen with these coins when they are observed displaying random acts of good sportsman ethics. The 2014 recipients of Caught in the Acts of Doing Good are: Ivak Cooper Ivak volunteered his time to help and made a very generous artistic donation to the IDFG Youth Hunting Clinic. He brought metal artwork to give to every youth hunter that participated and brought a very detailed and beautiful piece of metal art to provide to the landowner who owned the property where the youth hunt took place. Jeff Woodman Mr. Woodman was driving when he saw a red cup bobbing through the brush. He stopped and found that a rock chuck had a cup stuck on his head. Mr. Woodman was able to get the cup off the rock chucks head allowing him to live another day. Tom Billington Tom is the definition of the "Best of the Best" especially when it involves the youth of Idaho. He has been a part of the Access Yes! program for years and has made his property available for the youth pheasant hunting clinic, and furthermore, assists IDFG in increasing many youths knowledge of safe and ethical hunting practices. Karen Frank, Rod Runyon and Ron Klimes IDFG, every year, uses a volunteer Sportsman's Review Committee to prioritize and choose which properties will be enrolled in the Access Yes! program. Karen, Rod and Ron are valued members of the Access Yes! sportsman's review committee and they volunteers their time, every year to make these difficult, and lengthy decisions, which ultimately decide which properties Idaho sportsman will be able to access that year. Lois and Ed Corethers In 2014, when the Magic Valley Region hosted the Northwest Fish Culture Conference, Lois and Ed graciously donated over $1,500 worth of hunting equipment for a raffle, and this donation raised over $2,500 alone. Without Lois and Ed's very generous donations, IDFG would not have been able to have such a wonderful conference in 2014. Maya Yost Maya and her parents were pulled over on the side of the road. When IDFG employee, Mike Fairchild, observed the family pulled over, he stopped to see if the family needed any assistance. Mike was informed that the family was just taking a travel break, and during this break, Maya took it upon herself to pick up enough roadside garbage and litter to fill two large garbage sacks. Idaho is now a cleaner state because of Maya's efforts.