Trespassing, Road Hunting - Spoiling Hunting's Future

By Kurt Stieglitz, Idaho Department of Fish and Game Unfortunately, one of the telltale signs of the fall hunting season is fresh orange paint along fence lines and newly posted "No Trespassing" signs. One of the most common complaints Idaho Fish and Game investigates this time of year is hunters trespassing. Senior conservation officers Barry Cummings and Mike Dafoe, the two Fish and Game officers assigned to Latah County, deal with this serious problem every year. Cummings notes that he received over 30 phone calls about trespass in 2006. Time spent responding to trespass complaints results in less time patrolling for other violations. Fortunately, Fish and Game gets help from county deputies, city officers and even state patrol officers. Even with additional enforcement, each year more and more private land is posted against hunter access. Upset landowners recount stories of "slob hunters" destroying signs and gates, tearing up fields and not respecting their property. Vandalized road signs, mail boxes and shot livestock are also targets of these rogue hunters. It's the classic example of a few bad apples spoiling the bunch. It's disappointing to hear about landowners who have stopped allowing sportsmen to hunt on their land because of a prior bad experience with this type of hunter. Trespass issues are not the only problem. A few, highly visible hunters out there don't attempt to access hunting lands at all. Their sole game plan is to cruise country roads until they see a deer or elk and shoot it from their vehicle. Last fall, a citation was issued to an individual who was still wearing his slippers when he shot from the road onto private property at a deer. Clearly this person left home with the intention to illegally harvest his deer on or very near the road. Not only is this practice dangerous, it violates fair chase ethics and gives all hunters a bad image. The Latah County prosecutor's office and magistrate have done their best to discourage this type of activity by prosecuting trespassers and road hunters. In several cases weapons used to commit these violations were forfeited to the court, $1000 fines were levied and hunting and fishing privileges were suspended for up to two years. Hopefully such judgments will deter those who are too lazy to ask permission for land access or to hunt within the guidelines of the law. For all the ethical hunters out there, don't let these scofflaws ruin your reputation. Continue to ask permission to hunt, respect private property and game laws. Anyone who sees violators should take the information and pass it on to Fish and Game or local law enforcement as quickly as they can. If hunters don't get involved, the signs posted next season might be "Beware of Hunters!" Fish and Game relies on residents to report game violations or wildlife crimes. Call the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward. Kurt Stieglitz is a Fish and Game district conservation officer in Lewiston.