Hunters who received harassing phone calls or emails after shooting wolves during hunting season in 2009 could see an end to those actions very soon.
The House Resources and Conservation Committee voted to accept a bill that would protect the identity of all hunters in Idaho, not just those killing wolves. The bill is the product of Rep. Judy Boyle, R-Midvale, who said she believes “that one of the reasons for government is to protect its citizens, and I feel that’s what this bill will do.” The legislation provides that all licenses issued by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game would be exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, which is designed to give the public greater access to government records and documents. Boyle noted that not only deer, elk, and wolf tags would be protect, but wolf-kill permits, typically issued to farmers and ranchers as a herd-protection measure, would also fall under the exemption.
Jeremy Pisca, a lobbyist representing the Idaho Allied Daily Newspapers, said the bill goes too far in the protection of hunters and would hamper news writers’ efforts to verify facts for certain stories.
“It’s like going after a gnat with a sledgehammer,” said Pisca.
The measure also contains provisions that prevent harassment of hunters, which would become punishable to up to six months in prison and a $1,500 fine.
The bill was passed by the committee and will be sent to amending order in the full House for some minor language clarification.
In the House, the hunter privacy plan is co-sponsored by Reps. JoAn Wood, R-Rigby, Joe Palmer, R-Meridian, Jeff Thompson, R-Idaho Falls, Lenore Barrett, R-Challis, and Erik Simpson, R-Idaho Falls. On the Senate side, Sen. Robert Geddes, R-Soda Springs, and Sen. Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow, support the measure.
(Note: The man who sparked the controversy, Rick Hobson, told IdahoReporter.com that he feels the bill “would … fly in the face of the freedoms of speech. Read his full statement here.)
These so called “hunters” are only brave and proud when murdering innocent animals. If you’re so proud of killing a defenseless animal, then stand behind your actions. Don’t hide behind the government’s skirts like the cowards you really are.
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So…let me get this straight: Hunters are allowed to threaten the LIVES of Wolf-supporters, but they get a few phone calls and run to Mommy? They know full-well how to protect themselves, this is just another way for them to leverage more money, Cattle, and greed. What cowards! (Displayed by the act of “hunting” with a gun and a bullet instead of actual ability and proper stewardship). I only wish these people would go to their own planet and eat chemical laden food, kill each other, and be angry at everything. To Idaho: I’ll never set foot in your state because I fear for MY life as a animal-respecter. Shame on them all.
Stephen,
What instances have you seen where wolf hunters threaten wolf advocates?
Thanks,
Dustin
Wow, what a brilliant idea! Now that they’re giving special privileges to these poor widdle Elmer Fudds, how about legal protection for persons who hold up traffic wating for a good parking spot? They might get harrassed! Or maybe a gigantic fine for anyone who yells at a neighbor for playing his music too loud? Good Gods, this is not the Witness Protection Program. You can’t give legal protection to people who didn’t choose to be how or who they are, yet persons who make a choice to engage in something like slaughtering wolves get special rights? Cool.
The only ones who should be in jail here are the people who feel the need to take the life of a beautiful animal for no reason. It’s 2010 and these lowbrow nutters cannot evolve past their backwoods “ugh, shoot it, uuuugh” mentality.
I get it from people all the time just by having wildife orginization support bumperstickers. Go figure.
Wolfhunter.com is one site where two hunters were talking about a girl on Facebook who annoyed them. They spoke of how they wanted her dead, and how one of them was going to find her address and “pay her a visit”… (about 8 months ago).
Thanks, S.
Stephen,
Interesting. I had no idea that type of stuff was going on. Thanks for the comment and thanks for the visit to IdahoReporter.com
Dustin
Whoops, sorry, it was “huntwolves.com”. And the girl who was annoying them was a Wolf advocate, and apparently she was posting about that site as well as other pro-hunting sites.
Don’t get me wrong, hunting was a fine past time when people respected and understood the ramifications of taking out the strongest in a gene pool, or an entire species that, in this case, will keep things like Aspen Trees growing.
Best to ignore this kinda news & concentrate completely on protection of wolf population or have latest bill, that makes them vulnerable again, repealed! I refuse to have any attention to the cause, diverted by this action!…
@ Jeff
While readers may not like the wolf protection bill, I urge them not to ignore the news produced by IdahoReporter.com
.
Dustin
Dustin, I like how fair you are. Thank you for listening to both sides.
On a side note…it’s not really a “wolf protection bill”…more a “wolf-hunter protection bill”. There was a Wolf Protection Bill at one point but…there must only be one protection bill circling around our government agencies…and now it’s for the hunters.
Regardless, because of your fairness and communication I WILL be back to IdahoReporter, just not your state (feel free to do an article on how many tourists Idaho is loosing because of their freaky angry hunters;).
Emily,
About the typo: I’m sorry. It’s not a wolf protection bill. I just wasn’t thinking much when I typed that.
Dustin
I would add that Idaho has tons more to offer than hunters; have you tried a Hudson’s hamburger? The I.B. Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls is pretty cool, as is the whole city of Boise. I invite you to come back sometime.
And no, I’m not paid by a travel company.
Speaking of typos
Hunters who received harassing phone calls or eemails
love those eemails ;P
I get plenty of negative reactions from hunters – none have quite reached death threats yet, but they aren’t too far away from that. Hypocracy prevents me from saying that humans shouldn’t hunt at all. Wolves hunt, so humans should be able to hunt for the same reasons.
So, until a wolf kills an elk and mounts the head in it’s den, humans can feed themselves and their families through hunting, and I won’t say a word to those hunters.
The comment I get about hunters, or “sportsmen” as they often refer to themselves, paying for much of the restoration and protection of the wilderness. I say “thank you.” However, it buys them little with me since they are only fixing, just a little, the damage done by previous generations of hunters.
In short, wolf advocacy groups are often not pro- or anti-hunter. They are pro- or anti-hunters who have little or no respect for the environment and position themselves and their “entertainment” above the wellbeing and success of wildlife which has a valuable and irreplaceable benefit to the ecosystems in which they live.
Panty-waist hunters. Just cannot take the heat, can you.
Idaho is a state of superstitious, scared, girly men with guns who think going outside their homes after dark will get them eaten by the big bad wolf.