This article was brought about after a recent discussion I had with a federal fish and game officer.

We talked about the increasing decline of hunting opportunities in Northern and the better part of the state of Idaho. Urban people buying residences on what used to be public hunting grounds, our families have been hunting on for generations.

An ironic example the officer and I conversed, was that of the explosion of wild turkey in the surrounding suburban areas. The officer went on to say that they get an obscene amount of calls from what used to be urban now turn suburban residencies, with turkey problems. Yes I said turkeys; sure it’s nice when there is five or six running around your property, but the first time you get chased back to your house by strutting toms, beckoning for the attention of what seemed to be over night twenty hens, your perspective makes a drastic change.

“Come get these damn turkeys!” the land owners are crying out to the department of fish and wildlife. “And what then”, the officer said; “we cannot move all turkeys all the time”; so the officer mentions, “how about I bring in some hunters to take care of a few turkeys for you?

“Oh no hunters”, “we don’t let people hunt our land”. And this is the exact problem with several species of wildlife in a lot of these urban areas; deer, elk, turkey, bear, and some I’m probably missing.

The fish and wildlife division are having a hard enough time trying to manage the animal herds and population with out these urban land owners whom are buying up every last beautiful hunting retreat from the Canadian border to the bottom most region of Idaho.

Being a land owner myself, I understand both sides of the fence. I would let A,B,and C hunters come in and hunt my property, but it always seems that there are those hunters out there who ruin it for the rest of us. Bringing in four wheelers instead of walking, driving across fields, cutting fences, tearing down signs, are just a few of the unfortunate malicious acts that are taking place.

All is not lost though; there are new generations of hunters like my family and I out there who would love to see a “No Hunting” sign with a phone number or address on it, and upon getting the permission to hunt, discuss what the land owner does and does not want to happen on his or her property. We are the 20 something generation who wants the chance to make the wrongs, right.

Land owners, please keep an open mind, and start giving people the opportunity to make a difference, maybe that tom won’t be chasing you back to your house or that bull elk not letting out of your driveway, or that rutted up buck chasing your kids around your back forty. Let us be your friend.

Thanks to all the open minded land owners…