BigGameHoundsmen.com

This is just a topic of discussion and I would like to here some comments about how "ONLY 70 OUT OF STATE HOUND HUNTING PERMITS IN IDAHO" came about and what the hound hunters in Idaho and other States feel about this. I guess I wish I could hunt in Idaho on a pursuit only permit (if they had such a thing) without getting drawn.

I think they should do a pursuit for the non res. Maybe some thing like Utah does thas why I relocated her from Colorado for the hunting.

I believe the Idaho Guides and Outfitters Assoc pushed through the non-resident hound hunter permit because of nonresidents coming to Idaho with their hounds and hunting. I can't even take my father hound hunting unless he draws a permit as he is a non-resident.

What is the deal that everbody at the tree has to have a hound handler permit to hunt bear? I am more than likely going to eat one of them 70 state wide tags, because i didn't read the regs close enough.

anyone that owns a dog, handles a dog, or hunts over one must have a hound hunter permit

I have noticed that they have changed the regs a lot in the last 6 to 7 years. One year you couldn't even ride along if you didn't have a dog, one year you didn't have to get drawn if you had an Immediate relative that was an Idaho resident. I haven't read them this year because I didn't get drawn. Maybe the Idaho hound folks need to get together and have a voice. After all, an Idaho guide can have a person from out of state bring his dogs over and kill a bear or just run them as long as he is with the guide and being guided. It doesn't matter if it's only for a dollar. I guess it's either become friends with a guide, or just hope you get drawn. I know a lot of non-residents from Washington didn't want to take the chance of getting drawn so they all moved over there. Instead of hunting a few weekends a year in Idaho, they now hunt most of the season. If I knew I could pursue game in Idaho without getting drawn and I would stay in Washington, but it doesn't look like it's will change in the near future without some input from other houndmen other than guides and outfitters. I have a few friends in Idaho that I hunt with but this year that is not going to happen because of the draw rules. I have a brother in Idaho that wants me to bring my dogs over but the way it is set up that is not legal. Guess I'll have to make the move this year.

Hey tylers dad, Have you ever been able to give input to Idaho fish and game about this? And if so, what is their stand?

Lots of poor information being thrown around on this thread, without going into details, idahos regulations are online and can be read. First of all don't confuse guides with outfitters, totally different meanings in idaho and what and what can't be done. When they went to a draw on non-resident permits it was set at 55, at the time there was determined to be around 550 houndsmen in the state, so they issued 10% to non-residents, its a common percentage that flows over to other non-resident drawings in several states including deer, elk etc. That number has since rose in the spring of 1999 to 70 where its at today. Personally I prefer it to be left alone, many areas are now being overcroweded as is with local houndsmen, open the gates wide open and your looking to create more conflict.

Well DesertDweller, I do know the regulations very well and I believe any non-resident can hunt bear in Idaho without getting drawn while boot hunting and baiting (in some areas). The only limitation is on hound hunters taking bear or even pursuing bear in Idaho. Sure deer and elk hunting is on a percentage of tags but it's the same no matter what user group is hunting deer and elk. Sounds like a hound hunting issue to me. So what part of Idaho do you Outfitt in? How many other States do you know have a limited entry for houndmen? I know a lot of Idaho hound hunters that hunt California year after year without having to get drawn and would really be upset if this happened to them. If you had run hounds all your life and your State passed a Bill such as Washington State, I think you would think a lot differently. Please PM me and let me know what poor information has been thrown around this thread, so I can check the accuracy of my statements.

This is a regulation that the houndsmen developed. They were in jepordy of loosing there hunting totally just as Washington and Oregon did so they came up with some rules that benefitted them. It was a loose it all or just some. That is how it was explained to me by guys that were actually involved in the situation. Putting it this way I don't mind it and understand. Put yourself in the same situation.

I thought that the majority of Idaho houndsmen were origionally for the out of state hunter restrictions? With the problems we are starting to have with out of state hunters here in California I can understand why you would want some restrictions on out of state hunters. It sucks but if people are going to come into the state where you pay taxes/vote and act like a bunch of a%#holes then you start thinking hey wait a flippin minute here...something has got to change. I don't know that there is an easy answer to it other than treat the land and game as though it was your own backyard and maybe out of state restrictions will stop happening...it would also help if the guides that make so much money guiding in your state would give a little back in support of the clubs in that state instead of the 'take the money and run' mentality. We should probably really be supporting the Idaho boys on the wolf ordeal whether you like their out of state restrictions or not. As far as us CA houndsmen, well we could really use some help defeating the spay and neuter bill...

Liz, I believe you are right, we all do need to stick together whether it be for the folks in Idaho with their wolves, or you in California with the spay and neuter bill. And I can see where the Idaho houndmen don't want a bunch of out of State folks killing bears in Idaho. But like I said before, I think they solved their own problem with this because now every houndmen in Washington has moved over there (or a least most). I think there was only about 140 out of state applications compared to when Washington first lost its rights. Its not about going over there and killing a bunch of bears anyway, its about the chase. And sure there are going to be a few bad apples going to Idaho and California to hunt, but if they are caught, the laws are a lot tougher and rightly so. I'm not sure if limiting the number of Out of State folks to just run their hounds is the right approach. Sometimes things like this just divide us houndmen a little further apart. The more active houndsmen we have, the better our chance of saving our sport. On a positive note, a guide and outfitter introduces a lot of folks into the hound hunting world that would otherwise never see what truely hound hunting is all about. These folks that go out with the guide and outfitter will forever remember the chase and stand by our side.

Darvin Ecklund you are so very correct. I think they should allow out of staters to pursue. In Utah they pursue and I have never herd of any problems. Your not aloud to have a weapon in your posession.