F&G hunt a bust

Fish and Game officers had no luck tracking down wild game on a Bingham County hunting farm

By MATTHEW EVANS
mattevans@postregister.com

Deep snow, rugged terrain and darkness hampered efforts Monday to kill wild animals in a hunting preserve near Firth.

More than two dozen beasts -- elk, mule deer and moose -- are trapped inside the fences of a 2,000-acre hunting preserve east of Firth owned by former NFL lineman Rulon Jones, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which led Monday's effort.

They've been there since fall, when Jones got permission to open the facility.

The animals didn't infiltrate the facility, though; they were on Jones' land when the fences were erected.

Since they've mingled with Jones' domestic elk and might have contracted disease, state law calls for the animals to be slaughtered. That's what prompted Monday's hunt, along with the fact that a landowner can't keep public wildlife behind a fence and concern about the animals starving to death.

Fish and Game officers, along with state Department of Agriculture workers and two of

Jones' employees, spent the day stalking the beasts, to no avail. A number of mule deer were spotted, but the crew couldn't reach them on snowmobiles, said Mark Gamblin, regional supervisor of Fish and Game's Pocatello office.

"They would have had to snowshoe a mile of steep terrain, and they just ran out of daylight," he said. "This is likely going to be a long-term task. It's extremely difficult to remove wildlife from (hunting preserves)."

Jones, though, said he had a solution to the problem, but it was rejected by state officials.

"I had 50 people who showed up (in the fall) to chase the animals out," said Jones, adding that the number of wild animals on his land has been exaggerated.

Jones' helpers didn't have authority to kill the beasts, however, so Fish and Game halted the hunt. That was the last Jones heard of the matter until about a month ago, when he was told something needed to be done.

Jones' plan was to invite 15 Iraq war veterans to hunt the animals.

The plan stood until late February, he said, when Gamblin said setting up the hunt -- getting kill permits for the veterans, arranging transportation, etc. -- would have taken too long.

"We had some serious concerns that the mule deer behind the fences are at risk of starving. That's why we needed to move quickly," Gamblin said.

The cost of the operation is unknown, but sportsmen will be asked to pick up the tab.

Crews will go in for another hunt as soon as possible, he said, adding that Jones and the Agriculture Department have agreed to handle the "lion's share" of the work.

"We understand very well that this is distasteful to have to go in and shoot the public's prized wildlife," Gamblin said. "But we really don't have any other choice."

Jones, however, said there's no chance the wild animals have gotten sick or could spread tainted genetics because of their contact with his domestic herd.

The state tests every animal for a host of illnesses, including brucellosis, and for genetic purity. Plus, each domestic elk imported into Idaho must hail from a herd that's been free of chronic wasting disease for years.

"There's no threat," Jones said. "It's just a way to make us look bad."