A North Idaho investigation company, Confidential Investigations, says they have been hired to look into the misuse of state property. According to KHG.com who hired CI remains unknown at this time. I read through the article and most of what I am reading in this report appears to be a bit gray and nit-picking. However, I have yet to read the complete report.

Most of you should recall the old adage, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when at first we practice to deceive.” This may be one of those instances and time will tell. This is taking on all the personality of a growing snowball.

It is a difficult quest to find many sportsmen who have a lot of good things to say about their state’s fish and game departments. We all know the reasons – sour grapes, distrust, sportsmen who know more than the fish and game people, fish and game people who come across rude and uncaring, yada, yada, yada. Unfortunately, over time there’s not a lot of lost love between the troops.

Over time it becomes very difficult for fish and game departments to garner the support of sportsmen because of distrust. When sportsmen begin feeling like they have been lied to and abused, it can get ugly and this event in Idaho just might get ugly.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is seeking a substantial fee increase to pad a burgeoning budget. Some sportsmen trust what IDFG has told them as the reasons they need the money and support the request. Others, who see their license money being used for things not related to fish and game, not only will not support a fee increase but really want IDFG to abide by the written law and stop spending license fee money on non game and non-game activities.

A lot of pointing fingers has gone on over this fee increase and some of it hasn’t been very pretty. Now we have an investigation going on into the use of state property by IDFG. Is this tit for tat? Perhaps but if the evidence is there and the accusations are true that violate state policy, then everyone should welcome such an investigation.

When a state organization requests a substantial rate increase, particularly coming at a time when everyone is seeking ways to cut spending, it would have to be expected to come under great scrutiny. It appears that scrutiny has begun.

I’ll continue to examine the investigative report and follow more leads and information and keep you updated as best I can.

Tom Remington

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