Illegally hunting our bait in Idaho, photo of truck with WA plates

[bearpaw]

I find it unbelievable another hunter would hunt in somebody else's blind at a bait they know belongs to another hunter, we have been working hard baiting our sites regularly for over a month, when someone violates that hard work it is infuriating, what is this world coming to?

Bait hunters must have their bait clearly marked with their bait tag. We had our bait tag visibly hanging on the tree next to our bait.

However, every year, usually on memorial weekend, we have trouble with hunters illegally hunting one or two of our baits. Sometimes they kick our safety boxes off the tree and steal our camera. This year we caught a lowlife scumbag sitting in our blind hunting our bait, when he saw my guide approaching he ran out of the blind and down over the hill, he knew he was busted. After the guide rebaited and walked out to his vehicle the scumbag had already jumped in his truck and left, but we already had a photo of the scumbag's vehicle. Fortunately this guy didn't steal our camera yet, probably only because he hadn't shot a bear yet. He was careful to not get his photo on the camera, we checked.

https://adminrules.idaho.gov/rules/current/13/130117.pdf

IDAPA 13 – IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME
Wildlife Bureau
13.01.17 – Rules Governing Use of Bait for Hunting Big Game Animals

BAITING PERMIT.
01. Baiting Permit. (3-31-22)
a. Baiting permits are issued by mail or in person from Department offices beginning March 1 of each
year. (3-31-22)
b. Baiting permits are valid for the calendar year in which they are issued. (3-31-22)
02. Use of Baiting Permit. (3-31-22)
a. All persons placing bait must possess a baiting permit issued by the Department. (3-31-22)
b. Each hunter may possess only one (1) baiting permit each year and may maintain up to three (3)
bait sites, except the number of bait sites maintained by outfitters will be that specified by the land management
agency in the outfitter’s operating plan. (3-31-22)
c. No person may hunt over an unlawful bait site. (3-31-22)
d. Guides and clients of outfitters are exempt from possessing a baiting permit, provided they have a
copy of the outfitter’s permit in their possession while placing bait or hunting over the outfitter’s permitted bait site.


This time we have a vehicle and license number for the game warden to work with. It is illegal to hunt an outfitter bait without a copy of the outfitter license and bait permit. I'm guessing the scumbag don't even have a bait permit or he would have had his own baits to hunt. I hope they get him on multiple counts!

This is the illegal scumbag, anybody recognize the vehicle?

[trophyhunt]

Ahh, love it when dick heads gets busted and put on the net!

[wadu1]

I also wonder if he has a license/tag and the bait permit?

[builtfordtough]

Sorry that happened, im never surprised anymore. D-bags will always be D-bags.

[Fidelk]

Reading this, the offense seems to be contained in 02.d. "hunting over the outfitters permitted bait site".

If this is on public land, is there any way to keep other non-client hunters from using your sites? Sitting in your blind, he would seem to be in violation, since he is "hunting over". But if not sitting in your blind, but in the area of your site, could he just claim that he was out hunting and wandered through the area of your site. 
Seems kind of unenforceable.

[CarbonHunter]

Is that David Fanz’s truck?

[Duckslayer89]

I’ve parked at trails in Idaho and walked in and found a bait numerous times. Then walked out, maybe he turned around?

[duckmen1]

I’ve parked at trails in Idaho and walked in and found a bait numerous times. Then walked out, maybe he turned around?

Sitting in a blind in a chair is far from getting turned around in  OP incident.  some people push their luck and mooch off of other peoples hard work. Seen it many times over the years from low life scum bags in many different ways. But in this circumstance I could not even imagine trying to sit there with my eyes looking over my shoulder for the bait site owner. What a piece of trash to do something like that.

[huntnnw]

What I find funny is the posts about people doing the exact same thing in someone’s “deer” spot and the comments are well “ it’s public land”   

[metlhead]

Does sound like a very unethical thing to do but is it actually illegal? Although not his, he was hunting over a legal bait.

[highside74]

It's a good thing scumbag isn't the drinking game word today

[Naches Sportsman]

I know you probably hide your baits better than some outfitters do, but there’s one down here that baits literally up every creek drainage and every decommissioned road. He asked me how I knew all of his bait sites and told him to hide them better. We have a good standing with each other now.

[bearpaw]

Does sound like a very unethical thing to do but is it actually illegal? Although not his, he was hunting over a legal bait.

To be legal a bait must have a bait tag identifying the owner of the bait. To hunt an outfitter's bait a hunter must have a copy of the outfitter's license and bait permit. Guides cannot even add bait without having a copy of the outfitter's license and bait permit.

Hunters who purchase their own bait permit are given three bait tags, they can have three baits. They definitely cannot hunt an outfitter's bait and I don't think they can hunt over any bait unless they have one of their bait tags right at the bait.

[bearpaw]

I know you probably hide your baits better than some outfitters do, but there’s one down here that baits literally up every creek drainage and every decommissioned road. He asked me how I knew all of his bait sites and told him to hide them better. We have a good standing with each other now.

We get photos of a few people at our baits every year, I think most people that find a bait just look and move on. In some cases it's probably another hunter looking for a good bait spot for himself but most hunters will go somewhere else if they find another hunter's bait.

A few times we have determined that someone hunted one of our baits, so we attempt to get their photo if they return, they don't usually come back. On a rare occasion it even appeared that someone killed a bear at our bait site and that is what this scumbag was trying to do. He knew he was in the wrong, as soon as he saw the guide he ran out of the blind down over the hill and was gone by the time the guide baited the site and returned to his truck.

[metlhead]

Thanks. I was curious cuz I didn't see anywhere in there stating it was illegall to hunt over another's legal pile and the only person requiring a permit was the person placing it.