Wildlife & Depredation
Wildlife policy reaches an operation through damage and through the process for being made whole afterwards. Depredation claims, the boards that hear them, and the rules for what qualifies are all statutory.
Predator management sits alongside it: control of predatory animals and birds, trap requirements, and the federal listings Idaho cannot change but regularly petitions on by joint memorial.
A third strand covers what gets moved onto ground near livestock. Wildlife relocation and transplant proposals, and the disease testing attached to them, have twice been the subject of legislation requiring county-level approval first.
The legislative record
The smallest area by volume, and the one that grew fastest: eight of its 26 measures across eight sessions came in 2026 alone. Across the 2019 through 2026 sessions the Legislature took up 26 measures in this area, of which 15 were enacted or adopted. Every entry links to the Legislature's own page for that measure.
| Bill | Session | Measure | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| H0678 | 2026 | TRAPPING – Adds to existing law to provide for the checking of wolf traps. | Enacted (ch. 242) |
| H0082 | 2025 | LIVESTOCK DEPREDATION CLAIMS – Amends existing law to provide for the payment of depredation claims that are deemed possible. | Enacted (ch. 102) |
| S1011 | 2025 | FISH AND GAME – Amends existing law to provide requirements for members of winter feeding advisory committees. | Enacted (ch. 121) |
| S1012 | 2025 | IDAHO DEPREDATING WILDLIFE APPEALS BOARD – Amends and adds to existing law to establish the Idaho Depredating Wildlife Appeals Board and to exempt the board from open meeting requirements. | Enacted (ch. 54) |
| H0592 | 2024 | DEPREDATION – Adds to existing law to provide for compensation for depredation of livestock by grizzly bear and wolves. | Enacted (ch. 51) |
| H0612 | 2024 | WOLF DEPREDATION CONTROL BOARD – Amends existing law to provide for compensation and a procedure. | Enacted (ch. 203) |
| H0156 | 2023 | PREDATORY WILDLIFE – Amends existing law to classify rattlesnakes as predatory wildlife. | Enacted (ch. 138) |
| S1084 | 2023 | WILDLIFE – Adds to existing law to provide an exception to requirements for wildlife held captive in Idaho. | Enacted (ch. 150) |
| S1211 | 2021 | WOLVES – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the powers and duties of the Idaho Wolf Depredation Control Board, wolf control assessments, the taking of wolves, and the control of depredation of wolves on livestock, domestic animals, and wildlife populations. | Enacted (ch. 307) |
| H0097 | 2019 | FISH AND GAME – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the duties and liability of certain owners of land. | Enacted (ch. 176) |
| HJM022 | 2026 | PREDATORY BIRDS – States findings of the Legislature and supports curtailment of the pelican population. | Adopted |
| SJM108 | 2026 | DEPREDATION – States findings of the Legislature and calls on the federal government to protect Idaho citizens who file depredation claims. | Adopted |
| HJM004 | 2025 | GRIZZLY BEAR – States findings of the Legislature and calls upon the federal government to delist grizzly bears and review the Endangered Species Act. | Adopted |
| SJM104 | 2025 | CAMAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE – States findings of the Legislature and requests an expedited permitting process to clean Camas Creek and a transfer of the ownership of the refuge. | Adopted |
| HJM005 | 2023 | GRIZZLY BEAR – States findings of the Legislature and urges the delisting of grizzly bear in the lower 48 states. | Adopted |
| H0630 | 2026 | AIRBORNE CONTROL OF PREDATORY ANIMALS – Amends existing law to provide for shooting of coyotes, wolves, and red foxes from aircraft. | Failed on a floor vote |
| H0651 | 2026 | DEPREDATION CLAIMS – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the payment of depredation claims. | Died without a floor vote |
| H0653 | 2026 | WILDLIFE – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding wildlife relocation. | Died without a floor vote |
| SJM106 | 2026 | DEPREDATION – States findings of the Legislature and calls on the federal government to protect Idaho citizens who file depredation claims. | Died without a floor vote |
| SJM115 | 2026 | PREDATORY BIRDS – States findings of the Legislature and supports curtailment of the pelican population. | Died without a floor vote |
| H0195 | 2025 | FISH AND GAME – Amends existing law to provide for notification of a proposed transplant or relocation of wildlife and approval from a board of county commissioners if a hearing on the same is requested and to require testing of certain animals. | Died without a floor vote |
| H0302 | 2025 | FISH AND GAME – Amends existing law to provide for notification of a proposed transplant or relocation of wildlife and approval from a board of county commissioners if a hearing on the same is requested and to require testing of certain animals. | Died without a floor vote |
| H0485 | 2024 | DEPREDATION – Adds to existing law to provide for compensation for depredation of livestock by grizzly bear and wolves. | Died without a floor vote |
| HJM010 | 2024 | GRIZZLY BEAR – States findings of the Legislature and formally declares the State of Idaho’s commitment to the principles of wildlife management that prioritize human safety, economic stability, and the preservation of the state’s natural heritage. | Died without a floor vote |
| S1247 | 2020 | WOLVES – Adds to existing law to provide for chronic depredation zones and to provide for wolf-free zones. | Died without a floor vote |
| H0081 | 2019 | FISH AND GAME – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding applicability of specified law to the duties and liability of certain owners of land. | Died without a floor vote |
Chapter numbers refer to the Idaho Session Laws for the year the measure passed. Compiled from the Legislature's bill index for each session.
Standing committees
Bills in this area are referred to the committees below. Membership shown is the 2026 session composition; committees re-form when a new session convenes.
House Resources & Conservation
- Chair:
- Rep. Ron Mendive, District 5
- Vice Chair:
- Rep. Charlie Shepherd, District 7
16 further members: Rep. Judy Boyle, Rep. John Vander Woude, Rep. Dustin Manwaring, Rep. Britt Raybould, Rep. Stephanie Jo Mickelsen, Rep. Jack Nelsen, Rep. Douglas T. Pickett, Rep. Jerald Raymond, Rep. Josh Tanner, Rep. Steve Miller, Rep. Shawn Dygert, Rep. James Petzke, Rep. Mark Sauter, Rep. Dori Healey, Rep. Soñia R. Galaviz, Rep. Monica C. Church.
Senate Resources & Environment
- Chair:
- Sen. Van T. Burtenshaw, District 31
- Vice Chair:
- Sen. Phil Hart, District 2
7 further members: Sen. Jim Guthrie, Sen. Mark Harris, Sen. Doug Okuniewicz, Sen. Kevin Cook, Sen. Julie VanOrden, Sen. Joshua Kohl, Sen. Ron C. Taylor.
Further reading
- Idaho's 2026 Legislative Session: Agriculture, Water, and Resource Legislation
Every agriculture, water, and resource measure in Idaho's 2026 session: what was introduced, what became law, and what died, with chapter numbers.
- Idaho's 2025 Legislative Session: Agriculture, Water, and Resource Legislation
Every agriculture, water, and resource measure in Idaho's 2025 session, with session law chapter numbers and what changed by 2026.