This was conducted over a four month period. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game has replied to an inquiry that they, in conjunction with student from the University of Idaho, working on their thesis, were doing a study on deterring elk from feeding on farmers crops. They radio collared 75 elk in several different locations south of the Sawtooth Mountain Range extending to Shoshone, Idaho. They found by tracking the elk, that most were feeding at night so they didn't want to let hunters hunt the animals at night in fear of dangerous conditions. (Obviously they didn't want hunters to have a chance to shoot them during legal shooting hours either!)
So, they gathered their night scope affixed rifles and eliminated up to 7 elk each night. (Obviously this has a great hazing effect when they kill them on site so they learn not to return to the field. Absolutely brilliant thinking for both the student and Idaho Fish and Game biologists!) They quartered them and stacked the elk quarters like cordwood. But someone leaked it out along with some pictures. Now they are scrambling to cover their tracks from the public and mend fences with upset hunters.
They made it sound like only 206 of 20,000 number of elk in this area were taken but that's not the truth either. It's closer to 10-20% of the number. They could easily have had depredation hunts to thin the herds. Most of the elk in this area have migrated to get away from the large wolf concentrations North of this area. So, in reality, they are an extension of damage the wolves are causing here.
The Fish and Game did this to avoid having to make damage reimbursement to the large corporate farmers as small farmers, of which I am one who feeds over 30% of my crops to elk and deer every year, get nothing. But to think about how much more the local economy's would be helped in addition to licenses and tags for the F&G, it would appear ludicrous to think the they wouldn't allow depredation tags due to night hunting. Somewhere in their regulations they state night hunting game animals is unethical. Maybe they should read what they put out to the hunters...