Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Rex Rammell: Why?

A "Tyler the Intern" Editorial

Who am I?

When I ask people living outside of Eastern Idaho what they know about it, you might get a few cliché answers inevitably containing the word “potato” and a question asking how “close it is to Boise.” In short, it’s not well known.

I moved to Eastern Idaho over a decade ago. Aside from a two-year stint in Texas, this place has been my home. I was raised in a home with an appreciation for the great outdoors, hunting, fishing, and the beauties of nature. I have many fond memories with family and friends hunting elk and moose on wind-swept mountain slopes and deer on the banks of the Snake River. In a very literal sense, I’ve been hunting since I could barely walk. I love this place.

Who is Rex?

During my “two-year stint in Texas” something happened back here at home that changed the face of politics for the state of Idaho. Rex Rammell, a veterinarian and elk rancher from Eastern Idaho had nearly 160 elk escape from his ranch. With the elk on the loose, a massive and mostly unsuccessful roundup was launched costing taxpayers more than $60,000. Then-Gov. Jim Risch ordered an emergency hunt that killed several of the loose animals.

Rammell’s distaste for the state’s intervention prompted him to run in unsuccessful bids for U.S. Senate in 2008 (against his arch-rival Jim Risch) and for Governor in 2010. His unorthodox approach to politics included inviting only Latter-day Saint priesthood holders to a meeting, though controversy surrounding that meeting made his proposed plans fall through, and using a long-since discredited “revelation” attributed to the founder of the Latter-day Saint movement known as the “White Horse Prophecy.”

Rammell’s notoriety has come at least in part through the wake of the Tea Party movement and the rise of a revitalized conservative movement. Even among the most conservative Idahoans, Rammell proposes a very anti-government, fundamentalist political philosophy. If you ask just about any Idahoan with a passing knowledge of state politics, they’ll probably have a something to say about him.

Rammell, like me, loves the outdoors. “As a young boy and then to manhood," notes rexrammell.com, "Rex either had a fishing pole or a rifle in his hands.” Aside from disagreeing with Rammell’s political philosophy, I was surprised to find that we had plenty to disagree about when it came to hunting rules and regulations.

Rammell in Trouble

In Idaho, Rammell has been inseparably connected to the elk incident in 2006. Political pundits were among the first to wise-crack about the Risch-bashing elk farmer with kooky political views. Yet with all of Rammell’s rhetoric, the irony came to a climax Nov. 30, 2010.

The story was the top headline for nearly every news outlet in the region. Rammell, who had championed against the government-mandated hunt for his loose elk had illegally killed an elk himself. Not only had Rammell illegally killed an elk, he refused to cooperate with Idaho Fish and Game officials and Bonneville County deputies.

Earlier in the year, Rammell had purchased a hunting license as well as a general elk tag to hunt in the Middle Fork Zone of Central Idaho. Within each hunting zone are designated areas known as units. Idaho has 29 hunting zones and 78 units, with zones encompassing between one to nine units (see map page 28).

When Idaho hunters go to purchase their elk tags, they are asked two primary questions that designate where they will hunt. Hunters seeking general elk tags must first declare their preferred hunting zone, followed by a unit in which they believe they will be spending most of their time hunting. According to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s Elk Management regulations:


Hunters may select 1 zone and choose either an “A tag” or a “B tag” in most elk zones (page 29).


Rammell chose to hunt in the Middle Fork Zone with an “A tag.” According to the Fish and Game’s regulations, hunters in that zone were allowed to hunt between Oct. 1 and Oct. 31 (page 32). The elk tag is only valid within that zone and within the designated time period for the hunt which went through the entire month of October. Unfortunately for Rammell, he chose to ignore those regulations.

In late November, Rammell decided that he wanted to hunt elk in the Tex Creek Zone in Southeast Idaho, several hundred miles from the area designated on his (now expired) tag (see map, page 28). Tex Creek’s general elk season for “A tags” was between Oct. 22 and Nov. 30 (page 39). Regardless of the open season, Rammell’s elk tag was still invalid for the area.

Rammell continued to hunt in spite of these issues, and eventually harvested a cow elk with his grandfather’s center-fire rifle in an area east of Idaho Falls. Rammell tied the elk to his snow mobile (snow machine if you’re from Idaho) and began driving down a trail where he met a Fish and Game official. The officer asked to see Rammell’s hunting license and elk tag, which he promptly provided for the officer. It didn’t take long for the officer to realize that Rammell had taken the elk illegally. The designated zone for the tag was printed clearly and legibly, as is the case with all big game tags in Idaho. Tex Creek of course, is not Middle Fork. Thus, Rammell had an expired tag and was in the wrong zone.

Idaho law requires Fish and Game officials to confiscate big game animals taken illegally. Rammell was adamant that he had the right to use his expired elk tag wherever he wanted in the state. The Fish and Game officer, who makes his living enforcing the laws enacted by the state, and who has intimate familiarity with those laws, was only doing his job. Rammell refused to cooperate with the officer, and threatened to use his rifle against him if he attempted to confiscate the animal and issue a citation. Rammell believed that only a judge-issued warrant would be valid for him to give up his animal. Rammell then loaded up his gear and promptly sped off on the snow-covered trail believing that he hadn’t broken any laws.

Fish and Game had other ideas. En-route to his home, Rammell was pursued by six vehicles from local law enforcement agencies. With Rammell’s threat toward the Fish and Game officer earlier in the day (joking or not), officials weren’t taking any chances. According to Rammell, at least one officer approached him with his gun drawn after Rammell was seen reaching into his coat pocket. Officers confiscated Rammell’s elk tag, as well as the animal to use as evidence.

Rammell Responds

Rammell told local news agencies that he was mistreated. “To call the state police and make a big deal out of it in my neighborhood,” he told Local News 8 reporter Emma Jade, “I felt like a fugitive felon over here for killing an elk in a legal zone on a legal day.”

Yet Rammell refuses to acknowledge the fact that he didn’t kill in a legal zone. His tag didn’t apply to Tex Creek. It wasn’t on a legal day either. Rammell’s tag expired nearly a month earlier. Yet Rammell’s complete failure to acknowledge the facts didn’t stop there. He later told Jade that the controversy may prompt another run for public office.


"It's typical Fish and Game B.S. in my opinion…with a general deer tag you can hunt anywhere in the state until you get one. Why don't you have to designate a zone for deer if you have to designate a zone for elk?”

“I can tell the people of Idaho that I'm still interested in politics and it is my absolute goal if I become the governor of Idaho I will reform the Fish and Game. As we know them today, they will no longer exist."


Fish and Game officials in Boise told reporters that they would charge Rammell for his illegal kill and subsequent behavior through the Bonneville County Prosecutor. Yet through all of it, Rammell insists that he hasn’t done anything wrong.

The big showdown with Rammell didn’t end with law enforcement confiscating his elk and issuing him a citation. On Dec. 1, 2010, the story took a different turn. Neal Larson of Newstalk 690 and 1260 invited Rammell onto his noon-hour show to discuss the incident. What followed was a series of relatively incoherent responses from Rammell desperately attempting to downplay and side-step the issue. For over 20 minutes, Rammell systematically ignored the fact that he’d actually broken the law. For over 20 minutes, unaccountability and finger-pointing remained the substance of Rammell’s defense. He played the victim, and the Fish and Game were the Nazis.

Larson’s interview with Rammell began to explode shortly after several elk hunters called in questioning Rammell’s actions. For following the law, Rammell considered these callers unpatriotic. To my surprise and Larson’s, a number of Rammell apologists began calling in with equally myopic views about the Fish and Game and the role of government in regulating wildlife populations. It became a shouting match between the folk of the fringe and the rational. It was what makes talk radio famous. It will also probably destroy any margin of reputation Rammell has left.

Concluding Thoughts

Rammell’s behavior and responses on the show were childish. They lacked substance and reeked with ad hominem attacks against the Fish and Game, Idaho lawmakers, and those who disagreed with him. Rammell is innocent until proven guilty. Yes, this is true. But I don’t think the prosecution will have to do much explaining to convict Rammell. In fact, the best thing for the prosecution to do would be to simply let Rammell explain himself. The more he opens his mouth, the more ridiculous his claims become.

Honestly Rex, if you’re reading this, just tell the truth. Wasn’t your three-fold motto for your gubernatorial campaign “courage,” “integrity,” and “honor”? All I ask of you is three things. Have the “courage” to stand up and admit that you broke the law. Have the “integrity” to hold yourself accountable for your actions. And finally, have the “honor” to personally apologize to every single person you’ve dragged into this mess. The best thing to revitalize your public image is transparency. Unfortunately, unless you apply these three principles, I don’t see your political career taking off any time soon.

Your religious beliefs encourage you apply these principles. You’re told to take care of the animals, use them as you need them, and at times be an advocate for them. You’re taught to obey, honor, and sustain the law. It’s time Rex, for you to be a “doer of the word” and not a “hearer only.” Practice what you preach good buddy.

It’s not too late to make a change.

Rex Rammell's entire interview with Neal Larson can be heard by clicking on this link:

NLS- Rex Rammell Interview Dec. 1, 2010

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