BOISE — Idaho livestock losses that investigators deem possibly caused by wolves or grizzly bears could qualify for state compensation if House Bill 82 passes.

The bill would help more ranchers and make best use of available money, supporters said. The Idaho House Resources and Conservation Committee on Feb. 11 voted to send the bill to the House floor with a do-pass recommendation.

The legislature in 2024 authorized payment to livestock owners for losses that investigators determine to be caused, or probably caused, by wolves or grizzly bears.

The new bill “provides a third avenue of payment for those impacted by wolf/grizzly depredation,” according to its purpose statement.

Any money left in the fund after confirmed and probable depredation claims are paid would go to claims deemed possible. These payments would be “on a pro rata basis in the event monies in the fund are insufficient to pay all possible claims in full, until such monies in the fund are depleted,” according to the bill text.

Under last year’s House Bill 592, the legislature annually sets aside $225,000 for the depredation fund — $150,000 for compensating claimants and $75,000 for preventing conflicts and circulating information about proven deterrents. The fund cannot exceed $400,000 including carryovers.

For livestock losses determined to be possibly caused by wolves or grizzlies, “at this point, there would be money available if H82 were in effect,” bill sponsor Rep. Jerald Raymond, R-Menan, told Capital Press. “Obviously, every year would be different.”

The bill is “simply to give another rung of payment should we find that there is a loss, confirm that loss and just don’t know, for sure, the cause,” he said at the hearing. “It does not cover animals that simply do not return home. There has to be a visible confirmation that that animal died and has been partially consumed by predators.”

“Possible could be anything” and the category opens a new realm of findings and claims, said Rep. Steve Tanner, R-Nampa. A mutilated carcass could be lying on the ground for a long time “and somebody could come up and say it’s possible that this happened.” Moreover, the existing “probable” finding already is fairly open.

“While I admit that there is a very fine line between probable and possible, you’d almost have to experience the loss that some of the ranchers have experienced this year to understand where they’re coming from,” Raymond said.

It is believed over half of losses deemed “possible” depredations actually were caused by predators, “but up until now there’s been no recourse for that individual,” said Dexton Lake of the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, which supports the bill. “This just provides a commonsense way to extend the fund that we already have.”

Possible is a much higher threshold than unknown, said Nick Fasciano, executive director of the Idaho Wildlife Federation, which supports the bill. For example, grizzlies may not leave much carcass evidence for investigators to work with, “and it doesn’t mean it couldn’t rise to the possible level.”