Idaho has officially banned the use of cellular trail cameras, drones, thermal imaging, and night vision devices for hunting big game and upland birds on public land during a specific seasonal window, effective this summer under House Bill 939. Gov. Brad Little signed the legislation on April 2, which restricts these technologies from August 30 through December 31 each year on federal, state, or local government lands. The previous regulations did not explicitly address thermal imaging for elk and deer, making it legal until this new law rectified that gap and added specific rules against hunting via helicopter or using internet-connected guns. However, the law includes exceptions for predator management regarding mountain lions, wolves, and recovering wounded game, which critics note may complicate enforcement. Idaho Wildlife Federation executive director Nick Fasciano highlighted that while wolf numbers are above harvest goals—making their inclusion in predator exceptions a flash point—hunters generally favor these restrictions to maintain "fair chase" principles. The legislation was partly a response to concerns that technology could make hunting accessible only to the wealthy, specifically citing the advent of Starlink-enabled trail cameras that could blanket wilderness areas and give hunters an unfair positional advantage without needing physical proximity to game. The debate also touches on the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and the "everyman" vibe of hunting, with advocates worried about technology turning public lands into a rich man's game where affordable thermal devices create significant edges for those who can purchase them in bulk. Despite some initial friction over banning transmitting trail cams and the inclusion of wolves in exceptions, stakeholders view this as a necessary first step toward ethical practices, with ongoing discussions expected to address enforcement challenges related to evolving technology like thermals used for game recovery.