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RAC recommends clarifications to outfitters, guides and spotters rules; removes federal‑permit requirement
Summary
The council unanimously approved edits to state outfitters/guides rules including changing renewal dates, clarifying federal land‑use permit timing, and removing a hard requirement that applicants include federal permits at time of application; the RAC also voted to remove a workers’ compensation clause for contracted guides.
The Northern RAC unanimously supported a package of amendments to the state’s outfitters, guides and spotters rules after detailed discussion with Chad Vetridge (Division of Law Enforcement) and public commenters who work as outfitters and guides.
Major changes approved by the RAC include moving the annual certificate‑of‑registration renewal from the winter hunting season to March 31 to avoid requiring renewals during hunts, clarifying that federal land‑use permits are required to operate on federal lands but need not be in hand at the time of the Division of Wildlife’s application, and removing a workers’‑compensation clause that created compliance uncertainty for guides who are 1099 independent contractors.
Vetridge told the council the division would also consider striking a rule phrase requiring guides to adhere to “generally accepted standards and ethics of the profession” because it is not defined and could be difficult to enforce. Several guides and outfitters testified about operational concerns, including how affiliated‑guide lists and quick online affiliation can allow a substitute guide to be added rapidly if a primary guide falls ill during a hunt.
The RAC added a substantive motion asking the division to remove the requirement that applicants include federal land permits with their state application and to clarify that the state permit does not grant permission on federal lands; the motion also eliminated the workers’ compensation clause (72‑3‑2‑e). The motion passed unanimously. Vetridge said the division aims to keep online affiliation rapid and to allow guides to affiliate with multiple outfitters while paying the guide fee once.
The rule changes will be forwarded to the wildlife board; the division said it will continue outreach to clarify application steps, liability expectations and how federal MOUs will interact with state registration.
