Idaho committee advances bill to legalize sabots for muzzleloader season

House Bill 128, which would legalize the use of sabots in muzzleloader-only seasons, was advanced to the floor after a committee vote.

Representative Ron Mendai, presenting HB 128, told the committee the measure is brief and modeled on prior, narrow changes to hunting equipment. “It's a pretty simple bill. You can see what it does. It's very short,” Representative Mendai said. He described sabots as plastic wads that encase a conical projectile to improve the seal with rifle grooves, increase accuracy and “mushroom” on impact, which he said improves terminal performance and helps hunters recover game.

The bill would remove an existing agency rule that prohibits sabots during the muzzleloader season and put the allowance into statute. Representative Mendai said the rule currently reads that using a sabot in a muzzleloader-only season is unlawful (rule cited in testimony as “406703”). He and other proponents framed the change as a limited technical update similar to past statutory approvals of lighted nocks and expandable broadheads.

Nick Fasiano, executive director of the Idaho Wildlife Federation, testified in support but urged caution about repeatedly specifying individual technologies in statute. “If we get, you know, a series of additional bills that does specifies individual technologies that we could potentially get into a tangled web that's a little bit harder to unravel through the public process,” Fasiano said, adding that Fish and Game has an advanced-technology working group to consider such changes.

Supporters argued the change improves humane harvest by reducing the number of wounded animals that escape. Several senators said they expected the Department of Fish and Game (Fish and Game) would review technology changes slowly and deliberately. Dissenting members said moving specific technical rules into statute can be premature and could erode the intended “primitive” character of muzzleloader hunting; one senator said he intended to vote no.

The committee took a voice vote on a motion to send HB 128 to the floor with a recommendation to pass. The chair declared, “Ayes have it. The motion carries.” The record shows members raised objections during debate but the committee approved forwarding the bill.

The measure will next be scheduled for floor consideration, where it would receive additional debate and a public record vote.