Idaho Department of Fish and Game commissioner Brody Harshbarger
In what sounds like yet another headline we definitely didn’t want to see on the timeline, the guy Idaho’s governor tapped to help set the state’s hunting rules, bag limits, and wildlife policy, was charged earlier this month for allegedly turning a Saturday in December into his own bonus elk season.
That’s right, Brody Harshbarger, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game commissioner representing the Upper Snake Region, is now up against seven misdemeanor charges related to the alleged unlawful killing of a pair of bull elk in Fremont County back on December 20th of last year.
According to court records and a conservation officer’s deposition, the case began when a tip was received via the Citizens Against Poaching hotline reporting individuals shooting at elk near the Spring Hollow boat ramp. Responding officers later located a six-point bull on private property and an antlerless bull on adjacent Bureau of Reclamation land.
Harshbarger, a dryland farmer from Ashton, Idaho, had reportedly filled his own elk tag the previous weekend and decided he’d better be off going tagless for the final two bulls of his “season”. Court documents allege that neither Harshbarger nor the second man involved (identified as Eric Murphy) had permission to hunt on the private property where one elk was recovered.
The charges against Harshbarger include three counts of unlawful taking of game animals, hunting without an appropriate tag, hunting from a motorized vehicle (he allegedly let the bullets fly from the driver’s seat of a pickup truck), shooting across a public highway, and trespassing on private property to hunt.
Each misdemeanor carries potential penalties of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, with certain counts carrying additional civil penalties of up to $750 and possible revocation of hunting privileges for anywhere between one and three years.
As for the timeline so far, Harshbarger pleaded not guilty to all charges on March 6th and has since voluntarily agreed to postpone his duties as commissioner until the case is resolved, according to a letter from Governor Brad Little’s office. He did not attend the most recent Fish and Game Commission meeting and a pretrial conference is scheduled for April 29, 2026, at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony. His term is set to expire in June 2027.
So far the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has been mum on the issue, noting that Harshbarger is a gubernatorial appointee rather than a department employee. The Fremont County Prosecutor’s Office and Harshbarger have not issued public statements on the allegations beyond the not-guilty plea.
This remains an ongoing legal matter with more updates expected following next month’s pretrial hearing.
