ATF halts Idaho Fish & Game use of non-lethal 'cracker shells'

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game will no longer issue non-lethal “cracker shells” as a way of scaring off intrusive wild animals.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives issued a letter last November announcing that all explosive pest-control devices are only to be issued to individuals with a federal explosive license.

However, Fish and Game officials are still determining how that affects cracker shells, which are fired from a single-barrel shotgun directly above an animal. The loud shot is used to scare off animals such as geese, elk or wolves from farms or roads.

The state agency in the past has distributed the shells to landowners. Both parties may need the explosive license to use them now.

“This decision is still relatively new to us, so while we are no longer issuing them, we are still looking into if the cracker shell falls under the ‘explosive’ category,” said Mike Keckler, Fish and Game spokespokesman.

Former President George W. Bush signed the Safe Explosives Act in 2002. Since then, various agencies across the nation have struggled to define what could or could not be classified as an explosive.

ATF lists all of its firearms licensees on its website. However, it does not list those who have been issued an explosive license.

The Magic Valley Region Fish and Game office received the news about the decision to stop using cracker shells in an email earlier this week, said Brad Lowe, the region’s landowner coordinator.

“They were our first line of defense when a farmer called asking for help,” Lowe said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services has also stopped issuing the explosive devices, said Todd Grimm, the agency’s western district supervisor.

“I don’t really know what else people would use. I think we’ll just see more people getting their own explosive license,” he said. “They were a relatively successful device when used in the right situation, that is until animals figured out they were useless after people shot at them so much.”

Grimm estimated that Wildlife Services, which does not have an explosive license, distributes roughly 1,000 cracker shells a year.

Lowe said the Magic Valley Fish and Game office was still deciding whether to apply for the license or stop issuing the cracker shells. However, finding an alternative might be difficult.

“There’s just nothing quite like it,” he said. “There isn’t anything out there that can shoot an explosive about 100 yards away. We’re going to be creative to find something else.”