FAST FIVE: T.J. Ross tells the tales of wild Idaho

Meet T.J. Ross, the regional communications manager for Idaho Fish and Game in the Panhandle Region. T.J. has been with the department since 2012, and he thoroughly enjoys working for the people of Idaho; he is honored to live and work in such an incredible state. When asked what he does for Fish and Game, he says he tells the stories of Fish and Game — what they do, why they do it and how it benefits people who hunt, fish and trap in Idaho.

1) What drew you to a career with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game?

There isn’t another state in the U.S. like Idaho. People who live here know it, and people who visit here recognize it. Having spent the first 22 years of my life in a suburb of Oklahoma City, I longed to roam and explore with my rod, reel and gun in tow. After graduating with a master’s degree in natural resources in 2012, my eyes were set on Idaho. So much public land, such incredible fish and wildlife opportunity and a state fish and game agency that was known across the country as top tier — both in how they managed fish and wildlife and, most importantly, in how they engaged the public in fish and wildlife management. The choice was simple, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the decision!

2) What do you do in a typical day at work?

Despite popular belief, most days I stare at a computer screen and exercise my fingers on a keyboard. While in the office, I write press releases that get distributed to local media outlets, do interviews with local news stations and produce content for our social media channels. About once I week I get out “in the field” to take pictures and videos of work our staff are doing. I do this because I desire for the public to get an insider view of the work we are doing (because it’s pretty darn cool), and then I like to explain why we are doing that work and what it means for folks who hunt, fish and trap. Our staff are working tirelessly for the people of this state, and I take great pride in making sure the public gets to see that.

3) What is one of the most exciting encounters you have had with wildlife?

There are so many to choose from; however, this is an easy one! About eight years ago I was spot and stalk hunting black bears in the spring near Priest Lake. I was sitting under a lone tree in a meadow during the evening, enjoying watching and listening to the meadow prepare for nighttime. As I was about to doze off for an afternoon nap, I caught a glimpse of movement about 200 yards directly in front of me, where the forest met the meadow’s edge. I watched as a gray wolf wandered into the meadow; it looked and acted as if it owned the meadow. The wolf was moving at a decent clip, apparently on a mission. Wolf season was not open at the time, so I was simply enjoying the moment. I sat and watched, motionless, as the wolf continued to make its way toward me. I was fully enclosed by the branches of the tree under which I was resting, so the wolf had no way of seeing me on its trek. When the wolf stepped to within 25 feet of me, I finally raised my rifle and hollered at it. The wolf stopped in its tracks, its eyes, ears and nose locked in on my position; I could see the wheels of curiosity turning in its eyes. It then proceeded to slowly circle my tree, until it got downwind of me. As it circled me, the wolf’s nose working hard to pick up even the faintest scent, it knew something was up. As soon as it got downwind of me, the wolf took off and disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. I will always remember that experience. Sure, it was laced with a bit fear, but mostly with excitement and awe. Not too many people are fortunate enough to see an adult wolf that up close and personal!

4) What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I’ll share another story to help answer this question. I have been fishing since the time I could walk — plenty of pictures of me with a rod and reel in one hand and my thumb in my mouth with my other hand. One of the first, if not the first, fish I caught on my own took place in a small muddy creek behind the field where my dad was playing a softball game. My dad took me to his softball game, and while he played, I found my way to a very small, muddy creek trickling its way through a field. While exploring the creek looking for frogs, snakes and turtles, I noticed a few small fish darting around in one of the few deep spots of the creek. I didn’t have a pole, worm or hook — I had nothing. Being a determined little tyke, I managed to find a little piece of string and a clothes pin in the grass nearby. It didn’t take me long to rig up a makeshift fishing pole, and after digging up a worm from under a rock, I was ready to fish. I dropped my homemade rig into the pool, and almost instantly I hooked into a 6-to-8-inch bluegill sunfish! I yarded that fish onto shore, and having no idea how to get it off the “hook” I took off sprinting toward my dad. With no regard for the ongoing softball game, I climbed the back fence of the field and continued to tear across the field in the midst of the game. The game was stopped, and my dad proceeded to get the fish off the hook and tell me how proud of me he was. And so my love for fishing began!

5) What are a few ways we can be better stewards of our natural environment and of those who inhabit it — any tips, tricks or words of wisdom?

I get this question a lot, and I always appreciate the question. A few things I’ll say in response:

Let wildlife be wild. Feeding wildlife never ends well for the animal or the people involved. I get it. My wife, four kids and I live near the base of Canfield Mountain, so we have no shortage of deer and turkeys around our place, and my kids love seeing them. There is nothing wrong with enjoying seeing wildlife in their natural state, but anytime they begin to associate humans with food, bad things happens. Animals can become aggressive and unpredictable, or they spend time lingering around roads which leads to more injuries or deaths to both humans and animals. At the end of the day, don’t feed wildlife, don’t pet them. Give them space and let them remain wild.

Public land is a gem to Idahoans, and we have a ton of it. I encourage folks to treat public land as their own — don’t trash it, clean up after you leave and leave it better than you found it. When public lands get destroyed there can be limitations imposed that are beyond our control. If we all work together and remember that the public land belongs to all of us, we can ensure those lands remain accessible for us and future generations.

Stay in the know on what we are up to. As an agency, we care deeply for the people, fish and wildlife of Idaho. As I’ve already mentioned, our staff are working tirelessly to ensure Idahoans can continue to enjoy all that Idaho has to offer relative to fish and wildlife. By keeping up with what we are up to, folks can better understand and speak to the work we are doing on their behalf.

If you see a wildlife crime, please report it! We have an entire branch of our department dedicated to enforcing fish and wildlife laws, and we rely heavily on tips from the public to be able to make this happen. Folks can do this through our Citizens Against Poaching webpage or hotline, 1-800-632-5999. I can’t overemphasize how helpful this is.

When you have questions, comments or frustrations with us and what we are doing, we honestly want to hear from you. We encourage folks to call, email or stop by the office to chat. Whether we reach an agreement or not, we can absolutely have a conversation and better understand one another’s perspectives.

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Do you know someone in Kootenai County who makes our community awesome? Send Fast Five suggestions to Devin Weeks, dweeks@cdapress.com, to highlight locals who contribute their time and talents to make North Idaho such a special place.