BOISE - Virgil Moore's career with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game started more than 30 years ago when, fresh out of college, he was sent to the southeast corner of the state to study cutthroat trout in one of the state's blue ribbon streams - the South Fork of the Snake River.

On Thursday, Moore capped his rise in the state fish and game management business when he was tapped to become the 13th director in the agency's history.

Sporting a red tie adorned with images of trout flies, Moore told reporters he is eager to bring his experience and expertise to an agency responsible for managing the state's diverse population of fish, wildlife and big game.

"It's an honor ... it's especially an honor to be selected as the director for an organization I've had the privilege of working for 30-some odd years," Moore told reporters at a news conference at agency headquarters in Boise. "We're going to be able to hit the ground running fast and hard."

Moore, 59, was selected from five other finalists who emerged in a nationwide search for a replacement for Cal Groen, who stepped down as director last month after four years in the director's office.

Gov. Butch Otter praised Groen for his leadership Thursday, then extended Moore an early vote of confidence.

"Virgil has some big shoes to fill," Otter said in a statement. "But given his long experience at the department, I believe he can ably handle these new responsibilities. I look forward to working with him."

Moore also praised his predecessor, but the Boise native said he is eager to implement some of his own ideas for leading the department and overseeing Idaho's bounty of trout, salmon, bears, elk, moose, raptors and songbirds.

For example, Moore said he intends to spend the next few months gathering insight from all groups with an interest in Idaho wildlife management. He also suggested the time may be right to establish a state wildlife congress made up of sportsmen, conservationists, outfitters and other stakeholders to provide more local input on department policy making.

"That's job one for me," Moore said. "Engaging in that conversation with our sportsman groups and other conservation oriented entities and individuals that are out there."

He also inherits plenty of challenges. Moore will be in charge of an agency with about 600 employees and a $78 million annual budget funded entirely on fees from hunting and fishing licenses and proceeds from the sale of wildlife license plates.

He is now the agency's frontman for wolf management, a thorny subject in a state where the wolf population has ballooned in the last 20 years, irritating some hunting groups that blame wolves for the decline of some of the state's most highly prized wild elk herds and confounding ranchers dealing with livestock losses.

Moore said Thursday the challenge facing his agency and the state is finding ways to manage all predators roaming the Idaho's forests, backcountry and ranges.

"It's not just about wolves, it's about predators and predator management and recognizing that those predators are here to stay," Moore said.

Before his promotion, Moore served as deputy director for field operations, a position he had held since 2007. In 2005 he was named director of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, but he stepped down less than a year later to move back to Idaho for family reasons.

During his career in Idaho, Moore has served as bureau chief for fisheries and chief of the agency's education and information division.

He earned a bachelor's degree in biology and education from Northwest Missouri State University and a master's degree in zoology from Idaho State University.