I have yet to meet a guide that hunts by the book.
I knew of one guide out east that was shooting calves and using them for bear bait so his clients could shoot grizzly,It was only through a local hunter that he was caught, but not enough evidence to charge him. He sold his guide outfitters. the next one that bought it were pit lamping.2 years latter it was sold and low and behold we start finding bear scat with corn it.
No hunting ethics.

doneright, this isn’t about bad guide stories, it’s about the government planning on giving the guides 25% of the bull moose tags in 7A. It took me 12 years to get lucky and get drawn for a bull moose tag in 7A, and now the CC govt wants to give the guides more and make it even harder?? It’s obscene.

Since when does our government support wealthy trophy hunters [guides clients] at the expense of regular British Columbia Resident hunters? We hunt for food, sport, family activities and many more reasons…there are over 100,000 resident hunters and around 4500 wealthy trophy hunters….why should 4500 get a 25% share?

I quit hunting about 10 years ago mainly because I could see a decline starting in the moose postulation and also the fear of getting shot by the huge increase of inexperienced hunters hunting with quads in areas which would take me sometimes up to 2 hours to access by foot.

ATV’S and UTV’S should be limited to either elderly or handy cap “use only” during hunting season.

I still purchased limited entries every year,like others with no success. However my neighbor seems to get one every year along with his wife and kids? Could it be who you know or just lucky?

I wonder how many of the hunters who are offended by this change will find themselves in Mexico, Cuba or the Caribbean this winter, sitting at a resort which caters to well off foreigners at the expense of the locals who can no longer use the beach they once enjoyed?

I guess that is relevant if your looking at it in a economic way, but totally off topic NMG

Minster Steve Thomson,
I am writing because I am extremely disappointed in yourgovernment’s direction regarding wildlife management and wildlifeallocations.
For my friends and family, hunting and fishing is a hugepart of our lives.We rely on fish andgame as our main source of organic, hormone free protein.We believe hunting and fishing are part of ahealthy lifestyle and enjoy spending our time year round in the outdoorsenjoying all of what BC has to offer.In an effort to fill our freezers we spend thousands of dollarsannually, supporting outdoor stores, gas stations, camera and optics suppliers,etc.Additionally, I volunteer manyhours annually to assisting with habitat enhancement, garbage clean-up andother projects organized through my local fish and game club.I have also lead programs to introduce youthto the hunting and fishing lifestyle with a clear understanding that engagingyoungsters will ensure fish and wildlife will be taken care of for generationsto come.
Your government’s approach to wildlife management andallocation is not consistent with why we elected and supported you in the lastseveral elections.I voted for youbecause I expected you to represent your constituents and the public interest. I believed that you supported scientificrather than social game management.Idid not expect you to turn against the wishes of the public to pay off partysupporters through back door deals.
Rather than implementing an allocation policy that wasnegotiated and agreed upon in 2007 between the BCWF and GOABC you have allowedcontinued lobbying from the guide outfitters to make this agreement void.Your decision to give away up to 40% of BC’sharvestable wildlife to foreign trophy hunters is not something the majority ofBritish Columbians will support.
In the Okanagan, moose are a very sought after species.Odds of drawing a tag to hunt are in excessof 50:1 in many management units.Yourgovernment has reduced the spike/fork season from one month to two weeks due toconservation concerns.Historically, thesplit in our region has been 97/3 and now you have decided to change that to80/20?This is completelyunacceptab le!
You have chosen to hand over an unprecedented percentage ofBC wildlife to 4500 non-residents while ignoring the fact that there are `102,000British Columbian resident hunters who pay taxes, contribute over $230,000,000 to the BC economyand $9,000,000 to habitat projects through license fees and donate over 300,000hours to fishing, habitat and wildlife conservation projects across theprovince.The vast majority of 4.5million British Columbians will be disgusted with your further commercializingwildl ife pandering to the ridiculous demands of the guide/outfitter industry.
Secretive deals are not what the democratic process is allabout.If you do not reverse yourdecision on allocations and begin to manage wildlife in this Province withtransparency and integrity, I will not vote for you in the next election andwill work passionately to ensure you are removed as an MLA.
In Conservation,
Sean Richardson`

WELL SAID MR RICHARDSON – This is a good letter to cc to our own MLA’s here in PG.

Somehow need to all join together in some way, be it organization or petition, to get this resolved

Thanks

There is a petition making the rounds on Facebook…

https://www.change.org/p/adrian-dix-don-t-take-away-resident-hunters-rights?recruiter=64020441&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_facebook_responsive&utm_term=mob-xs-no_src-custom_msg

All of the reasons for hunting that Mr. Richardson articulated are laudable. Trophy hunting is not, and should not be permitted at all. Equip non-resident hunters and their guides with cameras and binoculars only.

Way to go Ben, you stepped right in the trap that was laying in plain sight – you’ve got the hunters fighting amongst themselves. Exactly what the bureaucrats in Victoria want. Forget the fact that the real issue is a declining moose population – focus what’s on the other guys plate.

The issue is far to complex to start taking one issue out of context and expounding on it. It doesn’t affect me either way, but it doesn’t mean you’re not wrong on this one.

Stop all hunting for 5 yrs. let nature take its course. With all the advancement in hunting toys, trail cameras, atvs, etc etc it’s time to give the animals a break.

The GOABC has been a pretty reliable contributor to the Liberal party. Guess it’s paying off.

http://tinyurl.com/o2gaujy

Prohunter…it’s hunters fighting businessmen, don’t kid yourself the GOABC is all about making money. Who owns all these guiding territories anyways…how much do they donate to the BC Liberals??? Are the owners of these companies even Canadians??

Resident hunters are not going to roll over on this one.

P Val: “Stop all hunting for 5 yrs.”

Does that include or exclude FN?

I hunt to fill my freezer, just as my ancestors have done for thousands of years before guides and outfitters existed. Try and stop me from continuing with it.

Jimmy “Save-On “Patteson has done the same thing with the Halibut allocation in BC. Big money controls everything. How long until the civil unrest starts?

Dragon master, how about this, hunt the animals with the same equipement that your ancestors did. Leave the high powered rifles, atvs, vehicles at home. Animals haven’t evolved so go back to the good old days with the good old ways ;)

Why, because thats how YOU want it?

You’re assuming everyone hunts like you described above? I hunt using ALL legal methods. Camo and archery being at the top of the list. Got a problem with a deer not knowing you were ten feet away, then all of a sudden “thwack” its bled out? No hormones, antibiotics or all the other awesome chemicals most people consume from their local Pattison supermarket meat products. I kill my own food, most people pay others to kill their food, then whine about hunters. ;)

so your ancestors had freezers ..lol

Perma frost is awesome stuff!

I’m writing this letter today in an effort to raise awareness and persuade our government to reconsider the proposed wildlife allocation policy as it relates to BC Resident Hunters and the Guide Outfitters Association of BC (GOABC). While normally I am confident in my Government’s ability to make sound decisions on my behalf, this latest proposed allocation policy defies any kind of logic and serves to undermine the foundation and heritage this great province is based upon.
BC Resident Hunters have always faced an uphill battle with respect to how we are perceived in the eyes of our fellow non-hunting citizens. For decades we have been degraded, often criticized for our values and simply for the primal instinct that exists within all of us to provide for our families. More often than not it is the action of a small few that make headlines in the media for their unlawful actions that have further degraded our reputation. In the last decade I have seen first-hand that attitude and perception change.
Today, hunters are often recognized as stewards of our lands, caretakers of our wildlife, proponents of active living and advocates of healthier (non-processed or modified) diets. I have volunteered on many occasions to assist my hunting and fishing brethren in stewardship projects that saw historical winter grazing areas restored after years of mismanaged logging practices, spawning streams restored after decades of short-sighted development and quite simply, a lack of care for our environment. You will find this same attitude and commitment to wildlife values across our province.
These same good citizens time and time again spend countless hours of their own personal time educating our youth and future leaders in the importance of respecting our outdoors and appreciating all we have. We teach them the incredible value that our wildlife and the lands and waterways in which they live bring to our very being. It is at the root of who we are and all that makes our province so majestic. Swing by any fish and game club and I guarantee you will observe countless kids engaged in knowledge sharing with their peers and sharing stories with their families and friends…not attached to a video game or a television.
I have been an outdoorsperson my entire life. My first memories were camping with my family. I’ve hunted since a very early age and always looked forward in anticipation to the coming of Fall and to another great hunting season with friends and family. My entire family hunts and have shared in this tradition for more than 3 decades. We’ve shared countless stories which I can assure you are second to none. You see, to hunt is so primal, so very much the essence of who we are, that simply the thrill of the hunt…using all our wits, our skills, our senses, in good weather or bad, hot or cold, wet or dry, creates an everlasting memory that is entrenched in our very being. Ask a hunter to recall a hunt he or she was involved in and I can assure you that every detail is recalled without hesitation and in Technicolor. I tell you these things because our government needs to understand that hunting is not just a sport, it’s who we are and it’s what makes us whole.
What our government doesn’t realize is that there are over 102,000 people just like me all over this province, who cherish our lands and the bounty within as much as anyone. There are hundreds of thousands more in this province that may not be hunters but who appreciate hunters and the values we instill in our families and those around us. While I suspect Premier Clark and Minister Thompson are not hunters themselves, I would hope they would seek to understand exactly who we are and why we are so passionate about the rights of all British Columbians and what rightfully should be preserved for all future generations in BC. To give our wildlife away to the GOABC is a travesty and shameful that it has even been considered. To suggest that 20% to 35% of our most prized hunted wildlife be allocated to the GOABC, a group of approximately 230 outfitters is absolutely disgraceful. Just so we’re clear…that’s 0.225% of the BC Resident Hunter population in BC…assuming the members of GOABC are in-fact BC residents. I suspect if anyone in the media did some fact-checking they’d find that many of these owners DO NOT reside here and surely do not spend their revenues here. Perhaps the media should have a look at who some of your campaign contributors were…you may find the same names on that list.
Your government has made false promises to the BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) for years. As a proud member of the BCWF, I am grateful for all that they do as stewards of our land, our wildlife, and our youth. They have always taken the high road with government – seeking amicable solutions in the best interests of all stakeholders…they have NOT received the same in return. I hope that all BC citizens, hunters or not, truly understand that for the BCWF to take this issue to all media and forums, is an indication that this issue has reached critical mass…that they have exhausted all efforts to work with government amicably and for the best interests of our province, only to see that this government relishes in the sale of our resources while disregarding the voices of so many.

Sincerely,

SG
BCWF Member – British Columbia’s largest and oldest conservation organization

always wondered how hunting is considered a sport. Teams aren’t equal, equipement, isn’t equal. Hunting is an activity.

Hunting is older than you, was a means of survival, will always be, and is practiced by more life forms on this planet than us humans. Who exactly is it that calls hunting a sport?