Topics of Interest

B.C.’s top hunting guide for 2015 found guilty of hunting grizzly with bait

The man named B.C.’s top hunting guide for 2015 was months later found guilty of illegally hunting a grizzly with bait.

In March, Martin Thomas was named by the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. (GOABC) as the recipient of the Leland Award, recognizing “guide professionalism,” at the association’s annual general meeting in Kelowna.

Read more.

July 29th, 2015 | Category: Bear hunting, GOABC, Hunting Issues | Comments are closed

Resident Hunters to Rally in Victoria

Victoria Rally Poster

Resident Hunters of British Columbia:

THIS IS THE BIG ONE!

We are planning a rally March 2, 2015 on the steps of the Legislature in Victoria.

This is your opportunity to make it clear to your politicians that you are not supportive of the recently announced Wildlife Allocation Policy.

Each person attending is requested to bring and hand deliver a letter as part of the rally.

We will also have a petition for everyone to sign demanding that Government revisit this policy and change it.

As has been said before ‘THIS IS OUR HILL TO DIE ON!”

We NEED this to be the biggest rally seen YET.

Bring your friends, families and anyone who disagrees with selling off our wildlife!

Resident Hunters Rally in Kelowna

Resident Hunters Rally in Kelowna January 31, 2015

February 10th, 2015 | Category: Allocation, Hunting Issues | Comments are closed

Moving Forward For Future Generations

With the recent decision on wildlife allocations we, as hunters and anglers are learning a few things:

  1. Money talks. GOABC has been busy funding the liberal party and it has paid huge dividends for them. They have been able to manipulate elected officials to increase their share of wildlife over not only the last couple months, but that last few years.
  2. Elected officials will not represent your best interests. They will give away your ability to hunt and fish for a few party dollars. They will turn a blind eye to fish, wildlife and habitat management as well as populations in decline. Moose populations are in the gutter in Regions 5, and 7a. Mule deer are down in many parts. Wild sheep populations are being killed off by domestic sheep. Caribou populations across all of BC are wayyyyyyyy down. Steelhead in the Thompson are in abysmal shape as they are on Vancouver Island. We have issues with salmon that have never been tackled or nobody is even talking about. Government has not done a thing to help that out and won’t until hunters and anglers get active.
  3. We are not being heard; our voice is not being listened to by government. They do not care about what hunters and anglers have to say.

The funny thing is you and your family has the ability to control the outcome of the provincial election. There are more than enough hunters and anglers in BC to go out and absolutely control what happens in BC. This ‘power’ gives you the ability to dictate what hunters and anglers want to see in terms of management and allocation.

Moving forward there are a few things that MUST HAPPEN.

  • Resident hunters and anglers need to start electing people who represent them. That means asking candidates if they will support them unequivocally before the next provincial election.
  • That means getting involved in your local political party.
  • That means supporting people who support you and if you want, slamming the people who don’t support you.
  • Resident hunters and anglers need to start writting their MLAs every time they read/hear/talk about something.
  • Every time you are worried about fish/wildlife populations or allocations pick up a paper and write the opposition party leaders, the Minister and the Premier.
  • Resident hunters and anglers need to tell all of their non-hunting friends and families.
  • Resident hunters and anglers need to write letters to the editor regularly.
  • Resident hunters and anglers need to start kicking some @ss.

Summing it up, not only are fish and wildlife populations being mismanaged and allowed to slip in decline, so if our access and share of these shrinking pies.

If this continues our kids and grandkids will have a hunting and fishing experience that is a shadow of what we have all experienced.

February 9th, 2015 | Category: Allocation, Angling Issues, Hunting Issues | Comments are closed

Minister Steve Thomson Makes an Allocation Decision

On Wednesday, December 10, 2014 the BCWF received Minister Steve Thomson’s decision on allocation, including “regionally tailored” splits between residents and non-residents. The allocation splits represent a degradation of resident priority with an increased share going to guided hunters in many cases. Your displeasure of this decision must be made loud and clear to your MLA, Minister Thomson, and Premier Christy Clark.

Letter from Minister Steve Thomson to BCWF president George Wilson explaining his allocation decision.

Allocation Splits.

December 10th, 2014 | Category: Allocation, Hunting Issues | Comments are closed

Does the Province Support BC Resident Families or Foreign Trophy Hunters?

The BC Guide Outfitting industry that harvest wildlife for profit, and their foreign trophy hunting clients have become the subject of much controversy amongst the resident hunting community throughout BC, and the BC Wildlife Federation. At the heart of the issue is the Guide Outfitters Association of BC (GOABC) lobbying Minister of FLNRO Steve Thomson and Premier Christy Clark to remove more wildlife harvest allocations from 100,000 resident hunter to 210 Guide Outfitters throughout BC. Ultimately the GOABC is asking that Government hand over substantially more BC resident wildlife allocations to Guide Outfitters.

What does this mean for resident hunters? Much less opportunity to fill your freezers with organic meat, increased odds on Limited Entry, and less opportunity for resident hunters to hunt overall. This in an effort by the GOABC to prop up commercial trophy hunting primarily for foreigners, at the expense of BC residents.

Other North American jurisdictions allow commercial hunting interests 10% or less of allocated species. Here in BC Guide Outfitters have successfully lobbied the Minister to allocate (give them) up to 40% of allocated wildlife species.

Independent Guide Outfitters and the GOABC have argued the economic benefits of the trophy hunting business. However, recent economic reports reveal that resident hunters contribute far more to the BC economy through the many businesses supporting their outdoor recreation, hunting for food, and wildlife conservation. With these findings it makes no sense economically, and in the interest of wildlife to shift hunting allocations away from resident hunters to that of foreign trophy hunters.

Resident hunting spans generations having a strong heritage, traditional, social and cultural foundation. Family and friendship bonds are fostered and nurtured through our revered hunting opportunities, and many cherished memories created lasting lifetimes.

We fear that the minister of FLNRO and the Premier may not recognize or fail to better entrench these very important family values of BC residents, and cater to the GOABC and their trophy hunting for profit business agenda. By coincidence, the GOABC and a number of Guide Outfitters contributed to the liberal party in the last provincial election.

It is our perspective that after conservation, and First Nations food, social and ceremonial needs, that the needs of BC residents be met over that of foreign hunting interests. We must ask government decision makers if they will allow 210 Guide Outfitters and the GOABC to trump the social values, economic contribution, and hunt for food opportunity of 100,000 resident hunting families?

If the Minister and Premier truly support BC’s 100,000 resident hunting families, then the now vitiated 2007 Allocation Policy needs to be rescinded, allocated wildlife spits legislated, and immediately set to 90% residents and 10% Guide Outfitters for all species as is done in other jurisdictions. Does the Province support 100’000 BC resident hunting families or that of 210 Guide Outfitters catering to foreign trophy hunters? The Ministers decision will tell and are anxiously awaiting for it.

Mike Langegger

Northwest Fish and Wildlife Conservation Association – Chairman

December 9th, 2014 | Category: Allocation, Hunting Issues | Comments are closed
 
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