Don't hunt BC Canada

[Ramcam]

Do Not Hunt BC, Canada

Why would I say this about my beautiful province in Canada?

Our current Liberal government has recently changed its policy in regards to wildlife allocations. These changes put a huge amount of our wildlife into the hands of the guiding industry at the behest of the GOABC (guide outfitters of BC) and have left resident hunters, like myself, with less opportunity. Basically, our government has privatized wildlife and sold it to the highest bidder with no regards to the average working class citizens who pay for conservation of animals and stewardship of the land through our taxes.

The norm in North America is for 5-10% of game to be allocated to the guiding industry. The changes we are facing would put 40% of sheep/grizzly/mnt goat in the north to guides, and up to 25% of other species. These changes are NOT a result of surplus wildlife, we are actually in a downswing in game numbers at the moment. How would you feel if this was happening in your state? What if our province is setting a precedent?


If you are considering booking a hunt in Canada, please educate yourself. There are guides in BC that do not belong to GOABC and do not support these allocation changes. Also remember, there are sheep in Yukon, Alberta and the North West Territories.



Finally, the lawyers are following our efforts and I'm afraid they may engage us residents with litigious law suits. So hear is my disclaimer. All comments are opinion only and I make no claim to the accuracy or completeness of any facts or figures I have provided. As I said please educate yourself.

Thank You for your time Below are some petitions for your consideration.


https://www.change.org/p/christy-clark-don-t-take-away-resident-hunters-rights

http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/

 

[MartinBow]

I know exactly where you are coming from Ramcam. Unfortunately this is getting worse and seems to be the norm, not the exception across North America. Just this past spring we had many “sportsmen” organizations support a bill that took away coveted hunts from us residents so they could be sold to the highest bidder. Makes me sick that money trumps opportunities for residents!
Although I can’t afford to do a guided hunt, I would boycott BC based on what you have presented. Thanks for sharing and bringing these issues to light.

 

[4merguide]

Do Not Hunt BC, Canada

Why would I say this about my beautiful province in Canada?

Our current Liberal government has recently changed its policy in regards to wildlife allocations. These changes put a huge amount of our wildlife into the hands of the guiding industry at the behest of the GOABC (guide outfitters of BC) and have left resident hunters, like myself, with less opportunity.

Isn't it great how when it comes to the almighty dollar, it really brings out the best in our governments.......

 

[russellclifton]

Don't get me wrong, I love BC, spent many vacations there. I recently viewed a video on Youtube entitled [h=1]Salmon Confidential Documentary 2013 British Columbia. It's very obvious that the government there is in bed with the commercial fish farms. Looks like the guiding folks took note and followed suit.[/h]

 

[Yukoner]

I feel your pain. Here in the Yukon, the government recently allowed an area that has been residents only for the last 12 years to be put back into outfitting use. The new outfitter promptly hammered the area for Sheep (North Curl outfitters) and this will impact resident opportunities in this area. The outfitter is currently under no quota for Sheep in his area. In fact, currently here in the Yukon no outfitter is under any quota for Sheep, and guys like Jim Shockey take very Moose they can, which has affected Moose populations in areas accessible to residents. Another situation we have faced here is outfitters working with air services to keep resident hunters out of "their" areas. I have talked to hunters who were flatly refused by air services to fly them in to lakes the outfitter had camps on.
Yet I bring these sorts of things up with other residents, and no one seems to get to worked up about it. Voting as a block, you think that we hunters could show e politicians who they are supposed to be working for.

 

[Ramcam]

Thanks for the support fellas.We have lots going on to have this new allocation stopped.Radio and TV interviews lots of heat for the politicians.We will not bend on this.If you are interested there are lots of threads on the Hunting BC site.http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/index.php It would be great to have your input.Thanks

 

[Ramcam]

Some more news this was just released to the paper .We are hopeful but wary

From The Province Online:

When the provincial government unveiled changes last month to B.C.’s hunting policies, they “didn’t get it quite right,” a cabinet minister has acknowledged, saying they will go back to the drawing board later this month.

Bill Bennett, Liberal MLA for Kootenay East, said the government has heard the public outcry from B.C. hunters, who were up in arms and claiming the new Wildlife Harvest Allocation decision unfairly favoured foreigners and professional hunting guides, at the expense of resident hunters.
A director of the B.C. Wildlife Federation said some resident hunters feel like “second class citizens in their own province” because the Dec. 10 decision gave a larger share of big game hunting permits to professional guides and outfitters, who largely cater to foreign hunters.
The issue ignited passionate debate in recent weeks, with Bennett himself admitting he got “pissed off” to the point where he wrote an “embarrassing” Facebook message.

Last month, after concerned hunters debated the topic on Bennett’s Facebook page, Bennett replied with a public post saying: “Frankly Steve (Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations) doesn’t need the votes to get elected and I’m not running again, so all the threats don’t mean sh-- to us.”

Some B.C. residents who saw Bennett’s Facebook comment, as well as opposition NDP politicians, expressed concern and disappointment at what they perceived as a lack of regard for the voting public.

Bennet said he didn’t intend it that way, and thought the post was a private message. When he realized the comment could be read by people other than the intended recipient, Bennett said, he was “horrified” and immediately removed it. He apologized to anyone who was upset by reading the message, and added: “Steve (Thomson) had no idea I was going to say that ... that’s not his fault that I said what I said. That’s on me, totally.”
Bennett also said the government has heard the wave of outrage from B.C.’s hunters who were dismayed by last month’s announcement.
“I think we are going to have to change what we announced, and I’ve already said that to the Minister (Thomson).”
Bennett said that by the end of January, the government will try to get the two sides together — the BCWF representing resident hunters, and the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. (GOABC) for the industry — to “try to work something out that everybody can live with ... We realize we didn’t get it quite right.”

Jesse Zeman, a BCWF director, said it came as welcome news that the government wanted to restart talks on wildlife allocation.
“From our perspective, the door is always open,” Zeman said. “This is a public resource, it’s not being managed in the best interest of British Columbians ... I think what they’re hearing is British Columbians are not happy.”

On the other side, Scott Ellis, executive director of the Guide Outfitters Association of B.C., said he “totally, 100 per cent” disagrees with Zeman’s characterization that resident hunters stand to lose out to the outfitting industry.
Like Zeman, Ellis said it was news to him that the government intends to go back to the table on this issue with the GOABC and BCWF, and he was “very disappointed.”

“We’ve spent 10 years and government finally makes a decision ... what are we going to do now?” asked Ellis. “But if the government demands we come back to the table to discuss what they’ve already decided, obviously we will participate.”
The NDP MLA for Columbia River-Revelstoke, Norm Macdonald, said: “I’m actually really pleased, I had not heard the government is going to revisit this ... That’s what should happen.”

“Certainly, (Bennett’s) Facebook post speaks to an attitude that is unacceptable,” Macdonald said. “Nobody should accept the idea that’s expressed in that Facebook post, that’s just not on.”

One B.C. hunter who read Bennett’s Facebook post said she thought it was “incredibly condescending.” Another said he was “shocked.”
The NDP critic for Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Harry Bains, wrote in a letter that Bennett’s comments “revealed in the ugliest terms possible, how little they care for those who disagree with their decisions.”

Bains wrote in the letter, sent last month to BCWF president George Wilson, that Bennett’s comments suggested “Minister Steve Thomson ignored hunters because he feels secure in his Kelowna-Mission constituency and does not need their votes. And Energy Minister Bill Bennett, who has a well-earned reputation for belittling critics, ignored hunters because he will not seek re-election and doesn’t care about their votes.”

Bennett acknowledged this wasn’t the first time in his 14 years as an MLA that he’s apologized for sending tersely-worded online messages, mentioning an angry, profanity-laced email he sent to a constituent in 2007. That email, also on the topic of wildlife allocations, led to Bennett resigning his cabinet position.

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[Yukoner]

Well, I guess that a bit of good news, sort of......
Ultimately, you would think environmentalists and hunters could work together. After all, hunters should be environmentalists, unless all you are interested in is hunting deer in cut blocks. The two groups working together would have some serious clout.
keep us posted.