http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/b-c-...ers-are-wrong/
B.C. hunters have been shortchanged by the provincial government’s latest hunting allocations, according to B.C. Conservative Leader Dan Brooks.
The party leader, based in Kamloops, said documents provided through a freedom-of-information request show the number of animals lost to resident hunters is more than double the B.C. government’s estimate of 60.
The number is in reality 129, Brooks said, noting that represents more than 400 lost opportunities for B.C. hunters.
Brooks owns a guide outfitting territory in the Vanderhoof region.
The B.C. Wildlife Federation criticized allocations released by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and National Resource Development, saying it favours guide-outfitters and foreign hunters at the expense of local hunters.
The ministry revised the number, saying the reallocation was as few as 60.
“It’s an attempt to marginalize hunter concerns,” Brooks said of the numbers provided by government. “They’re saying, ‘You’re all wound up about 60 animals.’ It’s way higher than that.”
Brooks said the province is a long way from reaching the goal of allocating 90 per cent of limited-entry hunts to resident hunters and 10 per cent to guide outfitters and their clients.
He is scheduled to attend the B.C. Wildlife Federation annual general meeting in Fernie this weekend to rally support for changes to the system.
