Provincial mule deer bag limit changes for 2018 season

[finngun]

Poor truck hunters will have to walk! Oh no. WT hunting is too hard!

one day when ya getting closer to70years old...you walking long distances is maybe not priorities anymore,,lucily i can walk some km. still no problems..but not much hill climbing or draging deer down long ways....man has to know his limitations...clint eastwood...

[Bugle M In]

I find myself a little "torn" on this topic/policy.
I have never really understood the reason for taking more game then you need.
I myself eat tag soup a lot.
I find myself with the opportunity to cut my tag/s most years, but often don't.
I am not that found of deer meat, so, I like to look for a "quality sized" buck, which isn't and will not be around
every tree regardless of policies and restrictions.
But then, that is my choice, to hunt in the manner I want, and I don't have the right to say that the next person beside me should do the same.
My only expectation is that everyone show some rationality, and not just go out there and "cut a tag" because you
"have a tag"....IMO.
What scares me right now, is that I may agree with this policy, but at the same time, question the future of
hunting opportunities in the future, especially the way our ministry and any of the previous government parties in
power seem to impose restrictions, but then never lift them down the road....
Worse, is that some of these policies have "backfired"...ie. elk 6 pt restrictions (IMO).
Instead, they just carry on, leave them in place, and then find more ways to restrict.
In the end, the results are worse then before, and all the time, we as hunters, get pushed into tighter and tighter
circles....tripping over ourselves out in the field.
To me there should be some "give and take" here.
If we want to go down to 1 deer only for mule deer....then okay....but, make all the regions open again...
meaning, don't shut down R5 for 10 days.
Maybe expand the seasons later, till end of December again.
If they want to try a different direction to help mule deer...okay...but remove some of the previous restrictions
that did not work.
So, 1 mule deer...okay....but make it any buck, make it all open on the same day, and close on the same day,
and make sure it is open everywhere.
If an area is suffering from lack of deer, hunters will go elsewhere, to look for areas/regions that hold more deer
and opportunity.
In my opinion, eventually this should balance itself out again, hunters will avoid areas with low mule deer #'s, and
then those areas should see less hunter impact.
AND, should those numbers stay low....then the ministry needs to accept that it is probably more of a
"habitat" issue or "predator" issue that is impacting certain areas.
But past history with governments and the ministry scare me now, as I have seen how "limited" our hunting
opportunities have become, and wonder if there is more at play then just "protecting wildlife".
Are we, the hunters, being "controlled/eliminated"....is that the real policy now days.
I am fine with evoking a new policy, to see if it works....but remove the old ones at the same time, because obviously, they didn't work.....

[tinhorse]

Excellent Post Wild one. Make all of regions 3 - 8 any buck but only one a year. Would spread out the pressure, help genetics and allow the hunter to decide on his or her priorities.

This exactly.

[tinhorse]

And a said above make the regions open and close on the same dates.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

So many different 'opinions' on the subject. Makes a person wonder how is the best way to make a decision?

Any thoughts?

[bloody bellies]

Really, I though bucks got pregnant, my point regarding not shooting small bucks is exactly your statement, Buck to doe ratio, obviously the buck to doe ratio is not there if the regs change to 1 deer tag, doe's are LEH, so it would make me's think either buck to doe ratio is not good because there has been to many Doe LEH draws given out or not enough bucks, and if there is not enough bucks it's because we are shooting them while they are young, if a doe gives birth to 2 deer( a buck n a doe) and we shoot the buck , because it is a dumb 2pt, what breeds the doe? because the other doe 100yrds over that gave birth to a buck and doe just got her buck shot as well, c where I'm might be going with this? this is just my 2 cents, people have their own opinions and I respect that. something needs to change and I don't believe letting us shoot small deer with a free for all is the answer.

Believe it or not but neither 2pt bucks nor any other/bigger bucks ever get pregnant. So their contribution to the population is limited as long as the buck to doe ratio is healthy meaning all does do mate.

[Salty]

So many different 'opinions' on the subject. Makes a person wonder how is the best way to make a decision?

Any thoughts?

Make the decision based on science, which about all of us here don't have. I look forward to hearing from the ministry on the whats, wheres, and whys on this proposal if it is indeed an active proposal. Meantime though the internet must carry on. lol

[limit time]

So many different 'opinions' on the subject. Makes a person wonder how is the best way to make a decision?

Any thoughts?

I didn’t know BC had this many biologists.

[limit time]

Nope. Local resident hunters. I'd heard about it for a while and came across it the other day. Requesting a number of changes.

WT Doe GOS is one, any MD buck, Youth seasons, spike elk and more. I don't have a copy, so don't have the full list.

Apologies to the OP for the sidetrack.

Sorry but, “I heard” doesn’t work for me. I heard the guides are pushing for it also.

[sthdslayer]

Everyone hunts for there own reasons and has their own threshold. The guy living in Kamloops or Kelowna who has easy access may have different ideas of what is a shooter buck to the father who takes time off work to travel with his buddies or his kids. As has been mentioned in this thread if we lose opportunity it is unlikely we will get it back. Look at recent changes due to the fires. Necessary probably but should be for everyone.
Point i'm trying to make is those that any changes made should be based on science with a goal to increasing or at worst maintain current opportunities.