Why is the WKBGTA proposing a bag limit of 1 elk or 1 moose not both in BC

[steepNdeep]

Hey Dean,I agree with most of what you are saying. The Elk numbers are way down and as much as people want to blame predators for the decline in numbers we know first hand that Bulls in WK were hammered in those first 4 to 5 years, local biologists and local CO's came up with a number of 400 bulls killed in the first year alone, that's a fact not something made up. This year Bull Elk success rate was dismal at best. Time to go back to LEH or shorten the GOS season.
on the closing of mule deer in November due to the meat tasting bad comment, come on seriously , what a ridiculous comment.

Hey Gord, I agree & as I said above "Muleys ending Oct. 31 has NOTHING to do with rutted up meat. Its protecting their numbers when they are most vulnerable." I didn't believe they actually said it had to do with bad tasting meat - that's ~all I eat & it's ridiculous if they did say it.

With the utmost respect, the difficulty for many that sit on committee know that Rick is on a personal agenda, that he is submitting recommendation without a lot of internal consultation and he's attempting to drive social agendas. When he was attending meetings, his agenda was divisive, and it affected the progress of good discussion.

Committees are difficult, but I'm sure things politics will work themselves out. Rick has done a lot more than most people to help the wildlife in the area and definitely earned the right to comment.

Hey. As a long time west kootenay resident and someone who has put alot of animals in the freezer, I m beyond concerned. Sorry to say but things are to far gone. They opened everything up for a few years, there isnt the winter range to support large herds, the predator numbers are high, the last winter was rough, and the hunting pressure has been high. Things will come back eventually and no miracle regulation change is going to help. 10 years ago i never saw a wolf track, the last couple years more than anything else. Poor stupid mule deer don't have a chance.

I fully agree Canucks6

Region 4 use to be a bag limit of 1 moose or 1 elk and should have stayed that way, I have no issue with it being changed back to that.

I agree LBM


Ungulate populations are under growing pressure from all sides. Habitat fragmentation, FSR road networks aiding predators & urban development of wintering grounds being some of the biggies. However, the biggest change that we've seen in the last couple of decades is the re-introduction of wolves.

The Kootenays has higher elevations with deeper snowpacks & large winter kill incidents that other areas like the Okanagan don't experience. Therefore, our management practices must differ & adjust for this. We have also had wolves for longer than the Okanagan. I have a feeling once the wolves move heavily there from Region 3 & 4, they will be singing a different tune...

I was shifting my focus out of hunting just when the wolves were starting to come into southern BC. With their reintroduction in Yellowstone & Idaho, I remember hearing about the wolves as they swept through regions in the states north & westward & how they seriously affected hunters. I gave up my favourite elk hunting spot in the East Kootenay, after we were greeted by wolves in camp & our only bugle responses were their howling. The trapper took 25 out of that valley the following winter & said there were just as many left with more coming north to replace them. Almost no elk tracks in there the next year...

I also vividly remember bowhunting near the border in the WK & seeing my first wolf face-to-face at ~70m. It is a cool experience to have their wildness as part of our ecosystem, but they are experts at what they do & would change hunting in an area for generations if left alone...

Our wildlife management is going to have to adjust & adapt to the new reality. We should do all that we can to help ease the pressure & protect our wildlife resources...