Originally Posted by
WKBGTA_BC
People of this post and whoever else this may concern,
My name is Josh and I am the President of the WKBGTA. I would like to start off by making an apology, that being it has taken me this long to respond to all of your friendly inquiries about our organization. I started reading this thread over a week ago but have been awaiting registration approval from the administrators to allow me to post.
That being said I am going to dive right into this popular thread and hopefully address all of the questions, complaints and personal attacks on our VOLUNTEER wildlife organization. As far as the document with "our" proposals that you have all reviewed, it is accurate in some ways and completely inaccurate in others. Some of it has been completely misconstrued and false information has been released to the public and I am thoroughly looking into how that happened and who is responsible.
Let's start with the Mule Deer proposal. Yes, we do want to see a shorter season and our reasoning is we would like to see the mature bucks breed the does in peace during the heaviest rut period which we believe falls between November 1-10 (in most cases). We feel that those illusive, mature, breeding bucks dummy up during the rut and get harvested at their highest point of weakness when they are distracted by their harem of does. Another concern for this time of year is the potential for heavy snowfall which pushes these mule deer out of their living rooms and forces them to breed at lower elevations which are easily accessible to all hunters. I can assure you that our proposal had absolutely NOTHING to do with the meat being tainted with swollen, rutted up scent glands. I am a mule deer hunter (along with many other members of our club) and I have sunk my teeth into September bucks right through to November 10th bucks and I have never thrown a morsel of meat into my dog's dish. Our focus for mule deer is NOT to see more "trophy" bucks that will fill our banquet walls as some of you have accused, but to see a healthy, thriving mule deer population again in the West Kootenays and province wide. We are well aware that regulation changes are very low on the priority list when it comes to things needing to be done, however, that is all the biologists asked from us when we drafted this document therefor that is all you have read thus far. What you haven't read is our views on habitat loss, controlled burns, wintering ground restoration, predation and road closures due to high accessibility in the back country, just to name a few.
Next, the Elk/Moose Proposal. Yes, we proposed a combined provincial bag limit for elk and moose to be 1. Our reasoning SOLELY being to take some of the pressure off both species. We feel that by making a hunter choose one of the mentioned big game animals instead of both, it MAY help reduce pressure on the unselected species. Our proposal had absolutely NOTHING to do with families not needing that much meat, we are well aware of how much meat a family can burn through during the off season, especially if wild meat is the only meat on the menu. We are not and will never be an organization that tries to dictate how much meat a family may harvest in a hunting season. Our focus for elk and moose is spot on with mule deer, increase population, decrease calf mortality and create a healthy, thriving population for both species in the West Kootenays and province wide. Again, we realize that regulation changes are low on the priority list but as you can see that is all this document focused on when we were asked to draft our views.
I'm going to address a few questions I've seen regarding our banquet and in return I am going to ask some of my own:
Yes, we do host a "trophy" banquet each year for successful hunters/fisherman to enter their animals/fish into the competition for the opportunity at a trophy or certificate and possibly a free shoulder mount.
Yes, we put up all these entries on display for all to see throughout the night.
Yes, we have a big awards ceremony.
Now I have a few questions for you people:
Did any of you know that we have a junior category for all hunters under the age of 18 where no minimum requirements are necessary in any class?
Did any of you know that the banquet is open for ANYONE to attend and our non-hunter attendance is high and increasing as the years go on?
Did any of you know that we hold a massive fundraiser at the banquet that generates substantial funding for us to donate back into wildlife?
Did any of you know that with that funding, over the last five years...
We purchased a mechanical elk decoy for our local COS?
We purchase 4000 lbs of sheep feed annually for the Bighorn Sheep on the Salmo-Creston Pass, pick it up, deliver it and feed them once a week throughout the entire winter?
We've donated funding to "Beaks" bird sanctuary?
We purchased salt and helicopter fuel for the Mountain Goats in the Slocan Valley and distributed the salt via helicopter high on the mountain range to ensure decreased highway mortality?
We donated money to the East Kootenay emergency deer/elk feed program last winter due to the harsh winter conditions?
We maintain our own local deer feeders in the event of a harsh winter season?
Did any of you know that our organization is 100% VOLUNTEER?
Did any of you know that our organization is over 60 years old and has been giving back to wildlife since the day it started?
Did any of you know that the WKBGTA is part of a Regional wildlife group called the West Kootenay Outdoorsmen where we meet quarterly, hash out concerns and work directly with our local biologists and the BCWF in hopes of correcting some of the many problems this province is experiencing with wildlife?
I could go on but I don't want to ramble, that's not my intent. Things to remember about those proposals are only some of the information was accurate and they were based on our opinion of the WEST KOOTENAYS. We understand that the province has many different sectors that need to be managed separately. I apologize that you were all misinformed and I wish I had answers as to how that happened. I personally drafted our proposals myself and I would be happy to share that document with anyone that would like to see it. As hunters we need to stick together and threads like this are nothing but great ammunition for the anti's and we all know they already have a full magazine. For those of you that were judgmental, confrontational and malicious, I invite you to join our organization and inspire us with your energetic views on areas that need improvement in our organization. Our door is always open to people willing to contribute, suggest new ideas and improvements and dedicate their time to our wildlife. It's easy to sit behind the keyboard and criticize anything and everything someone is doing but it takes a certain somebody to get off the couch and make a difference. Unfortunately, complacency is a huge reason as to why we are here today. Involvement is the only thing that is going to make a difference and that's what we are striving for. Our club is heading over with a truck and car trailer to pick up 4000 lbs of sheep feed for the annual winter feed program on Saturday and then attending the quarterly WKO meeting on Sunday. What are YOU doing this weekend to make a difference? Are you going to be a keyboard hero or a contributor?
I hope this helps clear up any confusion. If you have any other questions or inquiries we have a website and a Facebook page that may help you understand who we really are and what we do behind the scenes.