Hunting season lengths

[Wild one]

Curly top they go to Alberta it will be an eye opener that it’s not longer seasons needed in B.C. when it comes to deer

Both those provs are a deer hunters dream with superior deer management compared to B.C.. Success rate an quality are both better

[guest]

Curly top they go to Alberta it will be an eye opener that it’s not longer seasons needed in B.C. when it comes to deer

Both those provs are a deer hunters dream with superior deer management compared to B.C.. Success rate an quality are both better

fully aware of that ....... It's our lack of True Management of our Fish, Wildlife and Forests for many years.

While most sit sit on their hands and let it happen.

Longer seasons are Not Needed . Period.

[Wild one]

fully aware of that ....... It's our lack of True Management of our Fish, Wildlife and Forests for many years.

While most sit sit on their hands and let it happen.

Longer seasons are Not Needed . Period.

If BC focused more on proper management vs how many days we can get a season it would go along ways. Many B.C. hunters want to see improvement in success rate or quality when it comes to deer hunting in B.C. but continue to push in the wrong direction to achieve it

I don’t know if our views would match on what should change. But it is clear we agree our present and past management is a fail and longer seasons are not needed

[blacklab]

If you can,t kill a deer in 3 months of open season, maybe we don't have enough deer.

[Gateholio]

My understanding is that the season closes to stop pressuring animals as we set into winter.

Now, it may be no problem to keep hunting whitetails longer but the whitetails often occupy the same areas as mule deer, so you are still pressuring the mule deer.

That's just my thoughts, I could be wrong.

[Salty]

The closing dates haven't changed much through the years I'm sure back when it would be a winter thing. Give them a break when the snow starts to really pile up. In much of the states winter sets in later being closer to the equator and all thus their later seasons I'd think too.

[Livewire322]

The current season for ungulates makes it so that there is virtually no opportunity for me to get out. I've haven't hunted deer since 2013 because my grades in university suffered when I took time to hunt for deer.
I know that I'm not the only person (even in my program there are at least 3 others out of 30) in this province that miss out on hunting for ungulates because the season overlaps with the fall semester.
I'd fully support longer seasons on white-tail. Maybe an any white-tail draw for the end of December. A draw would mitigate the pressure on mule deer that Gatehouse and others brought up.

[Darksith]

If you can,t kill a deer in 3 months of open season, maybe we don't have enough deer.

I pass on a lot of deer in a season. If my goal was simply to kill a deer, that wouldn't be a problem. Im not asking questions about length or timing of seasons to give me more chances to kill, but rather to give me more time out in the field. 3 months isn't enough...I know right haha. But hey, it is more of a question seeking facts than opinions.

As for pressure and timing of winter. Do the deer really feel pressure? Sure some do, but wouldn't that same pressure come from predators, chance encounters with other animals, vehicles etc etc? The does really don't push very far from what I have seen, they go just far enough to decide if you are a threat. They don't really see humans as a threat from most of my encounters. It is a reasonable explanation though as our winters can be a lot tougher than some areas due to a lack of quality feed vs our southern neighbors. Maybe I will write a MOE staffer and ask the question.

[tater]

Ungulates tend to yard up in the most viable microtherms to allow optimal energy use during the winter. They need easy access to feed with minimal exposure to extreme elements (e.g. high wind speeds), as well as optimal protection from predation.
Female ungulates will abort (re-absorb) fawns/calves under stress (including being moved from safe yarding habitat during winter months). All of the work of the rut is undone with too much predator pressure (human and four legged).
Comparing the whitetail habitat in BC to the lower conitguous 48 states or the prairie provinces is not apples to apples. Snow load that is elevation/direction dependent, available access to feed, and winter predator populations are all factors that are not as big a concern in Georgia, Alabama, or even Saskatchewan.
If you use many of the lower 48 models for WT management, we would have "earn a buck programs" as promoted by Dr. Valerius Geist and other ungulate specialists, as well as severe point restrictions for antlers.

Want to extend your season? Go shoot a bobcat, a cougar, five coyotes and three wolves. If enough folks do that for the next five winters, then you may see an extended season down the road as well as have a fun winter outside.

[bownut]

It's rare to get more, in all likelihood the regional manager doesn't think it's a good idea.

With the present seasons and the steady decline in wildlife, sustainability is always in question.
Fawn recruitment, and the general condition of the herds is recognized. Habitat, Predators, Access along with Harvest play a huge role.
Question to the opportunists:
If Regions record a continual decline in Harvest /Success, and the Efforts continue to rise, what do you think the Bios are thinking?
- Make the seasons longer?
- Rethink the population counts?
- Redefine Sustainable?
- Carry On?