BCWF- Grizzly hunt cancelled- Statement

[huntaholic]

On a side note. We are our own worst enemy. Extremely weak govt pole response did not help our situation at all. The infighting within our own resident hunting community shows everyone how weak we truly are. Let's not even talk about guide vs resident issues. Until we start working together 100% on issues like this we will continue to take these kinds of hits.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

"In addition, almost three-in-five self-described hunters (58%) are in favour of banning all grizzly bear hunting in British Columbia."


This is the latest trend in social media/polling strategy.

Pretend to be part of the group you are trying to dictate to.

Kind of like we see on HBC.

That's what Trump would call a 'fake poll'.

Ambush conducted one on here a couple years ago and ~96% of respondents supported the hunt.
The Dawg conducted a similar poll on the BC hunting and fishing page on FB and the results were 98% support.

No no one has been able to find a single hunter that was polled on the Insights West poll. That's why we doubted their results....and for good reason.

SSS

[Islander30]

We've had rallies at Victoria and Kelowna regarding allocation with only a very small portion of the hunting community showing up. The excuses were, too far to go, couldn't afford it, didn't want to take a day off ect. So from what I've seen so far, good luck getting enough people organized.

Aren't socia media campains more of a powerfull tool today anyways.....the so called enviromentilist and antis, a lot of them dont work and can camp out for however long it takes....pruductive members of society with families and mortgages may be able to fight better from their homes through the internet than they can on the lawn of the legislature

Wouldnt bombarding social media with educational campaigns and skewed poles of our own that asked questions like " would you support a return of grizzly hunts in certain areas if it was made law that all parts of the grizzly must be used(meaning skull and hide be kept by hunter) and the meat be proccessed and if not wanted by the hunter then be given to charities who help feed victims of abuse or to the SPCA to feed the starving abonded pets that are dying every day ! Then send the poles out to mostly hunters and they can self proclaim to be non-hunters....then post the results all over social media ....fight fire with fire....I don't really know though ? Its all new to me, Im a relativly new hunter myself and just trying to figure how I can help save this right for my son as well

[Rob Chipman]

"Rob, is trading the G-bear hunt worth possibly getting some form of funding model and the allocation issue reopened?"

I'd say no, for a whole raft of reasons. However, I'm not sure that the BCWF had a G-bear hunt to trade, and I'm not sure the current government is going to give any sort of funding model. I don't know enough to comment intelligently about re-opening the allocation issue.

If I understand you correctly you seem to think that the BCWF has a lot of pull. I can't see that they do. They're an organization struggling to get their act together, for starters. They've got a great history, they've got a good membership list, they've got some good hard assets on the ground and they've undoubtedly got some good people working inside the organization, but....


They have a very difficult time influencing the general public. You can certainly throw rocks at Jesse if you like. I won't. He answers the bell and I think he's done some great work. However, if you compare BCWF to groups like the Grizzly Bear Foundation, Raincoast, Dogwood, etc, you'll have to agree that BCWF misses a hell of a good game. I don't think you can blame that on Jesse. Still, the BCWF has to either up it's game as far as influencing public opinion goes or we need another group to step up and do it.

They have a tough time defining themselves in public and are instead defined by the opposition as the advocates for hunters rather than as the voice of conservation in BC(I don't think the BCWF thinks of itself as an advocate for hunters - maybe I'm wrong).

In other words, I'm getting a feeling from you that the GreeNDP somehow needed BCWF to play ball to cancel the hunt. That seems delusional to me. Killing the hunt cements some votes in some very close ridings in a province where no party was able to win a clear victory. It's low hanging, low cost fruit that's just too easy to pick. I mean, seriously, if the NDP listened intently to the BCWF and took it's input into consideration do you think they'd get Fisher-Dude's vote nest time out? The math looks really simple to me.

As a result I have a hard time thinking the BCWF sold anyone out, because I don't think they had anything to sell. If your argument is based on the suspicion that they went along to go along and will get a funding model and the allocation issue re-opened my reaction is to ask: are you a betting man? 'Cause the last thing this government is going to do is fund conservation, and I'll bet you a substantial sum that I'm right.

If the 2 man dictatorship is Jesse and Al Martin, as some indicate, I have to ask: what about the rest of the directors? Are you saying that they're rolling over? If so I expect you to realize that you're condemning them as much as you are the two dictators (and from that POV it doesn't mater who the two dictators are).

I've spoken briefly to Harvey Andrusak - I had lunch with him - and he strikes me as a very good man. I don't think he deserves much criticism. Same with Jesse. I know him and think he's a solid man. I don't know Al Martin at all aside from a brief chat at one of the Townhalls.

Anyway, I think we agree that we need science, funding and social license. I think we also need to figure out if we're going to try to fight over hunter's rights (good luck with that) or if we're going to start talking about being conservationists and proving that hunting is critical to conservation.

You may not be aware, but there's talk on Twitter tonight that the G-Bear hunt put ZERO dollars back into conservation.

Try countering that effectively, because it has legs.

[GoatGuy]

They made ZERO attempts to change the minds of the politicians who made these decisions. A couple meetings with low level beaurocrats. Nice Effort!

Hi Mike,

I will quickly reply to this part of your post.

Specifically on the grizzly hunt issue I met with 3 Ministers, 5 opposition MLAs, and had other BCWF supporters meet with the Premier and a couple others meet their MLAs. Also had meetings with senior political staff and high level bureaucrats across other Ministries. The grizzly bear hunt was on the list each time - we were told each time the hunt would continue. Obviously we were lied to.

On a side note, I haven't seen any of your letters to your MLA (saw a pile from other hunters), results of your meetings, letters to the editor, didn't see you at grizzly foundation and doubt you've done any interviews. If you feel like fielding a few death threats I will be sure to send the emails I have received your way.

Personally not a big fan of liars, or people making assumptions about what others are doing, whether it's about grizzly bear hunting or otherwise. If you want to know what others are doing you can usually find something on google.

I just quickly checked your name for news or your contribution and oddly enough it didn't turn up once.

As for the rest of it, not interested in commenting on legal and ethical issues - best left for lawyers.

[eric]

Just goes to show, can't believe everything ya hear.^^^^^..
Thanks Goatguy...

[bearvalley]

Just goes to show, can't believe everything ya hear.^^^^^..

You sure can’t.

[GoatGuy]

I see bearvalley has posted on this thread a number of times as well. Blocked him on here this spring so can't see what he's writing (enough children to deal with already).

Also checked his name and grizzly bear hunting on google:

https://www.google.ca/search?ei=2qg9....0.OXC-31DiKtk

No surprise, didn't find anything about grizzly bear hunting, hunting, other than selling hunts.


Also google his name and wildlife management:

https://www.google.ca/search?biw=136....0.K_kTG_9U2lg

Turned up one hit on complaints about elk on his land. I recall an article about wolf predation on his cattle at one point but it didn't turn up.


Seems to be a trend on HBC with people posting and making inferences about what everyone else is doing or not doing. Interesting part is they don't appear to be doing anything themselves.


Guess it's part of life online. Always easier to sit in the bleachers and throw beer at the people trying to drive change then it is to get involved.

[GoatGuy]

One closing note.

Hunting, hunters and wildlife need help in a huge way.

This has been a long time coming.

There are going to be people who complain about what everyone else is doing, lament about the past, and do nothing; there will be people who get involved, meet with their MLAs, write letters to the editor, to the politicians and engage the public.

One of those people will help the cause, the other will hurt it.

[Wild one]

Simply put NO ONE has achieved results on protecting this hunt

So it does not matter who’s on record talking and getting no results or who is not.

Right now all failed not matter how much back patting is going on

Another that seems to be forgotten not everyone’s efforts are public knowledge. So unless you are following someone around every hour of the day you can’t speak about what one does


Sitting around bragging who put in more failed effort accomplishs nothing. Good intentions are great but they mean nothing without results