road deactivations for sensitive habitat

[Would Rather Be Fishing]

Hmmm the bit on the effect of logging roads on wolf-hunting effectiveness is very interesting (to me), thanks for sharing! Trying to locate the referenced papers (if you have them handy PM them to me, please)!

So the consensus (or at least "common thread") seems to be that vehicles that stay on the roads(!) (e.g. do not rip open the remaining vegetation) are not necessarily a problem. Neither are the "road hunters" in respect to wildlife management (you may like it or not, but it's not really making-or-breaking populations, no?). We seem to more or less agree that the problem appears to be the ATV/MTB off the logging roads.

IF that is accepted, a ban on those or even a ban on ATV/MTB off the logging road with appropriate fines should no the trick and give everyone what they want, no? Granted, a few idiots will not listen, but - assuming the majority of people are actually reasonable (I know, big assumption, but still) - that seems to be the solution that with the most bank-for-the-taxpayer-buck?

[Brez]

I'd rather see more wolf management than roads deactivated.

This is also wolf management or rather has an effect on it. The destruction of roads impedes the easy travel of wolves up and down valleys and to new ones. Deactivation does not. Just an added bonus as far as I am concerned.

[Brez]

hahaha! Funniest thing I've read on HBC in a while. Do you honestly think a wolf can't travel on anything but a road? They can walk 100's of kms in a short period of time but deactivate a road and they are done for. Hahaha!

wolves are no different than people. They may be better at it but you cannot argue that wolves and people alike can travel more quickly and easier on roads. Another thing, wolves hunt roads like people do. They can see much farther to find prey. You cannot argue that either. People will believe what they want and all the evidence in the world will not change that.

[Brez]

public access to the back country for those that can't afford or don't have access to a helicopter and not talking about just hunters .....

same access as before silviculture - WALK it. It never ceases to amaze me the sense of entitlement that some people have. If you can't afford boots,....

[dana]

wolves are no different than people. They may be better at it but you cannot argue that wolves and people alike can travel more quickly and easier on roads. Another thing, wolves hunt roads like people do. They can see much farther to find prey. You cannot argue that either. People will believe what they want and all the evidence in the world will not change that.

Last Saturday I spent about 7 hours pounding timber trying to bump up a muley. A small skiff of snow. I crisscrossed a good portion of timber with all the usual blowdown pine and you know what I saw? There was one large wolf track that was doing exactly what I was doing. I crossed that track constantly. He was pounding the timber trying to bump up a deer just like me. Imagine that. Not all hunters are lazy and the same goes for the 4 legged ones. I have been doing forestry bush work for over 25 years. Many days I am in absolute $hitholes and you know what I encounter in those $hitholes? Wolf tracks. If I can walk it, a wolf most certainly can.

[.264winmag]

This is also wolf management or rather has an effect on it. The destruction of roads impedes the easy travel of wolves up and down valleys and to new ones. Deactivation does not. Just an added bonus as far as I am concerned.

Its not the roads that are the issue. Here's some fun facts about Sweden. Sweden is half the size of BC. Sweden logs the piss out of their country, with apparently much worse forest practice codes than BC. In the 90's their government passed a law leaving the practices and reforestation up to the logging companies. Their reforestation practices are good from I gather. Sweden has around 350,000 moose with an average of 150,000 harvested annually by hunters. BC has around 170,000 moose total and an average annual harvest of 10,000.
So how can a country half the size of BC have twice the amount of moose and harvest almost as many as we have in the entire province annually? All the while with horrid Forest harvesting practices?

Sweden has a wolf population of 340.
BC has 8500 wolves.

Pull back as many roads as you like. It should be as efficient at stopping wolves from eating ungulates as pissing on a forest fire.

8500 hungry wolves and everywhere is a road when the snow freezes up.

These numbers may not be bang on, but it paints a decent picture.

[Islander30]

This is also wolf management or rather has an effect on it. The destruction of roads impedes the easy travel of wolves up and down valleys and to new ones. Deactivation does not. Just an added bonus as far as I am concerned.

Ya I get what you guys are saying about roads being deactivated helps limit wolf travel and ease of them hunting. However I think dana is more right and road deactivation as a wolf management tool is basically useless....and I think that's because this province is infested with wolves ! There needs to be obliteration of wolves not roads from a large part of this province, before we think obliterating roads is going to have any effect. That's just my opinion of course.


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[walks with deer]

sorry wolves and unregulated harvest are a deferinte discussion than original intent..
yes the dogs need to go..unregulated harvest is a real fact of declining moose..i am just saying roads should be ripped out as needed espeacially in high pressured not just by hunter areas...

[REMINGTON JIM]

Why did they pick these MU’s ?

The F & W Dept has being gonna Do it for Years The " Fire " Helped with the decision ! It will NEVER go away either and other MU's are in for closure too ! RJ

[dana]

sorry wolves and unregulated harvest are a deferinte discussion than original intent..
yes the dogs need to go..unregulated harvest is a real fact of declining moose..i am just saying roads should be ripped out as needed espeacially in high pressured not just by hunter areas...

Hunters need to come to grips with the fact they themselves are an issue. Hunting pressure on roads is the thing that needs to be dealt with. I believe the atv bans are indeed the answer to the problem. Road closures like what was in the McLure fire were a nightmare to police with hunters tearing down closed signs as fast as they were put up. The new bans are much easier to police. Especially with manatory licencing on the atv and trail cams. The effect really works during the most crtical time of year. Right now. Roads are icy. Most guys don't want to drive their fancy trucks on ice and possibly wreck them when they start slidding backwards. That is why many hunters bought Atvs. Now the pressure is minimized because many of those hunters are now going elsewhere. Heck, many are even hunting closer to home as is evidenced by the Region 2 thread. This is much better for the wildlife. More bucks make it to maturity and therefore better breeding opportunitys.