This has been circulating on Facebook and I received it via email from a friend
By Nolan O’Brien
Follow on Instagram: @youraveragewoodsman
youraveragewoodsman@gmail.com
To: Hunters and Outdoors people who enjoy Moose.
I took some time to write down my thoughts on the subject of Moose regulations, and how we manage Moose in the Omineca region. I realize some might agree with me on certain things and disagree on others. However, I believe that it is important for people to voice opinions thoroughly, and be able to back up some sort of debate on their opinions based on their observations on these matters, which is what I am trying to accomplish in this write up.
I sometimes find it difficult to relate to some hunters and outdoor users and easier with others when I spend parts of 100+ days a year hunting and or fishing and then there are so many people in BC that spend half that time or less who stand by their firm beliefs and opinions that are sometimes contrary to good ethics and conservation strategy and are often based on their rights, emotion, or what is most convenient for their individual needs, or based on how things were done 30 years ago in the good old days.
I often think about Moose because I enjoy hunting for them and I enjoy seeing their presence in the bush. Unfortunately it seems to me that there are significantly fewer Moose than there was when I was a kid 15-20 years ago in most of the areas I hunt in 7a.
I feel that most people and all groups of hunters and outdoors enthusiasts would agree that moose numbers in the Omineca are now below what the habitat can support even with the loss of habitat in a lot of MU’s. I also think the biologists would also agree with this, especially in some areas more than others.
Although I don’t personally have any real scientific data or statistics, I am very familiar with current Moose hunting and LEH regulations and through my observations in the outdoors I have developed some opinions, and I am open to share my logic.
I often ask outdoors users what they think the reasons for declining moose populations are?
The first reason people give me nine times out of ten is:
“Well, there’s too many wolves! Also too many Bears are eating all the calves when they are born in the spring.”
Second reason... “Well, the natives are hunting them too hard, and shooting too many Cows, and it’s unfair hunting opportunity”...
Third... “Well, I think it’s because the forest companies are spraying all their food with herbicide to promote pine monoculture”...
Others summed up:
“Well, too many get hit by trains and Motor vehicles”...
“Diseases, and Ticks are wiping them out”....
“They are starving over the bad winters and lack of food”
“Loss of habitat due to excessive clear cutting of our forests” etc....
I hear many reasons and agree that these among others are definitely some legitimate contributing factors for the Moose numbers declining.
Another question I ask is:
Of everything that normally kills Moose, what reasons for Moose mortality and decline in numbers can we possibly control by better wildlife management through hunting and hunting regulations?
It seems to be a question that many people don’t have a solid answer for other than wipe out all the predators. Or they don’t think about that part at all, or some people are quick to pass most of the blame to something that we cant easily control, and refer to the predators or unregulated hunters.
A short while ago I took part in a poll on the Facebook page: 250Hunter to see what game animals members of that group prefer to hunt the most. Amongst the list on the poll were Deer, Elk, Moose, Mountain Game Species, and various Predators... To no surprise, Moose came out on top as the favourite species to target amongst hunters in the group. which consisted of mostly PG and Northern or central B.C. residents.
So we know that moose are the favourite amongst most hunters. BC residents, probably FN, and even outfitter clients probably target moose more than any other single species in the Omineca region even above Elk and Deer.
Now when we look at how we regulate moose hunting with LEH and General Open Seasons, everyone can hunt for Spike-Fork Bulls during the GOS from September to November, and most MU’s have a liberal amount of Any Bull tentative authorizations and even Antlerless LEH, as well as outfitter authorizations. So after all these hunting authorizations targeting all classes of Moose (Cows/Calves, and Bulls of all sizes) are given to BC residents and Outfitter Clients... The First Nations have no restrictions whatsoever in regards to allotted dates or class of animal.
This brings me to wonder why some people can be so reluctant to admit that maybe hunters including BC residents, First Nations, and Guide Outfitter Clients combined are the number 1 cause of moose mortality above all. Maybe by selecting high numbers of all classes of moose ie: Bulls of all sizes, and Antlerless (Cows/Calves), we are not doing this species any good with our regulations, and it seems to me like humans are possibly over harvesting on Moose in general.