Whitetails taking over Blacktial spots in Region 2: The Video

[caddisguy]

I put together a little video to show what is happening around Chilliwack / Hope and probably other parts of Region 2.

We have been watching this slowly unfold over the last 5 years. At first it was getting the occasional trailcam video (which was fun because I got to break up heated arguments when people were getting grilled / attacked / insulted / etc for claiming to have seen one) to common sightings and now to the point we are seeing more whitetails (in person and on cam) than blacktails.

I am convinced this is having a negative impact on the BT populations in the area. Is it time for a Fraser Valley WT season?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfi3XEvzubw

[RyoTHC]

I put together a little video to show what is happening around Chilliwack / Hope and probably other parts of Region 2.

We have been watching this slowly unfold over the last 5 years. At first it was getting the occasional trailcam video (which was fun because I got to break up heated arguments when people were getting grilled / attacked / insulted / etc for claiming to have seen one) to common sightings and now to the point we are seeing more whitetails (in person and on cam) than blacktails.

I am convinced this is having a negative impact on the BT populations in the area. Is it time for a Fraser Valley WT season?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfi3XEvzubw

I'm in a completely different area, this is my third season hunting so I don't have as many years of observation but my first year here I was lucky enough to find a nice little pocket of whitetail which I harvested a buck out of, at the maximum id see 3-4 does at any given time, Id guess there was 4-6 does, whatever fawns they had and any transient bucks.. last year we harvested 5 WT out of the same pocket as a group and at any one time the maximum we saw was 8-9.

Fast forward to this year, I popped through there when I was passing by bear hunting to check things out late one evening, move up onto a little "land bridge" between two bodies of water, and could see upwards of 30 white tail.. quit counting at 20 in the chaos. First I noticed the dozen I spooked tails up running. Then slowly noticed more bedded in the treeline, grazing around the water etc..

I will also note that year one 3-4 mule deer came out of that general area, but not that specific pocket. Year two, only one. And there were more hunting days year two and this year ive yet to see a mule deer within a couple KMs.

[BimmerBob]

It would seem there is some "White"tail privilege going on here, better inform the SJW's...

[Pinewood]

Nice vid man. Thanks for sharing.

[Gateholio]

WTD have been seen in Pemberton and Squamish. I personally believe that BC should have "deer tags" that can be used on either species and there should be a whitetail season in Reg 2.

[caddisguy]

My observation is this.

Blacktail deer inhabit a TINY SLIVER of coastal region in ALL of North America. It's about the tiniest sliver of habitat for ANY mammal on the continent, PERIOD.

We are clear cutting the **** out of their habitat and the more we do so, the more WHITETAILS and WOLVES (we haven't seen or heard any wolves in this valley in 25 years and now we hear them howling are are finding tracks, wolf poop and fawn hooves)

In this area making up multiple MU's there is NO SEASON for WOLVES or WHITETAILS (like they don't even EXIST)

I think the future of blacktails is grim. Nobody on the entire planet cares about them or the sliver of land they exist on except maybe a few hundred people on this entire continent.

I want a wolf season in ALL of region 2 and a WT season and perhaps even a spring WT season is warranted. I'm not a biologist... just a hunter, but I am starting to think I am qualified?

It is my belief that opening up WT's and wolves in ALL of Region 2 is necessary and urgent.

[Bugle M In]

My observation is this.

Blacktail deer inhabit a TINY SLIVER of coastal region in ALL of North America. It's about the tiniest sliver of habitat for ANY mammal on the continent, PERIOD.

We are clear cutting the **** out of their habitat and the more we do so, the more WHITETAILS and WOLVES (we haven't seen or heard any wolves in this valley in 25 years and now we hear them howling are are finding tracks, wolf poop and fawn hooves)

In this area making up multiple MU's there is NO SEASON for WOLVES or WHITETAILS (like they don't even EXIST)

I think the future of blacktails is grim. Nobody on the entire planet cares about them or the sliver of land they exist on except maybe a few hundred people on this entire continent.

I want a wolf season in ALL of region 2 and a WT season and perhaps even a spring WT season is warranted. I'm not a biologist... just a hunter, but I am starting to think I am qualified?

It is my belief that opening up WT's and wolves in ALL of Region 2 is necessary and urgent.

This^^^^^
I am really starting to believe that it is logging that is really helping the expansions of WT.
And where there are WT's, wolves soon follow

I know I have seen in the EK, way back in the high country, where you would only see MD, we are
now seeing WT instead.
I have seen cutblocks that are so high up, just below the sub alpine/alpine which now are inhabited by WT's, and we now rarely see a MD in those areas!

WT's just seem to be able to migrate into these areas once logged where they never would have before.
Also, even 20 years after the cutblock happened and trees start to regen, the WT will hang in it all
day long, protected from view and plenty of feed.

I couldn't believe the past season up in the EK where I saw a WT doe.
Almost in Goat Country!
And miles beyond the last MD we saw going up.

[caddisguy]

I'm getting tons of feedback off this around social media too.

"I saw WT's near the popkum exit, nobody believes me"
"I saw WT's at the Coq summit, but nobody believes me"
"I saw WT's up behind Chilliwack Lake but nobody believes me"
"I saw some up East Harrison last year"

It's done. My video is going to the bios and I am going to reach out to everyone else with sightings but no camera... from Chilliwack, Hope, Harrison, Pemberton to report their sightings as well. The silly bit in the regs about "There's a small population around Herling Island" is more than SLIGHTLY outdated and almost insulting.

It's time to open up wolves and WT in these areas.

[Walking Buffalo]

Geist is a Prophet.

Read his book Mule Deer Country.

[Wild one]

BT are negatively effected by MD through being bred out slowly and now competition from WT( don’t know if they cross). BT on the mainland have been loosing ground slowly for a long time and no one gives a sh!t. Hate to say it but they are a species that in my opinion will one day be restricted to the island populations because of both MD and WT will have a negative impact as well.

Bt are one of my favourite hunts but hate to say it mainland populations will be lost one day

Even if you kill every WT they will still be slowly bred out by MD. BCs attitude towards WT you might see support to try and knock them back(not happening with thick coastal bush) but you will see no support knocking back MD in region 2

Caddisguy you are worried about WT showing up but not a peep about the areas that are now MD or hybrids that were once 100% BT.

Either way the future of deer populations will be different in region 2