What would you ask a Conservation Officer

[Silvercore]

I am doing some research for an upcoming episode of the Silvercore Podcast. If you had the opportunity to sit down with a C.O., what would you personally want to ask them, and what question or bit of information do you feel a CO could provide the community in general the greatest value?

Thanks in advance.

[Bustercluck]

How do you view your position as a co? More of a community police thing where interventions and learning opportunities with the general outdoors community is the greater good? Or enforcement through ticketing etc?
Does that make sense? I dont quite know how to word it. I ran into a couple of co in the last few years who were pretty seasoned at their job and I’d gladly help them find/prosecute poachers and others who make a mess of the backcountry. I had a couple of good experiences over the last few years with co where they checked my license etc and I wasn’t doing anything wrong and we had a good chat about all things outdoor related and then there’s a couple who treated me like a criminal from the time I opened my mouth and immediately started looking for something I was going wrong. I won’t help these people under any circumstance.

Im not sure how the co are trained in bc, but the Alberta version have the authority to enforce many federal and provincial acts that don’t have anything to do with conservation of our outdoor recreation. How do they view their role in enforcement? I’d like to see them more focused on conservation instead of checking vehicle licensing and helmet fines, etc. I think they should leave that stuff to the other departments and focus their efforts on their area of expertise.

[thompie505]

What are you actively doing to address the illegal dumping and selling of salmon? Specifically during the Sockeye runs. Why are people not being held accountable for illegally selling these fish?

[Bugle M In]

Do you feel illegal hunting or bad political policies is the biggest detriment to wildlife we hunt?
Do you think better alignment of hunting seasons across all regions would be better to help distribute hunting pressures more evenly?
What is one thing you would like to see most hunters do better at out in the field?

Let me think more on it but I am sure I can think of more.

[fearnodeer]

What can I do to help

[Silvercore]

These are amazing questions!

[J_T]

We hear about illegal bear harvests and the sale of bear parts. Glad to hear this is now not associated with law abiding hunters. Poaching is poaching.
Two questions:
1) Approximately how many illegal bear harvests and selling of bear parts are they addressing in a year. Or, how many investigations or sting operations are they involved with in a year.
2) What do the CO's feel is a logical deterrent against the illegal bear and unlicensed illegal harvesting of other wildlife?

[tuner]

What is it like to try to enforce laws based on racial grounds?

[264mag]

We have a CO in our family and I have some insight. First off the conservation officers today are not in it for the money, they are drastically underpaid. They have as much or more training than any other first responders. They do this for the lifestyle and the love for wildlife and conservation. This year they are dealing with more bears and bear related calls than any other year. This consumes the majority of their time.
They have to walk the fine line between enforcement, public pressure, government mandates, policies, and decisions that they have no control over. The hunting regulation/synopsis is very poorly written with many gray areas and leaves a lot of room for poachers and violators to get away with breaking the law. Even when they are convicted the punishments and consequences do not fit the crime. These issues are very frustrating for the Conservation officers. When you encounter a CO in the field treat them with respect, be honest, and remember they are there for us as much as they are for the wildlife. They are trained to educate not write tickets.

[Bugle M In]

Do place your comments “strategically”.
Many questions could potentially put a CO in a difficult spot.
They may not be able to answer the questions “publicly” they way they might in private.
Leave the last question a “positive one”.
How we as hunters can help is a good one to finish with, imo.
Questions that show That hunters do care, and want to make it better is often overlooked.
We quite often fall into rants with CO’s and Bio’s.
Maybe they need more of our help on a political level!!???