Up For Discussion: (Proposal) Apply 6 pt antler restriction to west Kootenay bow only

[high horse Hal]

As said before should of left it LEH from the start, from what its saying sounds like GOS hunting is causing the problem.
Hunting should be hunting use the weapon you choose be it bow or rifle, no special season for bow etc.

IF the problem is purely social, then yes

[HappyJack]

As said before should of left it LEH from the start, from what its saying sounds like GOS hunting is causing the problem.
Hunting should be hunting use the weapon you choose be it bow or rifle, no special season for bow etc.

GOS gives everyone the same opportunity to hunt the game animals, LEH gives special access to tags to commercial interests, antler restrictions means more shot and left animals with antlers that are too small. I prefer a GOS myself because I have an issue accepting that a rich foreign hunter has more rights to the game than a resident.

I hunt mostly for the meat, so I'd be happy with a doe or a cow elk, maybe it's time to consider something like selling cow/doe tags that will remove your ability to use a regular tag on a bull/buck for the season you have the cow/doe tags? Maybe sell tags that are moose/elk/bison combined, so you can only harvest one from each species per year. Really who needs a moose, an elk and a bison in the freezer every year?

[Ambush]

Archery season IS a GOS. You can have more hunters, more hunter days and less impact on game populations.

Since many claim that it’s all about the opportunity and an animal is simply a bonus, then it’s definitely a win/win.

[j270wsm]

^^^^most of the western states use this exact system..gos bow then late season leh for rifle and muzzle loader.

[HarryToolips]

Archery season IS a GOS. You can have more hunters, more hunter days and less impact on game populations.

Since many claim that it’s all about the opportunity and an animal is simply a bonus, then it’s definitely a win/win.

Fully agree......... no GOS and leh only wouldn't be good...

[J_T]

For clarity in BC, we refer to a "GOS Archery" opportunity as BOS. Bow Only Season. Government hesitates to adopt the term in regulation. Which tells you something of their knowledge, plan, desire. Just start using it, and eventually they will too.
BOS meets the criteria:
* maintains opportunity for all
* moves high harvest out of the rut
* Supports an increase in hunter days afield (on the premise that any day/opportunity afield is a good day)
* while reducing the human footprint in other MU's

[IronNoggin]

Hunting should be hunting use the weapon you choose be it bow or rifle, no special season for bow etc.

Blasphemy! You are well indicating your uninformed biases once again.

For clarity in BC, we refer to a "GOS Archery" opportunity as BOS. Bow Only Season. Government hesitates to adopt the term in regulation. Which tells you something of their knowledge, plan, desire. Just start using it, and eventually they will too.
BOS meets the criteria:
* maintains opportunity for all
* moves high harvest out of the rut
* Supports an increase in hunter days afield (on the premise that any day/opportunity afield is a good day)
* while reducing the human footprint in other MU's

Thanks for clarifying the matter JT. Appreciated!

Cheers

[Ron.C]

^^^^^ JT fwiw, I agree with you 100%. But I've spoken with plenty of rifle hunters and they fail to see a BOS as "mantaining their opportunity ".

That said, many of these guys are not residents of the east or west koots. I suspect there is far more willingness by those living in the areas they hunt to utilize any and all methods that would extend their season, improve opportunity and benefit wildlife populations. I also suspect many folks that have to travel to hunt will simply travel to another region before adopting a new hunting method to take advantage of an opportunity like BOS.

[J_T]

Thanks Ron.
Yup, we know the dynamics of various regions, who submits for LEH, who submits the most, who hunts within their region of residence, and what weapons they utilize. There is a segment of the hunting community that submit LEH for everything and hunt what they get authorizations for. And, there is a segment of the hunting community that hunt on the BOS/GOS, primarily in their home region. These are all 'things' we should consider when looking at the requirement to accommodate people who want to hunt, seasons and regulation changes. FYI, again, in R4, 52% of hunters check the 'bowhunt' box when buying a licence. Whether they "identify" as a bowhunter or not, it is an indication they do view the BOS as a viable season to harvest an animal.

To be clear, as I've stated, most hunters, including myself, are less worried about weapons use than developing viable opportunity. I have never been about intruding on an existing season, or taking something away from one user group. But I'm getting real tired of the solution always being a compromised BOS. When we leave that elephant in the room, in the corner and what we should be talking about is rifle hunting in the rut. And look at what MOST jurisdictions do.

Government put restrictions on all manner of user. Loggers, mineral exploration, guides, hunters. If Government told the mineral exploration industry that they could only operate in the field with one arm behind their back. They would. Because they are passionate about that endeavour. Hunting regulation change, should align with wildlife stewardship plans and data analytics. And this is what drives me nuts. We are always less worried about creating opportunity than we are about developing a political stance to hold on to something. Hunters don't really support 'sound wildlife management', unless it favours them personally.

The response, that bowhunting limits who can hunt, is such an antiquated statement, it no longer has substance or value. I would suggest as a counter comment, rifle hunting in the rut, results in lost opportunity for all, as we look to reduce harvest to preserve, what? Wildlife? Or the "hunt"?

LEH in the WK for elk, is not the solution. But, addressing road kill of elk in the WK might ensure 'more' elk survive. Developing better winter habitat is something that needs to be addressed.

If we want to ensure viable elk populations and enjoy open opportunity, here is an observation to digest. Traveling this road, every day we observed road kill. This is a 40km stretch of highway 3 west of Cranbrook.

EK Road kills observed and counted from December 1st to February 28th
3 whitetail spikes
7 Whitetail bucks
19 Whitetail does
9 whitetail yearlings
5 Spike Elk
2 Bull Elk
14 Cow Elk ( most likely pregnant)
3 yearling cow Elk
2 mule deer buck
4 mule deer does
1 great horned owl
1 northern saw whet owl
5 muskrats
2 racoon
1 coyote
8 large unidentifiable

[HappyJack]

Don't forget to add in the animals killed by trains...