Keeping the backcountry clean

[wsquared]

I don't post here much, but what I found bothered me enough to comment.

Just got back from a Stone sheep hunt, covered some hard yards, saw rams, no shooters.
This took place in an area past Toad River that I know has been recommended by senior HBC members to others HBC members.

A campsite we used had been used by MC and BJ on Aug.31,2014, they carved this fact into a tree.
The amount of Werthers wrappers and others bits of garbage laying that could have been easily burnt,was appalling.
They also can't crap more than 15 yards from the fire ring and cover it with moss/rocks. There was evidence of this happening twice, didn't bother looking for more.

Leaving some thin cord up for drying, and two large black plastic garbage bags tied to it, is OK with me.

I type this in the faint hope the people who did this, will get a call from who pointed them in this direction, and request them to clean up their act.

As big as this province is, people frequent the same areas. Keep a clean camp, leave it that way for the next guy who may use it.

[Rusty]

Well said!!

[Big Lew]

In this day and age, with all the public awareness campaigns and emphasis on maintaining a healthy planet,
there's absolutely no excuse nor is it understandable why there's still so many people that trash or leave trash
out in the environment.
During the first week of September my wife and I were in the north part of the Douglas Lake Ranch area when we saw a huge gathering of ravens and turkey vultures. Thinking that it was a kill site, we checked it out. Nope, it was a dump site. Someone(s) had dumped all their unwanted camping foods. There were dozens of sausages, scads of pastas, many bags of what looked like cranberries, and a wide assortment of other foods. I don't know how much was actually dumped because the birds and animals had been feeding there for quite awhile. Dumping the foods if the wildlife could use it wasn't what unset us....it was all the containers and plastic. Makes you wonder just how many other animals ingested some of it.

[.30-06 camsavbc]

Tomorrow as usual my son and I as we hunt will be picking up garbage and putting it in large freezer zip locks that we buy and bring to keep smell locked away. We use these for our used toilet paper and any wrappers etc that we use but we seem to come out with a pile of other peoples garbage almost every time. I am amazed at the "pigs" out there that have no respect for the backcountry. One hunting camp near Cowichan Lake last spring had everything from pickle jars to camp chairs and all of their garbage from a week or so and this was a forestry campsite!!! No wonder there is strong opposition to allowing people into the backcountry when the users cannot even pick up after themselves. It is the self righteous attitudes and poor me screw you people that are like this. We will keep picking up garbage as the ignorant few will not spoil everyone's enjoyment and the use of our crown land I call the backcountry!

[joehunter]

Try hunting around Nanaimo.....even worse....computer monitors, T.V.s mattresses.....even seen a Safeway shopping cart!

[Darksith]

tragic and inexcusable...don't even leave garbage bags tied to string...leave it better than you found it IMO. Sad. I have and will always clean up others messes...just the other day I sat down on a log on a ridge that I thought was pretty much mine...low and behold I look to my left and there is a pudding container laying on the ground...so stupid.

[dbergen69]

Could not agree more. We camped at Loui's meadow on the Besa for a night. The tarps, plastic and other garbage was crazy. We took the time to burn everything that was burnable but we left the empty propane containers and metal there. I piled up the propane bottles as nice as I could in the old cabin. I know this is not the best thing but they are not mine and we did not have the room to pack them out. It surprises me stuff that people pack in but won't pack out. Besides the propane bottles there were tin cans all over and even an old cot.