Hunting as a Primary Source of Protein and Some Questions

[AllSmiles]

Hello everyone,
I'm a long time lurker and so far I have spent most of my time devouring the ton of information to be found on this site but I think I am finally ready to post here as a few questions have been gnawing on me for awhile.

I am interested in hunting to put food on my table, but not just as a treat or reward for the time and work invested in the field to harvest animals but as a primary source of protein year round. The reason for this is two fold. Firstly; While I am not really the bleeding heart type I think that the treatment of most domestic animals raised for meat production is disturbing and it has lead me to really admire the 'spiritual' connection to nature that hunting provides. The strong reminder of mankind's root in the natural world seems enticing to me and being a lover of the outdoors it seems like another great excuse to spend even more time out in BC's gorgeous wilderness. Secondly; my girlfriend of 3 years is the bleeding heart type :grin:. She is currently in schooling to become a Veterinary Technician, works at an animal hospital and has a long term plan to one day open a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. In order to reconcile her feeling about the human predation of wildlife we have lain down some ground rules if I am to pursue a passion of mine, hunting.

#1. All animals that I hunt will be treated with respect, harvested sustainably and used fully to the best of my ability and facilities (bones for stew, hides or furs kept, meat cured/stored/consumed fully etc)
#2. No bear hunting (for some reason she has really strong feelings about bears, I find this one irritating but her convictions are something I admire about her)
#3. Once I begin hunting we will no longer buy commercial meat products (this is where I am getting a little distraught)

She is not really a big meat eater and only usually consumes it because of her dietary needs, so it would mostly be myself I would be providing for. She also later stated that if she so desired meat she would probably be okay with her being exempt from rule three as long as the meat she bought was free range, organic, etc.

Before we go any further I want to stress that we're not new age hippy types or anything like that, I am mostly passionate about starting this new way of life because I feel like I have a level headed and realistic view of mankind's place in the food chain and desire to provide for myself in the most natural way I believe a man can. I want the pride and personal reverence of knowing exactly where my food came from, the responsibility of stewardship of wilderness and the connection with nature that most people are denied when they buy meat off the shelves at the grocery store NOT that I think there is anything wrong with anyone who is okay with that.

All this being said, my worry comes from the thought that I may not be within the economic means to provide a year round protein source for the table during hunting season. Also, let's be straight, I intend on following the hunting regulations to the letter obviously.
In your opinions does rule #3 sound doable? Or more specifically:
During open seasons for region 2 is it possible for me to get 2 mule deer, 30 grouse, and other game animals for the freezer without breaking my bank? Is that enough meat to last a year?

I'm worried about having to take (too much) time off work and pay for a guide to 'guarantee' a large game animal like an elk, moose, or caribou so that I could eat (well) all year 'round. If that's the case I also would have to worry about getting drawn for a LEH. Is it potentially possible to get enough game without going the LEH route?

Keep in mind I'm also pretty sure it's too late in this year's season to successfully carry out my goal this year, which gives me a whole year to prepare financially and skills wise (Yay!) which means that I will be saving a little bit each month in expectation of taking some time off during next season for scouting, preparation and actual hunting, purchasing a compound bow, hunting caliber rifle and good glass, camouflage, proper skinning knives, gps and such. Oh! Another question, assuming I have the worst luck possible how much time should I allocate to have at least a chance or bringing home some sustenance? One week? two? A month?

Yet another question, I have the means to make weekend trips to Hope and back or anywhere in between for scouting and hunting or what have you, who among you guys is willing to take a respectful 26 year old young man under your wing on some trips next year? I will definitely have taken my CORE by then and have a better understanding of the hunting basics. Is this kind of thing usually considered charity or frowned on because I get the impression that some people are pretty protective of what they consider their hunting grounds?

I'd like to take this opportunity to also thank everyone in this community to contributing to my small but growing knowledge base on the subject of hunting, I'm grateful to have found this resource and wish all of you the best luck in the field this year!

Shoot straight,
-Doug

[moosinaround]

Doug, if your primary objective is meat, then bear hunting would be a primary focus! 2 bears a year per licence holder in BC, they are everywhere, and are fairly easy to hunt if your not looking for a trophy! Bear hunting can be broken down into one in the spring, and one in the fall. Deer hunting would be next, 3 per year in BC per license holder, a tad bit tougher to hunt, but take advantage of the generous open seasons for flat tops, and bucks all over the province. Moose GOS are generous up north if you want to travel, as is the GOS for elk all over BC as well. Upland game is plentiful all over the province, as is migratory birds. I pertty much have wild organic red meat every year, not always all year, but pretty close to all year.
My son contributes to the freezer now, and that helps out with generous youth seasons! It isnot cheap to eat this way, it is WAY more cost effective to buy beef, and chicken and pork, trust me on this!! I wont enlighten you with my fuel bill this season!! I dont count on the LEH for freezer fare. If I do get a LEH, it is bonus! I put a lot of time in the woods every year scouting and looking for potential areas to hunt and explore, and I get to know the areas I hunt very well. Know what they hold, know the peak hunting pressure times, and get to know the critters habits. Never give up, and enjoy just being out in the woods. When hunting for sustenance, it can get very discouraging looking at an empty freezer, so be patient! Moosin

[Iron Glove]

If you are planning on eliminating "bought" meat from your diet and replacing it entirely with game, you are going to have to spend a lot of time and money on hunting.
Might be easier if you lived in the "wilds" and could walk out back to hunt. Once you add in the time and cost of travelling to all the other costs involved in hunting it'll be tough to justify strictly on a financial basis.
Many hunters ( me included ) often go the full season with nothing, other seasons are better.
Re the girlfriend issue, I think that the two of you have reached a practical and attainable agreement. Our Daughter was a Vet Assistant, now an Animal Tech at a Bio Lab and whilst she's not quite PETA, she had some qualms about my hunting. When I shot my first deer I phoned her, described the whole experience and she asked if the deer suffered much. I reassured her it didn't and she was fine with that. She enjoyed some very tasty venison stew a few weeks later with us. In reality, that deer "enjoyed" a far better life than most farm raised commercial cows so it's hard to say "I'll eat Super Store beef but won't eat your hunter meat" and not be a hypocrite.
Good luck, you'll get tons of useful and friendly help on this site.

[Steeleco]

Wow Doug that was some read!

I will say that if you are expecting to "fill the freezer" for year round sustenance that's going to be tough. Many folks take a bit of time to get proficient at getting game even with a mentor. I gather your living somewhere in the lower mainland? Living in Langley I'm able to hunt a few spots we like within 2 hours from home. You can hunt plenty of good areas within 4 hours of Vancouver and not need to take time off of work. Just plan for weekend hunts.

As to the No bear rule. Other than the mental aspect of eating bear meat, you'll find those of us that do eat bear prefer it over deer. Also there's nothing stopping you hunting bears and deer and eating the bear yourself. My wife would rather eat bear then deer, I will often cook venison for me and bear for her, just open smaller portions or enjoy the leftovers.

This season is almost over and in some regions it is over, your best to spend the time you can looking and learning some areas in the spring in preparation for the next fall season. You could hunt bears while your at it.

Lots of people have "secret spots" and hold these places tight to the chest, some days only the animals know the best spots. In time you'll find a spot that one day will look like the Arc just docked, on others it will look like the far side of the moon!!

You'll likely read where lots of very good hunters go a whole season without shooting a thing, some of that will be a conscious choice, the rest is plain bad luck!!

Welcome and good luck.

[Bugle M In]

No such thing as cheap meat, especially when it pertains to hunting!
Enjoy the experience, it's not in the end result of being successful, but in the journey of achieving success.

[nature girl]

Doug. Welcome to this wonderfull site.
You should try for spring bears like moosinaround said. It gets you out looking at new areas in the spring and there isnt to many other hunters out there that time of year. Usually May is good for bears. And if you do decide to go after a bear make sure it does not have any cubs with it.
And try to get your girlfriend into hunting to. You can take the core together. Maybe you can get her into shooting grouse first.
You know before I started hunting if you said like 5 years before I started hunting that I would be a hunter. I would of laughed and said I am not shooting bambi. So when I was ready to hunt and had all my licenses and stuff. I shot a spike buck I thought I would hate it or love it. Well it has been about 15 years now and I really like hunting and being in the outdoors knowing that I put meat on the table.
So never give up you go out and you do not get a animal because the next trip you go out you may.
Now good luck for next year.

[AllSmiles]

Thanks to both of you first of all.

Hello Moosinaround,
I have the same feeling about the Bear rule, very frustrating that she should draw the line there, during our conversation on setting 'the rules' for hunting I was specific about saying, "Look, I don't want you to draw the line anywhere, before the line was everywhere and if I give you this concession, you will have another one, and another one and another one until I am hunting rats and mosquitoes," :D
Also, it's not about being cheaper, it's about getting a rewarding hobby that can provide for me, instead of just being a for fun thing. No worries, you don't need to prove it won't be cheaper, I 100% trust you on that one.
In the end I feel like I will have to respect her wishes and pass on the bear hunting, like I said, I really admire her convictions.
That said, thanks for the info on GOS Elk, that will definately be helpful, migratory game birds is another opportunity to fill the freezer I just haven't yet explored the information yet as it is a second license does it require a second course?

Hey Iron Glove,
Thanks for the honesty in regards to odds of success, it's a daunting bit on information to receive but hopefully I'll have at least some success, I'll say again it's not an economic decision, and it's good of both you and moosinaround to warn me on that front, I appreciate it. I think I should clarify by saying that I'm not planning on saving money, just hoping that I wont be homeless and holding a brace of grouse ;). I mean how great would it be if it was a cheaper alternative though, what a dream.
If this new lifestyle works out and my girlfriend and I end up hooked on hunting (another ideal dream though I'm certain I will be), homesteading is something else we both flirted with, so fingers crossed on living in the wilds.
How much time do you usually invest in a hunting season in the field, generally speaking obviously?

[AllSmiles]

Wow Doug that was some read!

I will say that if you are expecting to "fill the freezer" for year round sustenance that's going to be tough. Many folks take a bit of time to get proficient at getting game even with a mentor. I gather your living somewhere in the lower mainland? Living in Langley I'm able to hunt a few spots we like within 2 hours from home. You can hunt plenty of good areas within 4 hours of Vancouver and not need to take time off of work. Just plan for weekend hunts.

As to the No bear rule. Other than the mental aspect of eating bear meat, you'll find those of us that do eat bear prefer it over deer. Also there's nothing stopping you hunting bears and deer and eating the bear yourself. My wife would rather eat bear then deer, I will often cook venison for me and bear for her, just open smaller portions or enjoy the leftovers.

This season is almost over and in some regions it is over, your best to spend the time you can looking and learning some areas in the spring in preparation for the next fall season. You could hunt bears while your at it.

Lots of people have "secret spots" and hold these places tight to the chest, some days only the animals know the best spots. In time you'll find a spot that one day will look like the Arc just docked, on others it will look like the far side of the moon!!

You'll likely read where lots of very good hunters go a whole season without shooting a thing, some of that will be a conscious choice, the rest is plain bad luck!!

Welcome and good luck.




I hunted as a teen with my step father in slyvester area, chipmunk creek fsr, and harrison lake and since I have become very familiar with those areas, and I intend on taking your advice 100%. It seems like a big difference between walking the woods and glimpsing wildlife to actively searching for them, I'm hoping that my research and CORE course will at least prepare me a little to reduce said difference and am pretty stoked to spend more time out there with my future goal in mind. Also, I'm hoping it will beef up my success rate to spend as much time as I can continuing to learn from you guys online and track down a mentor.

[AllSmiles]

Doug. Welcome to this wonderfull site.
You should try for spring bears like moosinaround said. It gets you out looking at new areas in the spring and there isnt to many other hunters out there that time of year. Usually May is good for bears. And if you do decide to go after a bear make sure it does not have any cubs with it.
And try to get your girlfriend into hunting to. You can take the core together. Maybe you can get her into shooting grouse first.
You know before I started hunting if you said like 5 years before I started hunting that I would be a hunter. I would of laughed and said I am not shooting bambi. So when I was ready to hunt and had all my licenses and stuff. I shot a spike buck I thought I would hate it or love it. Well it has been about 15 years now and I really like hunting and being in the outdoors knowing that I put meat on the table.
So never give up you go out and you do not get a animal because the next trip you go out you may.
Now good luck for next year.

I'm hoping she'll warm up to it the more she is exposed too. I offered on the grouse hunting, she told me she'd love to clean it and eat it but actually ending it's life is what really turns her off. On the bright side she said she'd never keep trout we caught... :)

[AllSmiles]

Also Steelco I forgot to answer your question,

Yep, I'm in Abbotsford near the base of Sumas Mountain (which is open to bow hunting outside of the Fraser valley regional park boundaries !I THINK!. I was planning on calling the Chilliwack CO HQ or whatever for the specifics on this sometime later in the week) and I definitely think weekend hunts during the fall will be a thing next year to the surrounding areas at least (Hope, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge) and was going to book the time off work to travel somewhere maybe a little further away from the lower mainland to increase my chances of success as I've heard lots of rumors that people believe it's "fished out" "overhunted" and has little game left for the number of hunters in the area.
Any truth to this?

[mikeman20]

The close areas are very busy, they may be lots of animals but with lots of hunting pressure they are often reluctant to stay in the open. A few hours north or east let's you hunt in huge areas with lower numbers of people, and more deer.
You will need to spend ALOT of time hunting and scouting to completely swap to hunting only protein. Some times you just aren't lucky and go empty handed, despite spending 2 weeks hunting. Sometimes the first morning on the first day you get an animal. It would not be a reliable way to keep food on the table. If we were able to shoot muley does then hunting would be simple, but we can't for conservation reasons and there are alot less bucks

[Rob Chipman]

You've got some challenges, but you can overcome them all. I know. Been there, done it.

Hunting for meat is ethical. It's much more ethical than being willfully blind to reality in order to avoid a sense of guilt. Life lives on life. We're the top predators in this world (doubt me? I know a Grizz is a tough customer, but does anyone really see humans becoming endangered anytime soon?)

Reconciling a love for animals and hunting is something that only non-hunters have a problem with. Hunters may not be able to explain how it works, but most love wild animals.

Bears are a funny problem. Someone I know heard I had shot a bear and said "I'm not sure how I feel about that. I do a lot of volunteer work to save bears. Now it seems like that's wasted."

This person is big on controlling suburban garbage so that we don't create problem bears. That's a great idea which I support. I don't like the idea of killing a black bear that didn't need to be killed, especially if its not going to be eaten.

That said, I asked her if she knew what kills tons of deer fawns, moose calves and bear cubs. She was surprised when I told her that bears do. She thought (quite seriously) that bears ate berries. She also wasn't aware that there are tons of them in BC. Knowledge shared dispels ignorance.

There's also the idea that there is a choice between killing animals and not killing animals. Usually that's a false choice. An animal killed by a hunter lives a natural life that ends pretty quickly. There is some pain, sure, but less pain than death from cold or injury or starvation, and way less pain than from being partially eaten while still alive. Getting shot by a hunter, in other words, is probably the best way for wild animals to die. The choice to be made is whether the animal dies relatively quickly and painlessly, or doesn't. Going to live on a retirement farm for old deer isn't an actual option.

Get good at cooking the game. That's always been a good mind changer in my experience.

The biggest, most enduring challenge, I think, is consistently putting meat in the freezer. That takes time, energy and education. I'd advise looking at it as a year round activity. Scout areas before hunting season. Find out as much as you can about the animals. Get better at living outdoors. If getting up in the dark and the snow is tough, practice makes perfect. If you can rig shelter and make fire and be comfortable in poor conditions you can hunt more effectively.

Get ready to give hides away. Unless you're going to wear buckskin to work you'll get more hides than you need, and it costs time and money to process them. I give mine to a woman who gets them tanned and then uses them to teach traditional skills. That's enough motivation for me to skin carefully and pack hides out.


Good luck.

[BearStump]

Also Steelco I forgot to answer your question,

Yep, I'm in Abbotsford near the base of Sumas Mountain (which is open to bow hunting outside of the Fraser valley regional park boundaries !I THINK!. I was planning on calling the Chilliwack CO HQ or whatever for the specifics on this sometime later in the week) and I definitely think weekend hunts during the fall will be a thing next year to the surrounding areas at least (Hope, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge) and was going to book the time off work to travel somewhere maybe a little further away from the lower mainland to increase my chances of success as I've heard lots of rumors that people believe it's "fished out" "overhunted" and has little game left for the number of hunters in the area.
Any truth to this?

I wouldn't say overhunted or fished out at all. But man o man, If you are hoping to fill your freezer and not buy store bought meat whilst focusing on your hunting no further than hope, you sure have your work cut out for you.
Not because there's no deer up the the chwk river valley or up the Skagit but the terrain is difficult and visibility through the woods is very poor. The forests around here are so thick, dense, and steep that it makes for a tough hunt. The deer can be found with the use of trail cams and scouting and patience, but are much easier to find in country that offers a little more of an "open timber" type landscape.

Check out PG66's threads on blacktails. I find them just awesome. He is the wayne gretzky of blacktail hunting. He is a man that hunts for the passion of it. If you factored in the time that he has put in, his blacktails probably cost him over $100/lb. They are a tough animal to hunt with a relatively small yield of meat in return.

The only time I fed my family strictly on game meat for the whole year was a year that I had 1 whole elk, 1 whitetail buck and a mulie buck. That year the meat took me right till the following September.
I wish I could do that every year. And if you are still young without kids, YOU certainly can.

[scoutlt1]

Good post, with good responses.
One question though. "Ground rule" number 3...."no commercial meat products"???
I don't think life would be worth living without BACON!!!!! :)


All the best in your future hunts!

[AllSmiles]

Good post, with good responses.
One question though. "Ground rule" number 3...."no commercial meat products"???
I don't think life would be worth living without BACON!!!!! :)


All the best in your future hunts!
This is something that is a legitimate concern of mine, it's going to be tough for sure, but then again, I don't eat much BACON!!!!!! ;)

[boxhitch]

For many , hunting is just another factor in an outdoors lifestyle. If you are both comfortable in nature , thats a start. Maybe take up fishing also , as it gives some more time in the outdoors , can be a challenge to overcome , puts food on the table , and can be used in conjunction as a scouting trip for suitable areas to hunt.
For me and imo the sole purpose of putting meat on the table would never cut it. A hunter has to be able to end a season saying he/she enjoyed it whether there is meat in the freezer or not.
Aside, I hope the two of you can get over your differences and make it work.

[AllSmiles]

I wouldn't say overhunted or fished out at all. But man o man, If you are hoping to fill your freezer and not buy store bought meat whilst focusing on your hunting no further than hope, you sure have your work cut out for you.
Not because there's no deer up the the chwk river valley or up the Skagit but the terrain is difficult and visibility through the woods is very poor. The forests around here are so thick, dense, and steep that it makes for a tough hunt. The deer can be found with the use of trail cams and scouting and patience, but are much easier to find in country that offers a little more of an "open timber" type landscape.

Check out PG66's threads on blacktails. I find them just awesome. He is the wayne gretzky of blacktail hunting. He is a man that hunts for the passion of it. If you factored in the time that he has put in, his blacktails probably cost him over $100/lb. They are a tough animal to hunt with a relatively small yield of meat in return.

The only time I fed my family strictly on game meat for the whole year was a year that I had 1 whole elk, 1 whitetail buck and a mulie buck. That year the meat took me right till the following September.
I wish I could do that every year. And if you are still young without kids, YOU certainly can.

Thanks man, the vote of confidence is re-assuring, and I caught the warning at the beginning :)
I think I would spend the majority of my time hunting from here to hope area for grouse (weekends) with a few time off work trips into the thompson, kootenays and Okanagan regions with the focus being on larger game.

I am giving this alot more weight after reading your comment, thanks for the early heads up. The only issues I see with leaning my hunting season this way is that it would require scouting of those areas and probably a lot of different gear from hunting the brush in the fraser river basin. I've spent some time tracking deer around Seymour arm while camping and that was one of the areas that popped into my mind immediately when I was hatching this plan with my girlfriend :D

[Rackmastr]

This is something that is a legitimate concern of mine, it's going to be tough for sure, but then again, I don't eat much BACON!!!!!! ;)

Why is it a ground rule if I may ask?? Seems a bit restrictive to jump in 100% and think that you need to make those types of decisions, commitments, and sacrifices. A lot of pressure on you and your decisions, the 'ground rules' and your relationship I'd venture to say.

While its a great thought to have, I'd think it would be much more practical to say that you're going to try and reduce your purchases of commercial meat products in an attempt to stop buying them over time. I think with a 'ground rule' (which makes a guy shake his head that there needs to be strict laid out rules for something like this) like you have here you're setting yourself up for stress and/or dissapointment.

[AllSmiles]

For many , hunting is just another factor in an outdoors lifestyle. If you are both comfortable in nature , thats a start. Maybe take up fishing also , as it gives some more time in the outdoors , can be a challenge to overcome , puts food on the table , and can be used in conjunction as a scouting trip for suitable areas to hunt.
For me and imo the sole purpose of putting meat on the table would never cut it. A hunter has to be able to end a season saying he/she enjoyed it whether there is meat in the freezer or not.
Aside, I hope the two of you can get over your differences and make it work.

I think maybe I was a little fuzzy on my intentions with hunting,
I am darn sure I will enjoy it no matter what and we are both outdoors people, we camp year round in the areas I was planning on hunting and are both pretty darn good at fishing :). The switch from store bought protein goes beyond just my ideal approach to feeding myself and is also kind of a concession she requested once I started harvesting animals.

[AllSmiles]

That's a great point, and probably why I'm stressing enough to ask you guys already.
She's anti hunting, If she had her way I'd never go.
It's not something she and I reconciled easily, lots of arguments to date about the legitimacy of conservation efforts and concern over 'murdering' (her words) animals.
Hunting is a lifestyle I have been enamored by and want to be a part of, and she is 100% against. We worked hard to come up with a solution that both of us could live with. We had an honest conversation about how we felt and what we could do to ensure that both of us are happy, those three rules we came up with were more or less, the rules she pushed for. No matter how much logic I crammed into our conversation the only way she felt she would be able to deal with it is if I didn't kill bears, used the animal to the fullest and stopped buying store bought meat. So that's what we're going to try.

[sawmill]

Holy crap.

[Gateholio]

One decent sized northern moose will provide 2 people all the red meat they need for a year. Add in some birds ( or find an organic chicken farmer and strike a deal with him for a few dozen birds) and you should be good. I would say the easiest and cost effective meat in BC is bear, followed by moose. Cow elk LEH is probably in there too. Deer is much lower meat/cost ratio as large deer are harder to find.

[Gateholio]

Using hides is easier said than done, too. Pretty expensive to get them processed if you can't do it yourself.

[scoutlt1]

You sound like a good guy, and it's good that the two of you are talking about all this.
I would suggest you hunt down (pun intended) some "free range" meat suppliers in your area. I live in the FV too and there are beef, pork, chicken producers that aren't considered "commercial". Maybe a visit with your girlfriend to some of these places (the right ones) would help in changing her mind (and yours?) about some of the meat that is available.
One of the most "palatable" wild fare for non-hunters is sausage, but pork is pretty important to making it tasty...

[AllSmiles]

Update on that, ^^
In case any of you were wondering if I was just blowing smoke when I asked for your opinions on this:

After reading all of your warnings and uncertainty about my ability to pull off rule number three, I showed her some of your comments, explained that hunting is a legitimate skill/trade if you will, and tried my best to make her understand the probability of coming up empty handed we just sat down and had another talk, my goal is still to rely as little as possible on commercial meat products but we're going to mull over that we only buy store bought meat if the meet freezer is empty of game meat. She seemed pretty open to this suggestion after I explained that hunting season is actually quite short.

[Chilliwack]

With grouse, a mule deer, fish canned and now ducks we are set for a few months of living off the land. Also it soon will be steelhead time, it can be done.

[AllSmiles]

Using hides is easier said than done, too. Pretty expensive to get them processed if you can't do it yourself.
Thanks for the heads up, this is something I wasn't aware of and will definitely have to factor into what parts get used, someone suggested donating to local first nations groups I think and that sounds promising.

Thanks gatehouse

[AllSmiles]

Holy crap.
Care to elaborate?

[AllSmiles]

You sound like a good guy, and it's good that the two of you are talking about all this.
I would suggest you hunt down (pun intended) some "free range" meat suppliers in your area. I live in the FV too and there are beef, pork, chicken producers that aren't considered "commercial". Maybe a visit with your girlfriend to some of these places (the right ones) would help in changing her mind (and yours?) about some of the meat that is available.
One of the most "palatable" wild fare for non-hunters is sausage, but pork is pretty important to making it tasty...

Free range organic meat is something that we are also going to be looking into to switch over to until next hunting season, and like I said in the first post, if SHE wanted to eat meat, this is where she is already going to be going for it once our plan kicks in.
I like the idea of taking her to a local farm, that's some good thinking scout. :)

[brian]

You don't start eliminating all bought meat, you work up to it. Hunting has a BIG learning curve. You will be hard pressed to consistently tag out and fill your freezer unless you are a complete natural or have unlimited time to devote to the pursuit. However, you will gain the utmost respect for the skills of our collective ancestors who hunted simply to live as you learn to hunt. You will learn to see the natural world in a completely different way and you will live in it with an entirely new attitude. I envy what you are about to do. I remember my first hunts were like lifting a veil from my eyes, they were a very important time in my life.

A few notes on your long write up.

The skills you really need to learn are learned on the hunt, you can't learn them from your couch.

No hunt, guided or not can guarantee you a big game animal. Pursuing most big game outside of deer will involve travel outside of the lower mainland.

Worst luck and you are getting skunked for the season, best luck and you are tagging out easily. However developing the skills to make your own luck are invaluable.

I have a bleeding heart and agree with your thinking of farmed meat fully. I hate killing! I will say that again... I hate killing, but I love to hunt. Eating the venison that you shot and watched die gives you a new connection to your food in a way that very few non-hunters will ever experience or understand.

[AllSmiles]

With grouse, a mule deer, fish canned and now ducks we are set for a few months of living off the land. Also it soon will be steelhead time, it can be done.
Glad to hear it, I'm just worried about if it can be done consistently, which sounds very very tough,

[AllSmiles]

You don't start eliminating all bought meat, you work up to it. Hunting has a BIG learning curve. You will be hard pressed to consistently tag out and fill your freezer unless you are a complete natural or have unlimited time to devote to the pursuit. However, you will gain the utmost respect for the skills of our collective ancestors who hunted simply to live as you learn to hunt. You will learn to see the natural world in a completely different way and you will live in it with an entirely new attitude. I envy what you are about to do. I remember my first hunts were like lifting a veil from my eyes, they were a very important time in my life.

A few notes on your long write up.

The skills you really need to learn are learned on the hunt, you can't learn them from your couch.

No hunt, guided or not can guarantee you a big game animal. Pursuing most big game outside of deer will involve travel outside of the lower mainland.

Worst luck and you are getting skunked for the season, best luck and you are tagging out easily. However developing the skills to make your own luck are invaluable.

I have a bleeding heart and agree with your thinking of farmed meat fully. I hate killing! I will say that again... I hate killing, but I love to hunt. Eating the venison that you shot and watched die gives you a new connection to your food in a way that very few non-hunters will ever experience or understand.

Good advice, appreciated greatly, have no doubts that I will be climbing that learning curve the best I can out there on the trail. :)
Also, the last sentence was great motivation for me to pursue hunting as a way of life. We feel very similarly in that respect.

[The Hermit]

A couple tips...

You mentioned that you plan to buy a compound bow...

1) Not sure if it was Pope or Young that said, "bowhunting is a good way to starve". Don't get me wrong, I am an avid bowhunter but if needing to fill the freezer to meet some wonky "rule", (sorry just calling it as I see it) then stick with a rifle. Save the money from the bow and ...

2) Buy a couple treestands, find a few good locations (beside active trails close to feeding areas) and set them up noting prevailing winds and sit there super quietly starting a half hour before shooting light until dark... do this for a few days and you will kill deer!

3) Consider having your GF take the CORE course with you... at least she will better understand the realities of wildlife management and hunting's role in it.

[MichelD]

The "no bear" rule would be pretty tough to live with.

I have been hunting since 1968, got my first deer in 1970 and have had a hunting licence every year since then except when traveling abroad. I'd love to live on wild meat too, but it hasn't worked for me.

This year was the first year in five or six that I got a deer and that is with dedicating a good portion of every fall to trying to find one. I hunted in good areas, camped out, hiked, sat and waited and never even saw a buck for years. If it wasn't for bear hunting I wouldn't have had any self harvested wild game meat.

People say bear hunting is easy. I went on four overnight camping hunting trips before I got mine this year. And I've been hunting bears since 1976.

I was along on a moose trip and a mulie trip in 2012 where my friends got game and I got a share plus I shoot a few ducks so I haven't gone without, I'm just saying, even with a lot of experience and hunting in good areas deer hunting at least, is not a sure thing. Sure, I've had good years, I have had two Vancouver island Roosevelt elk draws, and each one of those was a year's worth of meat, but it doesn't happen every year.

You mentioned homesteading. What does that mean to you? Actual homesteading has been off the legal books in BC since 1970.

If you want to buy or rent a rural property and raise your own meat animals it might consistently provide more non commercial meat for you and your partner than hunting. I did that in my 20s and with goat milk, ducks and chickens and eggs supplemented with a bear and a deer now again, we rarely bought meat.

[AllSmiles]

A couple tips...

You mentioned that you plan to buy a compound bow...

1) Not sure if it was Pope or Young that said, "bowhunting is a good way to starve". Don't get me wrong, I am an avid bowhunter but if needing to fill the freezer to meet some wonky "rule", (sorry just calling it as I see it) then stick with a rifle. Save the money from the bow and ...

2) Buy a couple treestands, find a few good locations (beside active trails close to feeding areas) and set them up noting prevailing winds and sit there super quietly starting a half hour before shooting light until dark... do this for a few days and you will kill deer!

3) Consider having your GF take the CORE course with you... at least she will better understand the realities of wildlife management and hunting's role in it.

1)Hey, no harm in calling it how you see it, I appreciate your honesty. Also, there are a lot of worse words that come to mind when I think of what you could have said there. I also will be buying a rifle and good glass, having a bow is to increase my available time to hunt and utilize bow only seasons :)
That would make things even more difficult though as you say.
I feel it worth mentioning that I am a target shooter already and do have a .22, sks, and a 12g. The .22 is a Marlin 795 and will make a great grouse/rabbit gun, I already have it sighted in to a 2-10x rimfire scope and it shoots MOA easily. The 12g is a Stevens 350 and I don't think it is the right fit for a hunting gun, so it will probably have to be replaced. The sks might be a fine rifle for deer as it shoots very accurately, but I would like a nice bolt action with a proper scope mount. I'm thinking the savage axis package in 30-06 that can be found for around 500$ online would be a great entry level choice.
2) That's the plan :)
3) Also part of the plan, I think that the more education she gets from someone who's not me (with all of my bias engrained in the conversation) will open her up more and more to the legitimacy of this sport.

Also as a side note, I am currently reading the CORE manual and it's doing nothing but but stolk me up even more that this is something I want to do!

[AllSmiles]

The "no bear" rule would be pretty tough to live with.

I have been hunting since 1968, got my first deer in 1970 and have had a hunting licence every year since then except when traveling abroad. I'd love to live on wild meat too, but it hasn't worked for me.

This year was the first year in five or six that I got a deer and that is with dedicating a good portion of every fall to trying to find one. I hunted in good areas, camped out, hiked, sat and waited and never even saw a buck for years. If it wasn't for bear hunting I wouldn't have had any self harvested wild game meat.

People say bear hunting is easy. I went on four overnight camping hunting trips before I got mine this year. And I've been hunting bears since 1976.

I was along on a moose trip and a mulie trip in 2012 where my friends got game and I got a share plus I shoot a few ducks so I haven't gone without, I'm just saying, even with a lot of experience and hunting in good areas deer hunting at least, is not a sure thing. Sure, I've had good years, I have had two Vancouver island Roosevelt elk draws, and each one of those was a year's worth of meat, but it doesn't happen every year.

You mentioned homesteading. What does that mean to you? Actual homesteading has been off the legal books in BC since 1970.

If you want to buy or rent a rural property and raise your own meat animals it might consistently provide more non commercial meat for you and your partner than hunting. I did that in my 20s and with goat milk, ducks and chickens and eggs supplemented with a bear and a deer now again, we rarely bought meat.

I'm glad all you guys are giving me this input, it's why i came here in the first place, thanks again to all of you!
What you're telling me about your hunting experience is what I'm coming to understand is the general norm, I think it was easy for me to get swept up in looking in the mainland BC category and seeing page after page of people with 4x4 bucks and big grins :D
Knowing what you guys have shared with me is definitely going to mean some reconsideration on the 'rules' and my plan and I'm glad it's going to happen now rather than later. I will be working with the old lady to set up some more realistic goals and rules in light of this for sure.

Yea, we're aware of the legallity of homesteading, what you described is closer to what we would like to try one day. I think we'll give that one about 100x more thought and preparation than the hunting thing, especially after it already seems like I've bitten off more than I could chew :D

[scoutlt1]

A few more 2 cents.....don't call her "the old lady".................................................. ..........................

[Bugle M In]

A few more 2 cents.....don't call her "the old lady".................................................. ..........................

:mrgreen:.....x2>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Colinofthewoods]

What I have found is hunting is a lot less enjoyable when you put extra pressure on yourself to bring home meat. If you made your primary focus just getting out and enjoying the bush and becoming a better hunter, then all your trips can be successful, whether you cut a tag or not. The meat is the bonus.

[AllSmiles]

A few more 2 cents.....don't call her "the old lady".................................................. ..........................

Wait did you mean to her face? or did I offend you?
Because if it's the first one, I'm green in regards to hunting..not in regards to ladies :D

[Chilliwack]

Glad to hear it, I'm just worried about if it can be done consistently, which sounds very very tough,The grouse, ducks and fish always come easily but did not have a deer last season, maybe being retired lets me get out a lot. Of course just being out in the bush and on the water is the great part with the eats the bonus.

[two-feet]

I have hunted since before I can remember and have spent a good portion of my life in the bush, and I was not successful on my fall hunt this year. Plan A was definitely moose meat for my family this year but plan B is 1/2 of a local, bush run, naturally raised beef. Hey, a guy has to be pragmatic.

I did manage to take a bear this spring, filling the freezer with bear is really not much more difficult than getting meat from safeway. A word on bear hunting: I consider it the most moral of animals to harvest as they are super abundant, they reproduce well, the hide is very desirable and they make for some pretty darn good eats. And in my opinion they die quicker and easier than most other animals.

The fact that your ole lady is so against bear hunting shows how little she does know about the subject. I feel a pang of guilt moose hunting since the trend through most of the province is for lower moose numbers but I certainly have never felt this way about bear hunting. I think you have to work on her with this one.

[dana]

I haven't read all the comments on this thread but I must commend you for wanting to know where your food comes from and have a part in that process. This is something that has been lost on many in today's society and it just starting to become popular once again. Hunting and gathering is a good way to get back to those basic roots that make us human and not some rat in a cage in a science lab. As you get into hunting, you will learn and your thoughts will change and evolve. I can tell you it is very possible to have wild game your primary source of protein. I've raised my family doing just that and I was raised in a family that did the same. Aside from chicken, turkey and some pork, my family's diet is Wild Meat. I live in small town Interior BC and it is very easy to hunt economically when you have the outdoors as your backyard. I'll give you an example. Back in Oct both my son and my daughter harvested mule deer bucks on the same weekend. Total cost in gas was about $30. If I was just concerned about meat and not the experience that goes along with being in the Great Outdoors, I could walk out my door, up the mountain in front of my house and harvest a buck with very very little for cost. If you want to get back to the land, back to basics, it is totally doable.

[SAVAGEONE]

welcome to hunting!
question regarding rule # 2, why is is o.k. to harvest a deer or moose or elk or beef or pork but no for bear? why do bears rate higher status? I been hunting for 45 years and never hunted bear ( by choice ) not because i rate them to be more deserving ( is'nt that is discrimination ? ).

[AllSmiles]

welcome to hunting!
question regarding rule # 2, why is is o.k. to harvest a deer or moose or elk or beef or pork but no for bear? why do bears rate higher status? I been hunting for 45 years and never hunted bear ( by choice ) not because i rate them to be more deserving ( is'nt that is discrimination ? ).

My girlfriend has a strong emotional connection to bears and said she didn't want me eating them.

[AllSmiles]

I have hunted since before I can remember and have spent a good portion of my life in the bush, and I was not successful on my fall hunt this year. Plan A was definitely moose meat for my family this year but plan B is 1/2 of a local, bush run, naturally raised beef. Hey, a guy has to be pragmatic.

I did manage to take a bear this spring, filling the freezer with bear is really not much more difficult than getting meat from safeway. A word on bear hunting: I consider it the most moral of animals to harvest as they are super abundant, they reproduce well, the hide is very desirable and they make for some pretty darn good eats. And in my opinion they die quicker and easier than most other animals.

The fact that your ole lady is so against bear hunting shows how little she does know about the subject. I feel a pang of guilt moose hunting since the trend through most of the province is for lower moose numbers but I certainly have never felt this way about bear hunting. I think you have to work on her with this one.

That's probably going to happen due to all of you guy's guidance.
Bear hunting does look the most sustainable.

[Bugle M In]

could have taken 3 bears so far this season!, but like some choose not to hunt them....don't know why, just not interested ( having a hide is not worth killing an animal for me,
and bear meat isn't on my list of things to eat as of yet! )

BUT, If I decided to go out and start buying a bear tag....I probably won't see another bear for 5 years...LOL!

That can be the honest truth about hunting at times...you never know when the next opportunity will happen, but as said...if u don't get out there, it won't happen.
To better your odds, and to make expense cheaper, u may need to move up to a place like Dana,...somewhere where game is more abundant, does not require hours of travel time,
and sadly, lots of cash in fuel costs etc.
The closer to the LM, the harder I feel it is to sustain game meat on a regular basis...but however, not impossible....just harder.

Good luck...and welcome to the forum

[albravo2]

Welcome to HBC.

Nothing I can say that hasn't already been said. Some pretty funny comments previous, plus some excellent advice.

Keep in mind that a guy like Dana has years of hunting skills (and a geographic advantage) to give him confidence. My son and I live in the LML and, after three years hunting quite a bit (100% self taught), got our first deer off his LEH doe draw last weekend. We've hit a few ducks too, after a year of trying.

I suspect your girlfriend will get a much better understanding of hunting, and the notion of 'fair chase', after she sees the effort you put in before you start packing meat home. Lots of people that don't like hunting think hunters have these high powered rifles and expensive scopes that make it totally unfair for the animals. I'm pretty sure you'll disagree after your first pair of boots need replacing.

Welcome to the site, you'll find a ton of great advice and very helpful people on here.

[timbermilton]

Research the animals you plan to hunt. Find out their dietary needs. Sleep patterns. Study them by any means. There are a lot of great books out there written by hunters just like some of us here. Hunting is easy. Seriously easy. This year is my first to not tag out. Due to slipped disc in my back, I'm stuck at home. Been hunting 26yrs, always tagged out if I needed too. We have LONG seasons here. I grew up in washington, only 3week season for deer. Had to be fast and hunt hard.

Dont be afraid to get your boots on the ground and muddy in the back country with a pack carrying a couple days supplies. get away from everyone else and you'll harvest anything you want. I prefer a Bow for several reasons myself. One, I build my own selfbows And arrows, as well as most of my archery gear. Second, its quiet. A couple years ago, I got a nice mulie up above Harrison, while waiting my customary 30-45min after the shot. A nice black bear came walking out of The brush behind me, I put the stalk on him for about an hour before I sunk a trade point through his boiler. THat was a long day/evening packing the meat/hides out. But it's easily doable. Also got 3 grouse and 4 rabbit while hauling the meat to my truck. Was a very successful day.

If you can, butcher your own meat. Cheaper and you get YOUR meat the way you want it. Get a couple ice chests and throw the quartered animal in them with ice for a few days. Ages them perfectly. Hides are also very easy to process.

Learn the behaviors of the animals your hunting, and there is no such thing as luck.

Look me up next Season, I'll take you up. Will be living in chilliwack by then. I have several "honey holes" I'm not afraid to share. But, you got to work for them. Usually a couple hours from ANY road.

[Singleshotneeded]

You're going to have trouble filling a large deep freezer cost effectively from the lower Fraser Valley. If the money isn't an issue then head north and get a big moose and a couple of bucks and you're golden. As far as the Fraser Valley goes, I got a nice 5 point buck back in the late 80s near Chilliwack Lake, but with all the people hunting, quadding, hiking, fishing, etc., these days I'm not sure it's a good bet anymore.

[skuntor]

Even honey holes are not guarantees. I've done 3 trips this year with a buddy and had a free place to stay. We have spend quite a bit on gas. We have four deer to show between the two of us which is pretty good. 2 deer isn't enough meat for a year. I've spent way more than the equivalent of beef. If you have the time, I would plan to go somewhere and stay a week or two looking for a moose or elk.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I'd ditch the G/F, move closer to the interior but somewhere where it's still economical to catch salmon. Nothing better for your health than a good diet of wild salmon....to add to wild meat.

As most have mentioned, hunting is a steep learning curve and the cost/harvest ratio will be high to start...especially living in the lower mainland.

SSS

[Wild one]

Unfortunately your location will limit what is available to hunt. In my opinion bear and waterfowl is your highest success rate in the lower mainland. Grouse are around but numbers are lower do to wet conditions. You will earn your deer in region 2 and it will take a lot of scouting to be consistently successful. It will take time to learn the deer and the best advice I can give you is look for harder to access or overlooked locations to hunt.

If you really want to avoid eating store bought meat it can be done but you are in a tougher location to do it. The no bear rule makes it even harder.

It will take time to learn skills and locations. Find a good mentor and be prepared to put in your dues.

If your goal is to eat only meat from the wild my advice is focus on fishing, waterfowl, and if she will change her mind bear for starters for local meat.

PS find a mentor who gets out of the truck because gas prices/road hunting make for expensive meat.

Best of luck

[blackwater moose]

to recap all that has been said, hunting is not cheap and there are no guarentees to fill your freezer. There is no better way to convene with nature and good friends. If want natural, organic and the best tasting meat on god's green earth you are on the right path. just have patience and put in your time. patience + time = success . good luck to you

[caddisguy]

I agree that Spring bear is your best bet.

There is a lot of social conditioning against bear hunting... you know, teddy bears, care bears, documentaries about how cute and playful they are... mama bear, papa bear, baby bears all living in harmony... but then big bad hunter encroaches on their territory and drives them into extinction.

The reality is that there are too many bears in the Fraser Valley. There is only so much growth in the valley bottoms to support bears when they come out of hibernation in the Spring. This is why there are so many desperate bears breaking into cars in the city, bears feeding out of dumpsters, etc. They have exceeded the carrying capacity of the ecosystem, so we end up with desperate problem-bears which end up getting into trouble. Many starve or are put down put down by the CO's every year as a result.

What makes the eco-systems carrying capacity for bears smaller is urban/agricultural development in the valley bottoms and destruction of salmon habitat. Vegetarians often believe that if everyone ate fruits and vegetables, it would be sustainable and we wouldn't harm any animals. The reality is that unless this is done in greenhouses outside of bear habitat, it would permanently destroy bear habitat and reduce the carrying capacity accordingly, never giving them a chance to live to begin with rather than harvesting the excess. I would argue that a vegetarian diet is a larger threat to bears than hunting. Hunting is simply harvesting and making use an excess population. You eat a bear so that bear and perhaps another bear or two don't starve or get put down by a CO.

It is also possible that harvesting male bears would lead to more bears--not that this is necessary--rather than lowering the numbers. Papa bear will happily kill mama bears cubs just so she will become "receptive" again and he can get freaky with her. Cute loving teddy bear style of course ;-P

Deer can be just as "cute" and "social"... perhaps equally intelligent in a less capable body. If you show your girlfriend this one, deer hunting will probably be "off the table" as well.... http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/touching-the-wild/full-episode/8679/ .... that said, any animal can be cute, but we need to eat and consuming anything on this planet hurts wild animals directly or indirectly. Hunting is more humane than the alternatives.

Best thing to do is just eat a balanced with meat and veggies from more reputable sources. Enjoy the outdoors and supplement by harvesting what you can--bear, deer, birds, fish--while you're out there anyway. As others mentioned, the fraser valley is tough to hunt. It is difficult to harvest a deer and grouse aren't much easier. Even if you know "good" areas, you would be lucky to see a dozen in one hunting season. I have seen a few more this year because we had a fairly dry spring, but normally our environment is too damp and few offspring survive.

[Rob Chipman]

Hey, another thought on this.

Are you aware of Joe Rogan and his podcast? If not, download as many as you can that have Joe talking to Steve Rinella or Cameron Haynes. If you are aware of him....same instructions! Also look at the youtube video of Rinella and a vegetarian.

Rogan felt that if he was going to eat meat he shouldn't be afraid to be involved in its' acquisition, so he went hunting with Rinella. He didn't know how he'd react to hunting when the rubber hit the road, and was a bit afraid that if he pulled the trigger it would turn him into a vegetarian.

As it turns out he ain't a vegetarian, and he's now hunted deer, bear and feral hogs. Following his story will likely touch on most of the issues and misconceptions that non-hunters have about hunting. Might be helpful to you.

FWIW, my wife wasn't always crazy about hunting, and didn't like the idea of murdering innocent animals. The change started when I dropped some whitetail chops on her. When I texted her about moose success a few weeks ago she responded that all we needed now was some deer to fill the freezer. Last night we ate moose and bear stew. However, listening to guys like Rogan and Rinella also gave her a different perspective.

And, I just got a call from the meat cutter - bear hams are ready!

[Grousedaddy]

^^^^ yup joe rogan could be a great advocate for hunting thats for sure guy has a level head and looks at things with no bias

[Squamch]

I've been hunting for 13 years now. This is the first year I've tagged out. Throughout the off season, I spend a ton of time in the bush four wheeling, fishing, and camping. I spent probably a total of two weeks in the woods this season, burning a tank or so of gas to get there and back, plus what I burnt driving around from spot to spot. I carry enough tools and gear to fix about anything that can go wrong with my truck, or get it un-stuck. It cost me about $200 to get the two deer I shot cut and wrapped.

I don't hunt because it's cheap. I hunt because it's something I love to do. It's a reason to be out in the bush, seeing new places, learning the country, learning the animals, and just being in the woods. Being in the bush is my church. That's where I feel right. It's where I am at the most peace.
My ex was pretty upset about me hunting, and in fact, told me that it was a deal breaker. I told her that was it broken then. No one that hasn't been there, can understand what it's like to walk into the bush in the cold morning, to be sitting on a cut at first light, seeing the world come awake...that's what hunting is about for me. The meat is just a bonus.

Dont focus on the killing an animal aspect. It's the goal, but there's a whole bunch of other stuff to see and do before you take a shot, and a whole lot to do after it.

[hoochie]

I live in abby too, and the place I hunt is near merrit. Hunting requires los of time in the bush and patience. I usually go somewhere up the coq to get my grouse, but go a bit farther for my deer. I don't eat bear because I don't like the taste of it. its just not for me. Almost everyone else likes bear. maybe you should try some meat before you shoot something. I prefer grouse over chicken, and white tail over beef. Never been fortunate enough to get a moose yet, but damn does it taste good.
Last weekend, $100 in gas and only a grouse to show for it. didn't even see a deer anywhere. hunting isn't cheap, but its better than sitting on the couch!

[Hellfish Hunter]

Hi Allsmiles,

I think some of these guys have missed a very real source for meat! Become a Fowler, geese ducks! The season is from September to March, limits are 8 duck and 10 geese per day, to allowable possession limits.

Need a hunting licence, Fraser Valley special hunting licences, $1million liability insurance( home insurance usually has it) or $45 BCWF membership and a federal migratory bird stamp, which you can get at the post office $17.

The great thing is it is local, costs are low, hunt along rivers, Fraser, Pitt, Boundary Bay. Pitt marsh, Delta marsh.

Ducks and geese make great meals, sausage, pepperoni, stews, etc. pm me and I can get you started.

Cheers
Hellfish Hunter

[adriaticum]

Don't limit yourself with any hard expectations. Variety is the spice of life.
If you live in LML, you are going to eat the odd hamburger, steak and chicken wing.
Why not.
One of the difficult things about these vegan, vegetarian diets is the fact that they are limiting themselves to certain types of foods.
Survival it's not an all or nothing game.
Animals that limit themselves to only certain types of foods and don't adapt to changing conditions, go extinct.

[hoochie]

I'd ditch the G/F, move closer to the interior but somewhere where it's still economical to catch salmon. Nothing better for your health than a good diet of wild salmon....


if he lives where he says he does, he's a couple mins from a few honey holes in 2 rivers

[Black Bird]

If you haven't done your CORE course yet, maybe you would like to work with Dylan: http://www.eatwild.ca/

I think you might find your ethics line up with his course and he specializes with new hunters who don't have mentoring experience.

Cheers,
BB

[Rob Chipman]

Looks like he's got a new course coming up in January (my wife and a buddy are going).

Also, Rogan just did a new podcast with Jim Shockey that also addresses some of your and your partner's issues. I've never watched Shockey, just heard about him, but he seems pretty smart.

[GoatGuy]

We eat pork rarely, buy those 'organic' type chickens and don't buy beef. Usually fill the freezer with salmon and always wild game. Very 'doable' if you're willing to spend a bit of time off. Wife never wanted to hunt bears, then she tried some, shot one, and loved the double-smoked hams.

Understanding how the big picture in terms of sustainability is usually the key to acceptability. If she's a vet tech she will start to see how the cycle works in a big hurry. I don't think either one of you should get too hung up on your beliefs as they might change as you begin to know and understand more about wildlife management and sustainability.

[two-feet]

We eat pork rarely, buy those 'organic' type chickens and don't buy beef. Usually fill the freezer with salmon and always wild game. Very 'doable' if you're willing to spend a bit of time off. Wife never wanted to hunt bears, then she tried some, shot one, and loved the double-smoked hams.

Understanding how the big picture in terms of sustainability is usually the key to acceptability. If she's a vet tech she will start to see how the cycle works in a big hurry. I don't think either one of you should get too hung up on your beliefs as they might change as you begin to know and understand more about wildlife management and sustainability.

Well put, as usual

[AllSmiles]

if he lives where he says he does, he's a couple mins from a few honey holes in 2 rivers
I'm many things, liar ain't one of them :)

[AllSmiles]

I'd like to thank everybody for all this great information.
I have gotten some very useful advice and definitely learned what I set out to.
A round of applause for everyone who responded, I appreciate you taking the time to illuminate me.
Another one for everyone who PM'd me some more useful information, tips, and links.

You guys really are great and I'm excited to be part of this community.

[hoochie]

I'm many things, liar ain't one of them :)

I wasn't calling you a liar, it was in reference to someone saying move to the interior and be near a river to fish salmon. I was more speaking to that person and hinting that you are in a great spot if you wanted to be a fisherman. Ive fished the fraser and vedder since I was a kid, so many salmon I'm almost sick of it now. I still catch them and smoke them, but I do it all for the family, not so much for myself anymore.

[andrewscag]

I don't know if this has come up yet, but I'd look into raising rabbits and chicken. If the main objection to purchased meat is quality of life for the animals, do it yourself if you can. I have friends that went from never having raised a bird to getting 100% of their poultry and eggs by their own hand in under a year. Or find a few local farms that you trust, and definitely plan to salmon fish. I think you'll both enjoy the process of learning to hunt more and have more success if you can ease into it. Its not an easy thing to start and be 100% reliant on. Kudos to you for thinking critically about your food choices. PM me if you'd like to try some bear salami or want a few farms to look into.