one-shot-wonder
01-03-2015, 01:54 PM
I have been asked to circulate this letter from a frustrated resident hunter:
To whom it may concern
Your ministry sends me a harvest questionnaire in the mail and you expect resident
hunters to fill out the data and return it all to you for your “management” of the resource.
Meanwhile you continue to erode resident hunters priveleges away from them via road closures
(guide requested), horn restrictions (guide requested), minimizing bear harvest on QCI (gov't
negotiated), and then Minister Thomson has the odacity to instill 4 times the normal allocations of
non resident allocations as compared to other jurisdictions from around North America, to our
beloved guide outfitters.
I am a dedicated hunter and conservationist and I believe in science based wildlife
management based on the North American model. However, when your government does not play
by, or believe in, the same objectives, everything else becomes a mute point.
Being that your government supports the guiding industry so strongly – go ahead and ask
them about the wildlife. You certainly do not listen to the over 100,000 resident hunters – so go
ahead and listen to the slightly over 100 outfitters. After all – they gave your government money
during the last election. Money talks and science walks.
My family not only eats the meat of wild animals that we are so dedicated in pursuing and
preserving, but I also know residents who make their livelivelihood through the taxidermy
business. I would like to see their businesses guaranteed with similar incentives as the
guide/outfitters have recently received.
$40,000+ dollars for a sheep hunt and they are booked for years in advance – and here I
am waiting for over 20 years for a limited entry opportunity. It never happened and now I am
getting to the stage in life where I am unable to hike the mountains. Oh yes, the government
removed most of the packers (guide outfitter requested) from the Province. Anything the guides
want, they seem to get. The asking will never stop.
So – back to the questionnaire – don't bother sending me any more until you readdress the
Allocation Policy and institute what all parties (BCWF, Outfitters, Gov't) ALL signed some years
back!
With all the respect due:
Resident Hunter
To whom it may concern
Your ministry sends me a harvest questionnaire in the mail and you expect resident
hunters to fill out the data and return it all to you for your “management” of the resource.
Meanwhile you continue to erode resident hunters priveleges away from them via road closures
(guide requested), horn restrictions (guide requested), minimizing bear harvest on QCI (gov't
negotiated), and then Minister Thomson has the odacity to instill 4 times the normal allocations of
non resident allocations as compared to other jurisdictions from around North America, to our
beloved guide outfitters.
I am a dedicated hunter and conservationist and I believe in science based wildlife
management based on the North American model. However, when your government does not play
by, or believe in, the same objectives, everything else becomes a mute point.
Being that your government supports the guiding industry so strongly – go ahead and ask
them about the wildlife. You certainly do not listen to the over 100,000 resident hunters – so go
ahead and listen to the slightly over 100 outfitters. After all – they gave your government money
during the last election. Money talks and science walks.
My family not only eats the meat of wild animals that we are so dedicated in pursuing and
preserving, but I also know residents who make their livelivelihood through the taxidermy
business. I would like to see their businesses guaranteed with similar incentives as the
guide/outfitters have recently received.
$40,000+ dollars for a sheep hunt and they are booked for years in advance – and here I
am waiting for over 20 years for a limited entry opportunity. It never happened and now I am
getting to the stage in life where I am unable to hike the mountains. Oh yes, the government
removed most of the packers (guide outfitter requested) from the Province. Anything the guides
want, they seem to get. The asking will never stop.
So – back to the questionnaire – don't bother sending me any more until you readdress the
Allocation Policy and institute what all parties (BCWF, Outfitters, Gov't) ALL signed some years
back!
With all the respect due:
Resident Hunter