Motor Vehicle Closed Areas

[Darksith]

It would appear that I am allowed to use an ATV in portions of 3-28, 3-29, 3-30 as long as I stick to existing roads and trails.

Ive scoured the regs and the gov.bc.ca/motorvehicleprohibitions

For some reason I thought it I read something that says it was still not allowed for hunting, but maybe I am remembering wrong? Can anyone please confirm or deny it for me?

[RobbieH]

Regs. page 33. Right above the green box that says ‘notice to hunters’ atv closed to hunting in 3-28 from sept 1 to dec 10

[Darksith]

Regs. page 33. Right above the green box that says ‘notice to hunters’ atv closed to hunting in 3-28 from sept 1 to dec 10
Thanks, knew I had seen it and just couldn't find it again

[Bugle M In]

Yup, no Atv, just vehicle.
Weird rule, but I guess it’s to keep folks from using all the fire perimeter roads that were put in to stop the fires.

[bcsteve]

Yup, no Atv, just vehicle.
Weird rule, but I guess it’s to keep folks from using all the fire perimeter roads that were put in to stop the fires.
Thats the stupid part. You can drive your Tracker or pickup and rut up trails but I can't take my quad with soft tires?!

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Thats the stupid part. You can drive your Tracker or pickup and rut up trails but I can't take my quad with soft tires?!

Or your street legal dual sport motorbike.

SSS

[bcsteve]

Or your street legal dual sport motorbike.

SSS
Exactly. Last season, I parked my truck at the trailhead, I was walking down a trail with my daughter looking for grouses, a trail we used to drive down on the quad when they were younger. 1/2 way through here comes an SUV crashing down the trail, rutting up the trail, getting new pin stripes. 100% legal but my quad has to stay home.

[Downwindtracker2]

I can get my quad into places I never could get my Jeep.

[browningboy]

I can get my quad into places I never could get my Jeep.

I don't believe this statement, jeep goes way further than a quad...

[Downwindtracker2]

I'm not talking about my son's Jeep with it's 6" lift and a very modified suspension, rather my more humble 1 1/2" lift. BTW ,what quad do you have ?

[browningboy]

I'm not talking about my son's Jeep with it's 6" lift and a very modified suspension, rather my more humble 1 1/2" lift. BTW ,what quad do you have ?

Sold my SXS's, have a very modified Tracker.. In all honesty the quads will go way further, I was just kidding.

[Darksith]

Yup, no Atv, just vehicle.
Weird rule, but I guess it’s to keep folks from using all the fire perimeter roads that were put in to stop the fires.
in some areas it makes no sense. There are roads into every place, all the blowdown is now gone b/c of the fires. They punched roads across the entire landscape for MPB salvage logging and then they never deactivated them, and now even if they do a guy could drive his truck down the block b/c all the trees are stumps are gone.

As long as they mandate stay on forest service roads and existing marked trails we should be able to save gas by driving an ATV. That being said heated cabs are nice and I am happy to hike, the only downside to that is there are roads and trucks everywhere now

[HappyJack]

There are over 620,000kms of resource roads across BC which are used by both industrial users and recreational users. They fall into several categories:.


You'd think with this many roads to travel on you wouldn't see all that much traffic, but then I guess hunters all congregate where there are more generous GOS? or the roads are closer the the LML where the majority of hunters reside?

[Darksith]

There are over 620,000kms of resource roads across BC which are used by both industrial users and recreational users. They fall into several categories:.


You'd think with this many roads to travel on you wouldn't see all that much traffic, but then I guess hunters all congregate where there are more generous GOS? or the roads are closer the the LML where the majority of hunters reside?

the LML is where most of the hunters live. They travel to the spots that have GOS at certain times of year. Im Kamloops, you see an influx of hunters Oct 1 for any buck, you see an influx of hunters Nov 1 where most of the immy moose seasons open and I know you see so many vehicles heading north end of Sept for the moose rutt in reg 6 GOS.

So many people have said have more GOS all at the same time during decent times to hunt and that will spread out the hunters. I think the bio's are willing to pack people into areas where access is harder and success is lower knowing the pressure will push the animals deeper. So many areas are LEH for 0 reason...don't get me started lol. Its all about control

[swampthing]

Or your street legal dual sport motorbike.

SSS

I believe you can use your street legal motorcycle as long as it was your only method of transport to the area, such as driving it from your house. You cant unload it from a pick up and use it. Thats how other atv/orv closures work anyway.

[J_T]

the LML is where most of the hunters live. They travel to the spots that have GOS at certain times of year. Im Kamloops, you see an influx of hunters Oct 1 for any buck, you see an influx of hunters Nov 1 where most of the immy moose seasons open and I know you see so many vehicles heading north end of Sept for the moose rutt in reg 6 GOS.

So many people have said have more GOS all at the same time during decent times to hunt and that will spread out the hunters. I think the bio's are willing to pack people into areas where access is harder and success is lower knowing the pressure will push the animals deeper. So many areas are LEH for 0 reason...don't get me started lol. Its all about control
The LML is where the most influential hunters live. 25% of resident hunters live in the LML.
Data suggests most LML hunters, don't rely on GOS to plan their hunt. Rather they submit 45% of the 160,000 annual LEH applications. Predominantly these LEH applications are for hunts in R3, R5 and R7 . For the rest of the Province, hunters will put in for a LEH draw within their local area, but they typically aren't putting to many applications in other regions.

Often, these LEH authorizations are for areas the LML hunters have not been to (because they wait for the LEH draw success) and don't have the proximity to do recon. This drives the hunting approach to be one of road exploration. Cover the ground look for sign.

Regarding the comment of 'combining' hunts. Regional staff are very aware of 'inconsequential' kills. (Ie; hunter primarily goes for elk, but comes home with a truck load of deer). Regional staff work to assess many factors in hunting seasons and often, decisions are made to reduce inconsequential harvest.

Other studies have indicated animals that spend their time close to roads do not live as long as animals that live more distant from human activity. Reducing access reduces harvest. Which is a difficult concept in the world of immediate gratification need. Reducing access may provide an opportunity to keep a hunt on GOS, rather than limit harvest by going to LEH.

LEH is a people management tool. But as long as people (IE LML Hunters) live for the LEH, it will continue to be utilized. LEH has many legitimate applications, though there are many LEH hunts which could have been configured differently. LEH could be the beginning of the end of hunting.

A current and ongoing review of the LEH system is in progress. Though I wouldn't hold out to much hope. As long as a large segment of the hunting population rely heavily on LEH to hunt.

[HappyJack]

You have to rely on the LEH to hunt if there aren't any GOS openings available. I personally don't consider the spike fork moose season a GOS it's more of a tool to get you out in the bush searching for the holy grail. I'd be interested in seeing stats on spike fork moose hunter success rates, I'd guess somewhere in the 1-2% range.

[REMINGTON JIM]

You have to rely on the LEH to hunt if there aren't any GOS openings available. I personally don't consider the spike fork moose season a GOS it's more of a tool to get you out in the bush searching for the holy grail. I'd be interested in seeing stats on spike fork moose hunter success rates, I'd guess somewhere in the 1-2% range.

Yup ! and collect TAG MONEY ! RJ

[HappyJack]

Yup ! and collect TAG MONEY ! RJ

I wonder why we cannot carry unclipped tags into the next year, don't the outfitters get to carry their annual allotment over to the next year if they don't take the game animals?

[j270wsm]

You have to rely on the LEH to hunt if there aren't any GOS openings available. I personally don't consider the spike fork moose season a GOS it's more of a tool to get you out in the bush searching for the holy grail. I'd be interested in seeing stats on spike fork moose hunter success rates, I'd guess somewhere in the 1-2% range.

They aren’t unicorns…..I killed 3 spike/fork moose between 2011-2016 and seen many more plus know a few others who have killed them.

[REMINGTON JIM]

I only come across BIG Bastar*s:D And never have a LEH . :-( RJ

[browningboy]

I only come across BIG Bastar*s:D And never have a LEH . :-( RJ

came across two immies in the spring but obviously grow larger, but it was like seeing two unicorns…. Or too much whiskey?

[GreyDog]

All the deep ruts, and severe erosion in this area can be blamed almost entirely on ATV's. Most especially sxs machines. In fairness, most damage is done during the summer by recreational riders. Aggressive tires and abundant power results in a lot of digging. GD

[TeeVee]

ATV closures do not apply to FN's traditional ways.

[browningboy]

ATV closures do not apply to FN's traditional ways.

Nothing applies to Indians

[high horse Hal]

I wonder why we cannot carry unclipped tags into the next year, don't the outfitters get to carry their annual allotment over to the next year if they don't take the game animals?for g/os, some of if not all species on allocation are a number of several years, 3 or 5 maybe? idk, allows for fluctuation in harvest success, they can over-achieve and adjust for the next year(s)

for bc resi hunters, you buy an annual permit to harvest with an expiry date, it would take some work to get that changed to an open-end non-dated permit :)

[Downwindtracker2]

When it comes to 2point moose number, If you have 20 calves, half are going to be male. Overwinter the survival rate if I remember reading was between 70% and 30%. The 70% was for moose living in the suburbs . So that's three 2 pointers. If you see 20 cow/calf pairs you should be able to see three 2pointers.

[HappyJack]

When it comes to 2point moose number, If you have 20 calves, half are going to be male. Overwinter the survival rate if I remember reading was between 70% and 30%. The 70% was for moose living in the suburbs . So that's three 2 pointers. If you see 20 cow/calf pairs you should be able to see three 2pointers.

Local bio told us bulls were about 25% of population, when I asked her what percentage would be spike/fork she just laughed.

Still trying to capture how you reach the conclusion 'that's three 2 pointers'?? A lot of young bulls will sport 3x3 racks, and I don't think there is any way to calculate how many bulls would be spike forks.

[HappyJack]

They aren’t unicorns…..I killed 3 spike/fork moose between 2011-2016 and seen many more plus know a few others who have killed them.

Well, you know what they say about luck of the Irish?

How many of those others you know were hunting under a moose group hunt? I think if you have a bull moose LEH, individual or group, then you shouldn't be allowed to take a spike fork. Leave those for the guys that just don't get LEH draws for moose.

[bighornbob]

Not all 1st year bulls will be 2-points or less, some grow three and 4 points. I read somewhere its only like 20% of all first year bulls will be two point or less. So out of 100 calves born, you can assume 50 would be bulls and of those 50 bulls only 10 would be 2 point or less based on the stat I read. Thats why they use the season, its pretty fail safe as even if every 2 point was killed in an area it would only represent 10% of that age population.

Some places also just have the genetics to produce a higher percentage of 2 points then the average.

A few years ago i was checking out a new spot in early november for deer and all I found was 6 bull moose. One was a solitaire big bull. The next was 2 bulls together, one being a spike and the other being 3x3 with antlers only about 6-8 inches long. I consider both of these first year bulls. The next was a group of three bulls, one was 2x2, one a 3x3 and the third was a 4x4. All the bulls had antlers about 1 foot long and all the same body size and I consider them all first year bulls. All of these three bulls antlers looked the same except for the amount of 2-3 inch stickers they pushed out making them either a 3 or 4 point bull.

BHB