Accepted Proposal for Region 4 changes...

[rocksteady]

Got this from a friend.....




Proposed Kootenay Region Wildlife



Regulations Changes for 2008-09



Regulation number: R40809-01
Location: Region-wide
Management Units: all
Species: Turkey
Proposal: Change the fall turkey season to all weapons. Lengthen the season to run September 1 to October 30. Drop the requirement to shoot a bearded turkey only. Hence the fall season only would be open for ANY bird including young-of-the-year (often termed Jakes).
Decision: ACCEPT (with modification)
Rationale: Although the wild turkey is not native to the Kootenay Region, it has become a challenging trophy and an economically important game bird for hunters and local businesses, respectively. Hunting objectives for wild turkeys need to reflect these attributes. More than half of the web-based responses either opposed outright or supported a modification of the original proposal. Implementing a highly liberal hunting strategy to reduce populations (e.g., to mirror those in the Okanagan Region aimed at minimizing damage to vineyards) was not supported for the turkey populations residing in the Kootenays. Therefore, this regulation proposal was modified to allow for some increase in hunter harvest success, without adversely affecting their population levels. The modified proposal allows for a new 15 day hunt (October 1 to 15), any bird (i.e., either sex), shotgun or archery-only season, to follow the existing 30 day archery season (Sept 1 to 30). The fall season bag limit will continue to be one bird. The regional annual bag limit will continue to be two (2).



Regulation number: R40809-04
Location: Creston Valley
Management Units: 4-06C
Species: Antlerless elk
Proposal: Open the antlerless elk LEH season in 4-06C earlier (Sept 21 instead of Oct 20). This earlier season means landowners will better benefit from hunters disturbing or killing animals that are damaging crops, hopefully reducing crop damage.
Decision: ACCEPT. We will also extend the season to January 31.
Rationale: Reduce elk damage to agricultural areas and provide additional hunting opportunities in an area where the elk population is doing well. The season will be extended till the end of January, to align with the elk season in Idaho across the border.



Regulation number: R40809-05
Location: Region-wide
Management Units: all
Species: Bull moose
Proposal: Open a General Open Season for spike-fork bull moose in the Kootenay Region from September 20th to October 31st.
Decision: ACCEPT (with modification)
Rationale: Based on consultation feedback, we will also open a bow-only GOS for spike-fork bull moose from September 1st to 19th. The GOS for spike-fork bull moose is primarily in response to calls from resident hunters to increase opportunity. In addition, recent inventories indicate healthy, growing moose populations and high bull to cow ratios in most parts of the region.

Adjacent regions (Thompson and Okanagan) have spike-fork General Open Seasons from September 20 to October 31. The Omineca region to the north has a spike-fork GOS from September 10 to November 5. These regions also have Limited Entry Hunts for any bull moose.

This new harvest strategy will be followed for 5 years unless conservation concerns are raised through monitoring. MoE staff have funds available this winter for pre-treatment monitoring. We have also submitted a funding application to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund for monitoring the program over 5 years.



Regulation number: R40809-06
Location: West Kootenay
Management Units: 4-16, 4-17, 4-18, 4-19 and 4-33
Species: Bull moose
Proposal: Open Limited Entry Hunt seasons for moose in MUs currently closed to hunting (416-419 and 4-33).
Decision: ACCEPT
Rationale: Moose are expanding and populations appear to be increasing in the West Kootenay. We now believe we have sufficient populations in all MUs for moose hunts, although the moose hunts may be restricted to only a few permits in some units.



Regulation number: R40809-07
Location: Region-wide
Management Units: all
Species: Bull moose
Proposal: Align LEH season dates throughout Kootenay Region so that all seasons run October 15th to November 15th. The archery season for LEH holders would then run September 1st to October 14th.
Decision: ACCEPT (with modification)
Rationale: We will change most MUs to open from October 15th to November 15th. However northern units (4-38, 4-39, 4-36, 4-37 and 4-40) will open from September 20th to November 15th, with an archery season from September 1st to 19th. These northern units have minimal access, difficult hunting conditions and can have substantial snow by mid October. Success has historically been very low.

These changes will help to ensure consistency across the region and create a longer season in some areas to allow more opportunity for hunters. Although this change may result in higher success for hunters, the overall harvest is not expected to change. This is because the number of permits is based on success; if success increases, the number of permits declines to achieve the same target harvest.

[rocksteady]

Regulation number: R40809-08
Location: Central Selkirk Mountains
Management Units: 4-15 to 4-18
Species: Grizzly bear
Proposal: This regulation will create LEH zones in north half of the Valhalla and Central Selkirks GBPU’s (MU’s 4-15 to 4-18). The south portion of all four MU’s will be closed to hunting while the north LEH zones will be open to hunting. The hunt will be LEH for residents only. There is no outfitter in the area.
Decision: ACCEPT
Rationale: Data from the 1996 survey and subsequent sampling during 2000 suggested low numbers of bears in the south portion of this unit and that numbers are near carrying capacity in the north part of the unit. The entire Valhalla unit (4-15 & 4-16) was closed in 2001 to allow recovery in the south. This change will allow hunting of the portion of the population that is known to be at carrying capacity and allow the portion of the area that is known to be below carrying capacity to recover.



Location: Toby Creek near Invermere
Management Units: 4-26C and 4-26D
Species: Mountain goat
Proposal: Deletion of Toby Creek Mineral lick area from goat LEH units 4-26C and 4-26 D
Rationale: The number of goats utilizing the Toby Creek mineral lick and surrounding area has decreased substantially over the past decade. A number of residents from Invermere have commented that they are very concerned about the status of this local goat herd and its continued use of the Toby Creek mineral lick. Human use within the area has increased considerably through increased recreational use and urban development. Removing this area from goat hunting is one step toward reducing human disturbance and goat mortality in this area. Ecosystems staff biologist is working with the Regional District and private land owners on other measures to reduce human activity in the vicinity of the Toby Creek mineral lick.


Additional housekeeping changes:
· Align 4-18 elk GOS dates with the rest of the region.
· Expand Zone X of 4-21 for antlerless elk to include the northern portion (Zone C of 4-21) for LEH permit holders.
· Drop the antlerless white-tailed deer LEH zone called 4-32B and open the entire 4-32 MU to LEH antlerless hunting for white-tailed deer.
· Update the legal map for Zone C of 4-06, 4-07 for antlerless elk (Creston Valley). Currently the legal map differs from the map in the LEH synopsis.
· Improve maps in LEH synopsis and Hunting & Trapping synopsis.
· Minor adjustments to East Flathead AMA.

[legal-hunter]

how do you go about getting changes for your region

[riflebuilder]

I am really looking forward to moose steaks this fall....mmmmm good. The new rules look good just wish they had opened the bull elk to 5 point or better. I see a lot of really big fives as herd bulls with the small sixes getting shot.

[bckev]

HOw do you get this info. Do you know if there is anything in the works for region eight. I can hardly wait for leh stuff to come out, hunting season was way too short this year.