Increase in deer population and long gun registration

[snowhunter]

Due to the long gun registration the last twenty years, which resulted in that up to 60 % or more of British Columbia hunters gave up hunting, have resulted in an explosion in deer British Columbia's population.

Places like Penticton, Grand Forks and Victoria are now talking seriously of having a deer cull. Just read in "Globe and Mail" that deer create for over $ 30 million insurance related claims around Victoria alone, as well as crop are being destroyed by deer, resulting in higher food prices, on top of increased higher insurance primiums caused by deer/car collisions.

Your municipal taxes will have to up as well, because many British Coulumbia municipalities are under pressure to hire expensive "deer terminators" to do the deer cull.

In spite of what I often read in these fine pages, I have never seen so many deers in 40 years of hunting in British Columbia, and the problem is getting out of hand around many British Columbian towns, which have no natural predators against the deer.

Making it easier again for people to buy long guns as well as getting a hunting license, would be a very economical and sound way of solving this problem of deer over populations in British Columbia.

[SimilkameenSlayer]

the urban deer population, does not necessarily reflect on the rural deer population.

crossbow/bows for in town hunting, no lgr required.


.00002 cents

[brazen]

I heard coyotes were clearing the deer out of Penticton...? Seems wildlife should be hazed back to the wilderness??

[boxhitch]

There is far more influence on the urban populations by new restrictive bylaws than any gun registration. The hunters that are wanting to take some of the close-to-home critters are shut out by onerous no shooting no hunting bylaws whipped up by fearful mothers waving the placards with the 'guns are dangerous' motto.

[boxhitch]

Seems wildlife should be hazed.......isn't that a cooking method ?

[snowhunter]

Never having hunted the urban deer, which just wanders around town in small gangs, harassing dogs and destroying gardens, I do, while hunting, come across very large herds/groups of deers on crown land, with little or no pressure from other hunters.

[Iron Glove]

I think that blaming firearms registration for the increase in deer population is a bit of a stretch. I'd suggest that the reduction in hunters is more likely due to the advancing age of the average hunter, the opinion of some that hunting is somewhat politically incorrect, and the lack of time one can devote to hunting in this day and age are likely much more to blame.

[sneg]

I think the wrong idea of being green and politically corect by denying Canadian hunting herritage has more to do with reducing numbers of hunters than anything else.
Personally I do not support l gun registry and think it is huge waste of tax payer money,which could be used for many other things.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

It would be my guess the winter severity and predation have much more influence on deer numbers than hunter harvest.
Back in the spring of 1997 they deer populations in many areas took a real kicking from mother nature and have rebounded steadily since then(excluding some areas). Another bad winter is waiting somewhere down the road.

Of course, urban deer numbers have increased due to reasons mentioned above.


SSS

[beeugle]

that and the lack of interest in our young people.. they prefer starbucks, video games and facebook rather than good old get out hunting in the bush.. even in the smaller towns, not just citys.when I was a young lad, I couldn't wait to get out in the fresh air, still can't , these kids today,,,, not interested generally speaking...... too bad, they're missing out big time...

[bushpig slayer]

in town deer populations are growing,and we are pushing outward in their home turf which also reflects more population in our towns.no predators and lots of food= population explosion!

[Canuck2]

Where to begin?

Perhaps with the suggested explosion of BC's deer population in the last 20 years: Since Grand Forks has been specifically mentioned, here's this area's situation. Our local f&w club does an extensive survey every spring and the trend from year to year is very revealing. During the bad winter of 1996/1997, both mule deer and whitetail populations plummeted. Wt took a few years to get serious about their comeback but the md have never recovered. Now wt seem relatively stable but aren't like their heyday in the 1970'/80's. Used to be you could easily count 200 mixed species on the winter range on a drive from GF to Christina Lake. In recent years, you're lucky if you see 20. No, there has been no explosion here.

$30,000,000 in insurance claims around Victoria alone? That works out to something like $100 for EVERY man, woman, and child. I would seriously question the infallible Globe & Mail's report on this one.

Crops being destroyed by deer? Having farmed here for many long years - even when the deer population was good - I can tell you first hand that they didn't make a dent. When the snow first melts, deer will follow the fresh growth and occupy fields for while but leave for better ground just as fast. The crops come on like gangbusters and don't even feel the early grazing. And the permanent residents don't make a lick of difference either.

As for the proposed deer cull in town: Well, that's where is biggest concentration is, alright. Thing is, some people consider them a nuisance (the ones who get the press coverage) and others like them just fine. So it's not so cut and dried. The local politicians are just like any others - they jump on the bandwagon according to what they perceive is most expedient politically. There's no easy solution to this so-called problem. Problem, because whether anything is done or not, there will be a large portion of the city residents who are disgruntled. And if some sort of cull does take place, there is huge controversy as to what method is appropriate and what is unacceptable.

Over 60% percent of BC hunters gave up hunting as a direct result of the long gun registry? Really? Call me a cynic, but I just seem to have to question unsubstantiated claims.:smile: I do agree that firearms ownership should be made much simpler and more attractive. That seems to be what the feds are making happen currently.

I've hunted for over 40 years also - not only locally but in the Cariboo, Gulf Islands, Okanagan, and East Kootenays - and don't see populations now like 20 or 30 years ago. Please, do tell us where these large herds of unpressured deer hang out.:mrgreen:

[wsm]

in town deer populations are growing,and we are pushing outward in their home turf which also reflects more population in our towns.no predators and lots of food= population explosion! x2 . wait till the wolves move into the okanagan in larger numbers and see if u still feel the same

[6616]

The causes of hunter decline have been researched and documented by several individuals and jurisdictions. Many polls and studies have been conducted and while the LGR is one of the causes it's not the only one. There is a whole list of causes that have all made a contribution. Several that have already been mentioned are for sure contributiong causes, and one that hasn't been mentioned is the increasingly restrictive trend in hunting regulations over the last 20 to 30 years, more LEH, fewer opportunities, etc. This appears to be turning around somewhat in the last few years and hunter numbers are actually increasing in BC right now although they're still far below the peak numbers of the late 70' early '80s.

Deer and other ungulate numbers? I think we had much more habitat 20 and 30 years ago. Habitat losses and things that effect habitat include forest ingrowth and encroachment, rural development, urban expansion, agriculture and industrial development, the surge of in commercial backcountry recreation, and others. When ungulates numbers reach carrying capacity today they will obviously level off at much lower numbers than what they were at 20 or 30 years ago. I think these habitat related issues combined with winter weather conditions are likely much more responsible for ungulate population cycles than hunting ever could be.

[recoil]

I also question whether the so called "increasse" has anything to do with the long gun registry. In the areas you mentioned there are municpal bylaws stating either no hunting or bow hunting only. I would guess that's the culrpit myself, deer are smart and seem to catch on real quick that they cannot be touched in urban/farm areas hence the fact they are so numerous in these spots.

I have seen very little deer this year in the "bush" and would say populations are down overall in the areas i hunt, seen far more hunters this year than deer.

[snowhunter]

One individual, who could not find any deer during the hunting season in the Okanangan area, ask for help in these fine pages. I sent him an PM of where to go, and he reported back to me that he had counted 59 deer on the spot I told him to go. Perhaps I see more deer because I have many more years experience in hunting deer ?

In regards to individuals giving up hunting because of the long gun registrations, I am only crying "crocodile tears". More for me :)

[Fisher-Dude]

Due to the long gun registration the last twenty years, which resulted in that up to 60 % or more of British Columbia hunters gave up hunting, have resulted in an explosion in deer British Columbia's population.

Places like Penticton, Grand Forks and Victoria are now talking seriously of having a deer cull. Just read in "Globe and Mail" that deer create for over $ 30 million insurance related claims around Victoria alone, as well as crop are being destroyed by deer, resulting in higher food prices, on top of increased higher insurance primiums caused by deer/car collisions.

Your municipal taxes will have to up as well, because many British Coulumbia municipalities are under pressure to hire expensive "deer terminators" to do the deer cull.

In spite of what I often read in these fine pages, I have never seen so many deers in 40 years of hunting in British Columbia, and the problem is getting out of hand around many British Columbian towns, which have no natural predators against the deer.

Making it easier again for people to buy long guns as well as getting a hunting license, would be a very economical and sound way of solving this problem of deer over populations in British Columbia.


The decrease in hunter numbers from 1996 to 2004 was from 105,000 to 81,000, which equates to a 23% decrease at its greatest point, not 60%. After 2004, numbers began to recover somewhat. Other factors such as open seasons changed to limited entry also greatly affected hunter numbers during this period.

Of those factors that discourage hunter participation, "gun control" in general (ie not just the registry) is seen as discouraging by 88% of resident hunters, and it is seen as a barrier to recruitment of new hunters. The most predominant issue that arose is the feeling of social misperception; a negative sociological association between gun owners and criminals.

I would suggest that relatively mild winters and very restrictive seasons are more likely the culprits for the increase in deer numbers than the gun registry. Hunting, as it is regulated today, has very little effect on overall population levels, especially with deer.

[snowhunter]

I was once told that in the last 20 years, 60 % of Okanagan Valley area hunters quit hunting due to the nasty legal problems created by the long gun registrations. This "60%" could be "junk science", but clearly the numbers of hunters went dramatically down after the introduction of the long gun registration, and the long gun registration became, due to this then new and openly official governmental anti cultural and "Big Brother" social engineering, resulting in a false "negative sociological association between gun owners and criminals", harder and therefore much more difficult to recruit new and especially young hunters to join our ranks, and any reduction in numbers of hunters will result in increase of the deer and other wildlife numbers. We humans are, given the green light to hunt, the most effective predators on this planet, and it is, in my humble opinion, ridiculously silly as well as expensive for the tax payers, to even to talk about a deer cull around certain British Columbian town, including Victoria, when a natural human predation of these tasty critters could have solved this "problem" for free.

[boxhitch]

I was once told that .........Several folk here have disagreed , so now what do you think ?
The regi had some effect, sure.

.......due to this then new and openly official governmental anti cultural and "Big Brother" social engineering, resulting in a false "negative sociological association between gun owners and criminals".......... Quite the propaganda there.

[Moose63]

I agree, especially due the fact that the old timers are dying off.