Oil + Gas Exploration and its effects on animals?

[yota]

I'm just curiose as to what your guys take is on this? I've noticed a few of our members work in the industry so there input would be great as well. I'm headed up to the chetwynd, dawson, fort st.john area for elk, moose, and deer. I wanted to know how much the exploration effects the animals? Does it push them right out of the area? do they just not move to really late in the evening or with all the activity are they moving all the time? Do the elk still bugle with all the activity?

Thanks
Yota

[bear buster]

out by our moose camp this year there was 2 active logging blocks and 1 completion job, and a frac crew working, we still hammered the moose. they get used to the constant noise after afew days, 1 moose was taking about 2 hours after the loggers went home for the day in the same block they were cutting. another was taking as the frac crew was behind us as we were riding quads to our morning spot, they stopped there trucks so the moose would cross out of oat feild into log bloack across road.....bang flop!

[elkdom]

it is ONLY when the bush is extremely quiet ?, that game is spooky and hard to find,,,,:razz:

but I have heard city-guys say stuff to the contrary from time to time,,,,,,,,,,,:confused:

[Rock Doctor]

I work 160kms out in the bush, and ride a chopper back and forth. There is a ton more vehicle activity around the area I'm at in the last couple yrs, but we don't see fewer animals, we just don't see them on the roads as much. They are just back on the cutlines and winter road ROW's.

RD

[yukon john]

We have animals on leases all the time, a decent moose has been hanging out at our battery all summer with a big compressor roaring 24 hours a day. I think most of these animals have lived with oil/gas work for several generations. When the vehicle traffic gets heavy in the winter I find the animals back off the main roads a half a click.

[BCRiverBoater]

I think the biggest impact is the accessibility. The animals themselves just get pushed of the roads, rivers and pipelines. They are still there but just not out the open as much if there is high traffic. But the exploration brings roads and quad trails which brings hunters. Therefore a lot of good areas that were only hunted one or two groups now have dozens of hunters stumbling over themselves.

I do agree that goats and sheep are impacted by helicopters, especially the young in the spring.

[yota]

Thats some good insight on animal activity thanks.

[Boner]

I don't get much linecutting in before July 15 because it costs companies more to comply with working around ungalates and their young, specifically Cariboo. Costs include extra permits and having 2 biologists sitting on site and chewing up flight time in making sure we aren't having a bad impact on them during this time. Extra costs could easily run over 10 grand a day.

Swans get a no fly zone of 1km around where they are too.

Animal kills usually get long lined out to avoid bear encounters.

Mineral licks get a 100 meter buffer zone.

Animal sightings are encouraged to be recorded.

Even squirrel middens are supposed to be left alone.

[BCHunterFSJ]

I have worked as a wildlife monitor in the oil patch for several years now (including caribou). Generally speaking I have not noticed any great negative impacts on game populations. Wildlife monitors are not particularily liked by workers in the patch. However, they need to understand that we do not make the rules. In fact the presence of monitors is mandated by government bodies such as the OGC as a requirement for the project. I have always done my best to protect the animals and their habitat while avoiding work interference. Yes, some of the rules do seem to be "over-kill" (e.g. squirrel middens and robin nests). But yes Yota, the animals do come back... And accessibility is a 2-sided sword; it does enable you to access new hunting areas but also results in more competition. In my case, advancing age and declining health makes me glad there are seismic lines out there...

[Mountain Hunter]

There are plenty of gut piles at old and/or inactive drill sites with road access! The maintained network of roads allowing easy access is probably the biggest impact from oil and gas exploration, IMO

[.330 Dakota]

it is ONLY when the bush is extremely quiet ?, that game is spooky and hard to find,,,,:razz:

but I have heard city-guys say stuff to the contrary from time to time,,,,,,,,,,,:confused:

Bit of a Poet are we....lol

[anethema]

Yeah we bagged all 3 of our Moose in a fairly busy oil and gas area within 48 hours of opening morning. Could have gotten more easy. Saw lots of elk, bears, mulies and white tail. And for this hunt I barely left the truck. No moose shot further than 50 yards from the road's edge.

So as far as I can tell they don't seem to mind. As was mentioned the biggest impact is prob from hunting pressure so may (normally) need to get off the road more to see more animals, though I haven't noticed this either.

[Amphibious]

question is... why would you want to hunt where it's busy? would ruin the hunt for me.

It will be interesting to see how Frac operations effect the ecosystem/groundwater down the road.

I've seen a lot of animals near active sites in the patch. I've also seen a lot of "lost" animals laying just out of view on the side of the road. These were obviously shot (upon inspection), but not by hunters, and not during hunting season. But that's a political issue....

[Jelvis]

It kills them by blocking and changing the migration patterns of the herd animals like the Coke A Hella did for the animals from Cold Creeek to Kamloops, now they interbreed and have mutations. lol Not really just jokin.
Jelly Jokin Round

[anethema]

I hunted the early moose because it was easy. Freezer was totally empty. Now with elk season coming, and deer, the hunt will be more about fun than meat. The moose was almost all a meat hunt.