always read the new hunting regs

[ABad]

Hello

Today I spent probably an hour with the local conservation officer. I had to give a recorded testimony for shooting a doe out of season. The day of the hunt I checked the regs several times, made sure what unit I was in and came to the conclusion that it was legal for me to shoot an antlerless dear for 2012. The problem came with the new regs. They closed the season for antlerless deer except for youth hunters. I did not find out of the difference until a few weeks after I killed the deer and got it butchered. The officer was very kind and said that me coming to them helped my case but I still have a problem with both editions of the regs claiming to be for 2012. The moral of the story is to get the new regs as soon as they come out and throw out the old ones. :(

[The Dude]

Go to the MOE RSS feed on Reglations changes. If you have Yahoo as your home/email page, you can add this feed to content on your page easily.
If you don't use yahoo, there\s a link to RSS Feed readers you can download for free. Read the latest regs for the area before you hunt there.


Find what you need here (http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/news/subscribe.html#HuntingNews)

And good on ya for being honest.

[Sofa King]

so, you have a 2012 reg that says it "is" legal, and a different one that says it "isn't"?
any decent lawyer would have that case thrown out easy.

[Mr. Dean]

Been there and done that.
The only reason that nothing got killed, I was lucky.

Appreciate your being humble and sharing this.

[hunter1947]

This can happen to any of us ,,you learned a lesson on what to do the next time..

[cameron0518]

good on you for telling the story

[BlacktailStalker]

Good on you for telling that, bet theres a few people blushing.
I wouldn't feel too bad. There's hundreds of people on here that think baiting deer is illegal, which they were supposed to have learned I'm their core course it isn't !
Any govt literature can be confusing, when in doubt phone and ask.

[Mikey Rafiki]

Almost had the same issue. Googled 2012 BC Hunting Regulations for my region. Clicked the first and only link that came up. Read it then texted a buddy I was thinking about heading out for a doe. He reminded me that I couldn't in the MU I was in at the time. Wish the outdated links would get taken down but it's our responsibility to be extra diligent.

[BiG Boar]

Which season did they change on does? Just curious.

[warnniklz]

so, you have a 2012 reg that says it "is" legal, and a different one that says it "isn't"?
any decent lawyer would have that case thrown out easy.

I'm thinking he's saying the regs with the duck said it was legal and the one with the horse said it wasn't legal.

Me and my buddy had a big discussion about a couple of weeks ago. He said if it's printed in the regs it's the law. I told him it's the hunters job to get informed on updated regulation changes and keep on the up and up.

However in Abad's case... I don't think he was trying to screw the system or anything. Made an oops and was honest about it

[3kills]

old regs say 2010/2012 and new regs say 2012/2014 do they not? and really the regs are only good from 2012/2013 except for the spring season of 2014 i think

[Piperdown]

I can see how you made the error. The orginal regs you read say 2010-2012, then the new ones say 2012-2014, confusing to say the least especially when you go to the stores to get a new copy sorry we are out!!!! Would like to know how this all turns out, keep us posted and good luck.

[Duck Buster]

Good on you for coming clean, it takes a lot to do the right thing some times. Hope the CO and the crown go easier on you for your honesty.


Good on you for telling that, bet theres a few people blushing.
I wouldn't feel too bad. There's hundreds of people on here that think baiting deer is illegal, which they were supposed to have learned I'm their core course it isn't !
Any govt literature can be confusing, when in doubt phone and ask.

BlacktailStalker, quit hacking on people over the baiting program. Others like myself may have taken their CORE in another Provence where baiting ungulates is illegal (such as Ont.) However when I did my course they taught us how to bait bears, does that make this ok here in BC......No. Maybe you should make it your mission to set up a hunting reg reading program in your area and invite all of the "hundreds of people off this site" to your place and teach them what you think they should all know. People need to read the regs and be very familiar with them yes, however people should be able to use avenues like this forum to ask questions and get clarification from experienced hunters when they are confused. Without getting ripped apart.


If people where supposed to know everything they needed to know after a little course then you would have learned in grade 4 that you were looking for the word “ in not I'm” and that there is no word “theres” you use there is.

[wicket]

cough cough hack...umm you can bait deer in ont ....just sayin....cough cough hack

kudos to you sir for being so honest well done, i have a tonne of respect for you for doing that, clearly no malice just a mistake you obviously have learned from and in doing so reminded us all the importance of due diligence. thanks

[shadow1982]

Thanks for the heads up... next time i will go the webside for the area i am heading to instead looking at the hard copy.

[.330 Dakota]

cough cough hack...umm you can bait deer in ont ....just sayin....cough cough hack

kudos to you sir for being so honest well done, i have a tonne of respect for you for doing that, clearly no malice just a mistake you obviously have learned from and in doing so reminded us all the importance of due diligence. thanks

100% correct, I am from Ont (please dont hold that against me) and baiting for any game is quite legal, although IMO unsportsmanlike

[Sofa King]

I'm thinking he's saying the regs with the duck said it was legal and the one with the horse said it wasn't legal.

Me and my buddy had a big discussion about a couple of weeks ago. He said if it's printed in the regs it's the law. I told him it's the hunters job to get informed on updated regulation changes and keep on the up and up.

However in Abad's case... I don't think he was trying to screw the system or anything. Made an oops and was honest about it

true.
that's how it's changed in thei digital age now.
especially true with fishing.
salmon season, they are changing the laws overnight, and it's our duty to find out if the river we are at has closed today when it was open yesterday.
pretty hard if someone is camped somewhere though.
at least around here, they are pretty good at getting out to the common areas and posting the changes.
i was in the yukon this summer, we went to the teslin river to fish.
i was after an inconnu, but the salmon were running through right then.
but they were closed completely for retention, however, you were allowed to catch and release.
you were required to buy a catch-card and document each fish.
just a sneaky way of getting the civi's to count the fish for them i'm guessing.
well, nothing was posted at the main launch for the river.
and there's a gas station/motel/camping/convenience store right there that sells licences.
she knew nothing about any catch-cards and didn't even have any.
and this was the main place in that area to target salmon.

so ya, the onus is definitely on the individual to know what the laws are for interest you are pursuing.

[skibum]

Yes I can see how this could happen.

I have caught myself almost hunting out of season, luckily it was before I left

[Gateholio]

Those that take CORE in other provinces should be extra diligent to inform themselves of the regulations for their new province.

[Black Bird]

Good on you for your honesty with your post. I guess when in doubt, go to the source. Contact a CO and see what they say. I did regarding hunting with shotguns on the gulf islands and regarding the use of bait for deer. In short, I found out that slugs were fine and that if we brought a bag of apples, that was okay too (although we didn't bother with them). The person that responded to my emails was pretty prompt and very polite. Sample below:

"Foott, Carol FLNR:EX" <Carol.Foott@gov.bc.ca> writes:
Hi, yes you can bait for deer, however the Chronic Wasting Disease Program is strongly advising further reducing the risk of CWD to BC by not using biological material from cervids such as scents or attractants (urine, feces, saliva or scent glands), as they may be capable of transmitting CWD through environmental contamination. PLEASE USE synthetic scents to reduce the risk.


Thanks,


Carol

Cheers,
BB

[markt308]

for those with smart phones the BC hunting regs app is a great option. they update it regularly. looks just like the book but on your iphone. then you know it's up to date. good reminder for all, thanks for sharring

[Jagermeister]

It appears that this is a problem that was created by the government in it's effort to save money by creating a synopsis that extends to multiple years. They should go back to making synopisis' for the current year only just as your hunting licence is good for the current year only.
RSS feeds don't cut it, not everyone subscribes to those. It they can distribute information by RSS feed, they can ask for your email address and send regulation changes to individuals in that manner.
Our onus is to abide by the regulation, the government's onus is to get the regulation changes to those of us that it affects.
I sure hope that the OP did not get charged.

[BearStump]

A buddy at work was just telling me about an app that he put on his I phone. "hunt buddy" he says that it works weather you are in service range or not and it pinpoints your location on a map and will spit out exactly (within 6 feet) what region you are currently in and exactly what is open on that day. Sounds like $4 bucks well spent.

[MRP]

((PAGE 2))
YOU and THE LAW:
The British Columbia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis is intended for general information purposes only. Where there is a discrepancy between this
Synopsis and the Regulations, the Regulations are the final authority. Regulations are subject to change from time to time, and it is the responsibility of an individual
to be informed of the current Regulations.

[The Dawg]

A buddy at work was just telling me about an app that he put on his I phone. "hunt buddy" he says that it works weather you are in service range or not and it pinpoints your location on a map and will spit out exactly (within 6 feet) what region you are currently in and exactly what is open on that day. Sounds like $4 bucks well spent.

Yup it does.

Made by HBCs very own Reach!

[ravensfoot]

If you have an iPhone, download the Hunting Buddy App, (developed by a HBC member) it is updated with new regs every year. And it's a fantastic tool. I even used it on my last trip in the field because we saw an animal that we weren't sure was legal in our region, a couple clicks later on the app and we knew we were good to go. Way easier than packing those regs around in your back pocket.

[.330 Dakota]

Those that take CORE in other provinces should be extra diligent to inform themselves of the regulations for their new province.

Agreed, I moved here from Ont, 6 years ago and spent the 1st 6 months waiting to be classifed a resident by studying the regs. Drove my wife nuts but,,ignorance of the law is never an excuse.

[lorneparker1]

Those that take CORE in other provinces should be extra diligent to inform themselves of the regulations for their new province.


Agreed,

and for the record, you can bait deer in Ontario. lol

Lorne

[savagecanuck]

There will always be problems with the regs especially with so many rules and regs for each region.I remember about 4 years back the wording on Junior Hunt was ambiguous. I challenged the local CO on it that my 18yr old could legally hunt as a junior.I was right and the regs were changed the following year

[Darksith]

poor duck buster...he was trying to make a point and everyone decides to miss his point and in turn point out that he is wrong...

you are all vultures...vultures I say!

Good on the OP for reporting himself...not sure I would have done the same, but then again maybe I woulda...who knows till your in the position.

[ABad]

Thank you for all the encouraging words. This is my 16 year old daughters first hunting season. This is one of the reasons why I had to report the violation. It wouldn't be right for me to expect her to obey the law when her Dad finds it ok to disobey the law. I will let you all know the outcome of the investigation.

Thanks again.

[Duck Buster]

When I lived in Ont and got my license baiting for deer was not alowed. But that was almost 20 yrs ago so I am sure that things have changed. I was just using that as an example to try to make a point about jumping all over people. There are many methods of hunting, baiting, not baiting, road hunting, hiking with a spike camp on your back, cross bows vs. traditional archery. Whatever style of hunting is best for each person is that they are going to do. I am tired of reading posts with guys hacking on others over shooting a spike bull, a velvet deer, what ever, when what they are doing is perfectly legal and in an apropriate season.

Now I think we have hi-jacked this thread enough, the point was to give ABad props for doing the right thing even when the outcome sucks. Good on you.

[reach]

They do have the valid dates on the cover (July 1 2012 - June 30 2014 for the current regs) but in some cases it would make more sense if it was aligned to calendar year (Dec 31) or license year (Mar 31). I guess they try and pick a date when there isn't much hunting going on. I can imagine the confusion would be even worse if you had to use a different book starting some time mid-season.

[cameron0518]

i knew you would have a good one sooner or later. lol
true.
that's how it's changed in thei digital age now.
especially true with fishing.
salmon season, they are changing the laws overnight, and it's our duty to find out if the river we are at has closed today when it was open yesterday.
pretty hard if someone is camped somewhere though.
at least around here, they are pretty good at getting out to the common areas and posting the changes.
i was in the yukon this summer, we went to the teslin river to fish.
i was after an inconnu, but the salmon were running through right then.
but they were closed completely for retention, however, you were allowed to catch and release.
you were required to buy a catch-card and document each fish.
just a sneaky way of getting the civi's to count the fish for them i'm guessing.
well, nothing was posted at the main launch for the river.
and there's a gas station/motel/camping/convenience store right there that sells licences.
she knew nothing about any catch-cards and didn't even have any.
and this was the main place in that area to target salmon.

so ya, the onus is definitely on the individual to know what the laws are for interest you are pursuing.

[ABad]

Just to update you. The CO gave the deer back to me last Saturday and let me go with a warning.

Thanks

[000buck]

Well done abad!

[Glassman]

So whats the sense of printing regs. Just a waste of paper. Tell everyone to go on the net to get there info.
By the way... don't take just a co's "word" for anything, get it in writing.

[Piperdown]

Good for you I bet that deer will even be more tastey now!

[Philcott]

So whats the sense of printing regs. Just a waste of paper. Tell everyone to go on the net to get there info.
By the way... don't take just a co's "word" for anything, get it in writing.

Some of us like to go in the woods without smart phones so still need the printed regs. My hunting camp is a cell phone free camp.