04-07-2020, 06:25 AM
B.C. hunting licences, wild game permits show dramatic uptick
Hunters could be out in greater numbers this year to secure food supplies as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With everything that’s going on and the food shortages, hunting is something I want to teach my kids,” said Ryan Deleurme. “I always assumed I would show them the way I learned from my dad, and this seems like the right time.”
He grew up hunting deer and moose with his father and uncles, but let hunting lapse while he raised a family.
Deleurme has spent the past couple of weeks working out how online licence applications work and how to apply for the Limited Entry lottery, in hopes of landing a permit to harvest a moose.
He is not alone.
The number of hunting licences sold to British Columbians more than doubled in the first three months of 2020 compared with the same period in each of the past three years, with more than 4,852 already granted.
More than 3,500 permits to harvest white tail and mule deer have also been issued in that time, compared with just 1,091 last year. Interest in elk, caribou bison and moose has doubled over previous years.
Combined sales of all species permits and hunting licences in January, February and March this year totalled 17,356, compared with 9,073 last year.
“I’ve been going to the gun store to get bullets and targets to practice with my boys,” said Deleurme. “The local shop is sold out. They said it’s just been crazy.”
Less-scrupulous hunters may be taking advantage of the pandemic to hunt without the proper permits, according to B.C.’s Chief Conservation Officer Doug Forsdick.
“We have seen an increase in calls to our (Report All Poachers and Polluters) call centre,” he said. “And our conservation officers are out there keeping an eye on things and having that deterrent factor by being there.”
Novice hunters and hunters who haven’t been out recently should ensure they know how to identify the animals that they are licensed to harvest.
If you make an honest mistake and shoot the wrong animal, it is better to call the Conservation Officer Service and report it, than have someone else report you, Forsdick added.
“I’ve noticed signals of increased demand for our firearms course and I do think there is increased interest in taking responsibility for where your food comes from,” said hunting instructor Dylan Eyers of EatWild. “I’m even sprouting some vegetables on my window sill.”
Black bear permits are also up so far this year, and they are relatively easy food prey for novice hunters, plus B.C.’s black bear populations are very healthy, he said.
Like other instructors, Eyers has temporarily cancelled his hands-on firearms safety classes and in-person Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education classes. The B.C. Wildlife Federation offers an online version of CORE, which is required before you can obtain a hunting licence.
For the time being, EatWild will offer urban foraging courses instead, using Zoom teleconferencing.
“It’s sort of spooky going to the grocery store now, so I think people would rather be outside looking for food,” he said.
Hunters going for black bear are likely driving recent interest in new hunting licences, because the season opened this week, said Jesse Zeman, spokesman for the B.C. Wildlife Federation.
“People haven’t hunted black bear that much, but they are very productive right across the province,” he said. “You don’t have to travel very far to get them and there is no Limited Entry lottery to get a permit.”
Zeman expects freshwater fishing licences will also be in hot demand this year as people prepare for uncertain times ahead.
“Once the ice comes off, we will see that take off in a big way,” he said. “You don’t want to be travelling all over the province to little towns, but there is rainbow trout in just about everyone’s backyard, so you don’t have to go far to get it.”
People who haven’t been in the backcountry for a while should review the CORE manual for species identification before heading out, and make sure someone knows where you are going and when you should be back, he added.
Hunters could be out in greater numbers this year to secure food supplies as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With everything that’s going on and the food shortages, hunting is something I want to teach my kids,” said Ryan Deleurme. “I always assumed I would show them the way I learned from my dad, and this seems like the right time.”
He grew up hunting deer and moose with his father and uncles, but let hunting lapse while he raised a family.
Deleurme has spent the past couple of weeks working out how online licence applications work and how to apply for the Limited Entry lottery, in hopes of landing a permit to harvest a moose.
He is not alone.
The number of hunting licences sold to British Columbians more than doubled in the first three months of 2020 compared with the same period in each of the past three years, with more than 4,852 already granted.
More than 3,500 permits to harvest white tail and mule deer have also been issued in that time, compared with just 1,091 last year. Interest in elk, caribou bison and moose has doubled over previous years.
Combined sales of all species permits and hunting licences in January, February and March this year totalled 17,356, compared with 9,073 last year.
“I’ve been going to the gun store to get bullets and targets to practice with my boys,” said Deleurme. “The local shop is sold out. They said it’s just been crazy.”
Less-scrupulous hunters may be taking advantage of the pandemic to hunt without the proper permits, according to B.C.’s Chief Conservation Officer Doug Forsdick.
“We have seen an increase in calls to our (Report All Poachers and Polluters) call centre,” he said. “And our conservation officers are out there keeping an eye on things and having that deterrent factor by being there.”
Novice hunters and hunters who haven’t been out recently should ensure they know how to identify the animals that they are licensed to harvest.
If you make an honest mistake and shoot the wrong animal, it is better to call the Conservation Officer Service and report it, than have someone else report you, Forsdick added.
“I’ve noticed signals of increased demand for our firearms course and I do think there is increased interest in taking responsibility for where your food comes from,” said hunting instructor Dylan Eyers of EatWild. “I’m even sprouting some vegetables on my window sill.”
Black bear permits are also up so far this year, and they are relatively easy food prey for novice hunters, plus B.C.’s black bear populations are very healthy, he said.
Like other instructors, Eyers has temporarily cancelled his hands-on firearms safety classes and in-person Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education classes. The B.C. Wildlife Federation offers an online version of CORE, which is required before you can obtain a hunting licence.
For the time being, EatWild will offer urban foraging courses instead, using Zoom teleconferencing.
“It’s sort of spooky going to the grocery store now, so I think people would rather be outside looking for food,” he said.
Hunters going for black bear are likely driving recent interest in new hunting licences, because the season opened this week, said Jesse Zeman, spokesman for the B.C. Wildlife Federation.
“People haven’t hunted black bear that much, but they are very productive right across the province,” he said. “You don’t have to travel very far to get them and there is no Limited Entry lottery to get a permit.”
Zeman expects freshwater fishing licences will also be in hot demand this year as people prepare for uncertain times ahead.
“Once the ice comes off, we will see that take off in a big way,” he said. “You don’t want to be travelling all over the province to little towns, but there is rainbow trout in just about everyone’s backyard, so you don’t have to go far to get it.”
People who haven’t been in the backcountry for a while should review the CORE manual for species identification before heading out, and make sure someone knows where you are going and when you should be back, he added.
Let God lead the way!
Give a man a fish he eats for one day, teach him to fish he eats forever!
Give a man a fish he eats for one day, teach him to fish he eats forever!
