The B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources has released a set of proposed changes for regions across the province, including the removal of the female cougar hunting quota, as well as amendments to trapping exemptions and regulations on hunting wolverine, elk, wolf, big horned sheep and more.
The ministry is looking to remove the female cougar hunting quota because harvest numbers over the past years have been well below the 15 animal limit. Wolverine hunting season is proposed to be shortened by one month, to now span from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, instead of Jan. 31.
This change is intended to reduce the harvest rates for the animals.
Skeena region
Changes for the Skeena region include more prohibitions for motor vehicle use in the Telkwa Mountain area.
Current Regulations:
The use of motor vehicles for the purpose of hunting is prohibited year round in a portion of management unit six to nine (Telkwa Mountain area, map F48 in the 2017-2019 hunting and trapping regulations synopsis), excluding the main trail to the “gas stop” location on Grizzly Plateau.
Proposed Regulations:
This proposal is seeking to prohibit all use of motor vehicles within the Telkwa Mountain area (map F48 in the 2017-2019 hunting and trapping regulations synopsis), excluding the Grizzly Plateau from Nov. 1-Apr. 30 and the Meat Cache from Dec. 15-Apr. 1.
Mule deer hunting
There is also a change proposed to bring down the number of mule deer buck bag limit, from three to one per year.
Current Regulations:
The provincial bag limit for deer is three (not including Haida Gwaii/QCI). Hunters may not harvest more than three deer in one licence year. Hunters may harvest three white-tailed deer (if they purchase three white-tailed deer licenses), or three mule deer (if they purchase three mule deer licenses), or a combination of white-tailed and mule deer (one+two or two+one) providing they do not exceed the provincial limit of three. The reason hunters may purchase more than three deer licenses in total is to provide hunters with the flexibility to harvest any combination of white-tailed or mule deer up to a maximum of three.
Proposed Regulations:
This proposal seeks to reduce the current provincial bag limit for Mule deer buck from three to one from any interior region.
There are two classes of bag limits, provincial and regional, neither of these bag limits can be exceeded.
The provincial bag limit for deer is three (not including Haida Gwaii/QCI). Hunters may not harvest more than three deer in one licence year, but only one may be a mule (black-tailed) deer buck from regions three, four, five, six, seven A, seven B and eight combined. Hunters may harvest three white-tailed deer (if they purchase three white-tailed deer licenses), or three mule (black-tailed) deer (if they purchase 3 mule (black-tailed) deer licenses), or a combination of white-tailed and mule (black-tailed) deer (one + two or two + one) providing they do not exceed the provincial limit of three and not more than 1 mule (black-tailed) deer buck from regions three, four, five, six , seven A, seven B and eight combined. The reason hunters may purchase more than three deer licenses in total is to provide hunters with the flexibility to harvest any combination of white-tailed or mule (black-tailed) deer up to a maximum of three.
Moose hunting
The bull moose hunting season would also be shortened from seven days to three days. It is now Oct. 20-26, and would be changed to Oct. 20-22 if changes are approved.
All changes affecting the Skeena region and the rest of B.C. are available at apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ahte.