Hunting and Trapping Regulations Engagement – until January 19, 2020
The proposed provincial government regulations include more hunting restrictions for some ungulate populations such as deer, elk, moose and caribou. The BC Wildlife Federation wants the government to address declining wildlife populations by investing significantly in better research and management, rather than merely regulating hunters.
Members are encouraged to provide comments to the government on any of the regulation proposals, through the engagement website. Some proposals are regional in scope and others are provincial. Please be sure to provide positive feedback on the regulations you support as well as critical feedback, with rationale, on proposals you don’t support.
Find the hunting and trapping regulations engagement for comment here: https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ahte/hunting
Users may view proposals without logging in, but users will now be required to log in with a BCeID to post comments.
Regulation Proposal: “Prohibit the use of scopes on bows during bow-only seasons”
We have been hearing from members concerned with one of the proposals in the hunting/trapping regulation engagement process regarding the elimination of scopes on bows during bow-only seasons.
The proposal that was discussed at the Provincial Hunting and Trapping Advisory Team’s subcommittee on “hunting methods” was to “regulate electronic, magnifying, or telescopic sights on short range weapons (bows) during special weapon seasons.” Government has chosen to modify the intent of the proposal and to focus on crossbows in their posting on the engagement website and the accompanying rationale.
The BCWF supports the use of archery/bow-only seasons as a means of increasing hunting opportunities. The focus of the hunting methods sub-committee, when discussing this proposal, was to maintain archery-only hunting seasons that include crossbows. The committee is not a decision-making body and only provides advice to government regarding hunting methods.
Government is in the process of reviewing and updating the hunter harvest questionnaire and the BCWF has asked for the government to collect more data on hunting methods, whether it be vertical bows, crossbows or rifles.
The scopes regulation proposal is posted, and input from the public will ultimately influence the outcome.
Here is the link to the proposed regulations regarding crossbows https://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/ahte/content/scopes-bows-during-bow-only-seasons
Remember, you will need your BCeID number to comment.