Hunting in the Okanagan is an increasingly popular activity; it allows family and friends to enjoy the outdoors, exercise, learn about the natural environment, and hopefully put some meat in the freezer.

Numbers of British Columbians who hunt have increased significantly since 2004, from 84,000 to over 102,000. Over 14,000 British Columbians hunt in the Okanagan annually, spending more than $26 million on food, fuel, lodging and other hunting related supplies. Females and youth are the fastest growing segments. The rise of the 100-mile diet, food security and healthy living are driving forces.

In the Okanagan there are several conservation clubs made up of hunters, anglers and naturalists.  Fish and game clubs have annual fundraisers which are open to the public. Many of these fundraisers are so popular they sell out in a matter of minutes. The proceeds help pay the bills to restore, enhance and protect our natural resources throughout the valley.

Club members spend thousands of volunteer hours and dollars to purchase conservation lands, conduct habitat enhancement, stream restoration and build and maintain hiking trails and habitat preserves for public use.

Clubs work with First Nations to ensure conservation of wild spaces, and that future generations have access to outdoor activities such as berry picking, hiking, fishing and hunting.

Unfortunately the government is in the process of reducing future generations’ access to these public resources in favour of a few private interests.

After conservation and First Nations’ needs, the province’s Wildlife Allocation Policy is government’s method of distributing hunting opportunities between resident hunters and non-resident hunters who, by law, are required to hire a guide-outfitter. Most North American jurisdictions do not require non-resident hunters to hire a guide-outfitter and non-residents are given five to 10 per cent of hunting opportunities.

Flying in the face of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model, in December 2014, and again in February 2015, Minister Thomson unilaterally decided to give guide-outfitters an unprecedented share of wildlife to sell, leaving more British Columbians’ freezers empty. British Columbia is now giving 15-40 per cent of the harvestable surplus of species such as mountain sheep, mountain goat and moose to guide-outfitters, effectively privatizing that component of wildlife.

In the Okanagan moose are a high demand species. Many hunting opportunities for BC hunters are placed under a lottery system as hunter demand is greater than the harvestable surplus of wildlife. This year close to 5,500 BC hunters will apply for 200 lottery moose hunting opportunities in the Okanagan. Odds for the lottery are as high as 95:1 in some areas, meaning most who apply will never in their lifetime “win the lottery.” Conversely, a non-resident with enough money can purchase an animal from a guide-outfitter and hunt every year.

Government’s code words for rationalizing this change are “outfitter viability,” which is the politically correct version of guide-outfitters’ claim they are going broke. Minister Thomson has stated on numerous occasions government’s unilateral decision is only a transfer of 60 animals from British Columbians to guide-outfitters across the province.  Naturally, the public data used to derive these 60 animals is protected by a cabinet confidentiality agreement.  It seems transparency is so important to government, even the public cannot see public data.

When questioned, some of the MLAs in the Okanagan have stated to their constituents that it is only one animal throughout the region and that these changes were required for guide-outfitter viability.

Through policy manipulation, and increasing moose populations, guide-outfitters’ allocation has nearly tripled from 12 moose per year in 2001 to 35 per year in 2015. Guide-outfitters’ allocation for moose in 2014 was 28; this year it will be 35, an increase of seven.  Just how big does the subsidy need to be to ensure guide-outfitters remain viable?

The irony of this is some of the increase in allocations is a result of moose inventory work which local clubs paid for out-of-pocket. In 2010 government threatened to reduce resident hunter harvest of moose because of perceived population declines and increased moose harvest due to unmitigated access, a result of logging from the mountain pine beetle epidemic. Local fish and game clubs scrounged together $40,000 to pay for aerial counts – the Guide-Outfitters Association of BC chose to free-ride and did not “chip in” to pay to ensure an accurate inventory, yet guide-outfitters in the area received an increase in allocation.

What is the point of volunteering your time and money towards conservation if government is going to reduce or eliminate your access and give it to a private interest?

In BC we are well on our way to privatization. According to government it is not a big deal. So long as you do not intend on hiking, fishing, hunting or using any public spaces in the future.

Jesse Zeman, Wildlife Committee, OCEOLA Fish and Game Club