Proposed Changes to Hunting regs

[diamond k]

Since we have hijacked another thread on this topic I thought that we could do new topic on changes we would like to see. If we can do this in mature manner I will comprise our thoughts and present it to the minister in charge of this portfolio. If nothing else it may give them one more opinion to consider.
I will start with a couple of thing I would like to see changed:

elimination of the supplmental doe tags untill research can prove that we have not hurt our deer population by implimenting it.

Sheep tags should be for residents only

Revamp outfitter tags to a draw system. Do it progressivly so that is implimented in a year or two to allow for outfitters who have pre sold hunts are not put in a tough spot. Then gradually over 4 years buy the outfitters allotment 25% per year for what they paid for them not what they deem they are worth. Then put in a certain amount of tags for draw for non residents. Once a hunter is drawn then they hire any guide they see fit. Any non resident who is awarded a draw must hire an approved guide to guide the hunters. Tags should be worth 10 times what a resident pays, so if a resident WT tag is 50 dollars then non resident tag is 500 dollars. allocations can not be sold to anyone but the crown so if a outfitter decided to go out of business then the government pays the outfitter for his tags.

Have a system where WT tags are only good for a buck every second year. This keeps the resident meat hunters happy and allows more trophys for the trophy hunters as well. May work for mule deer as well this would be up to the biologist to determine.

I would like to see the season extended by 2 weeks in December.


I know that it is impossible to make everbody happy and I am sure there are a few who think I am way off but I encourage you to give me your suggestion as well. I will submit all sincere responses as I may submit the entire post if it is possible. If you all want to bitch and complain on here and do nothing about then thats fine as well.

[tbosch]

I agree 100% with extending the season two weeks in to december. With the seasons of late we haven't had a snowfall or cool weather until Dec 1.

I also think the supplemental tags could be cut back, but possibly just to one tag per person for a few seasons to see what the provincewide effect is.

A buck every second year would be okay. What if the years variated where you had an antlered wt tag one year and then antlered mule the next?

I cant speak to the rest of your ideas as I am not overly knowledgeable in the outfitter tag system and how it works.

[nube]

GOOD luck with this.
This topic should keep me entertained for a while

[spurly]

Elk in 400 and 402 should go to 6pt or better, and cut # of cow tags by 50%
sheep in 400 and 402 full curl both sides of the highway.If you are succesfull
you do not hunt trophy sheep for 2 more years.

[JohnB]

Don't need to be giving out 3 mule doe tags in 522; numbers are way down. Getting guys coming up to the Peace country with thier TC and shooting doe's with each of thier barrels (muzzleloader, shotgun, centerfire). No need for it and who needs that much deer meat.

[Tubby2]

Let me give you some very good inside information. MR. Ted Morton works very closely with APOS-----very closely.

[rookiemoosehunter]

I would like to see some restrictions placed on "certain people with certain status's" that allow them not to have to draw for tags or even buy a licence.

[hal53]

Originally Posted by Tubby2

Let me give you some very good inside information. MR. Ted Morton works very closely with APOS-----very closely.

TOO close, from what I have been discovering..... first step in anything is changing out our SRD Minister

[steve]

We should not be allowed to harvest 6 Whitetail does in the County of Strathcona..

[diamond k]

Mr. Morton is only a cabinet shuffle away for a new post and from what I understand one is quite close to happening.

[TheClash]

white tail open season within the town of magrath with a baseball bat....haha

but in all honesty i wish i was able to put in for the same species in different areas....like elk in different zones...and when i get drawn in any of them i lose priority..or something like that...i am not too sure how or if it could work i am just sad i have to pick just one spot haha

[rookiemoosehunter]

Originally Posted by TheClash

white tail open season within the town of magrath with a baseball bat....haha

but in all honesty i wish i was able to put in for the same species in different areas....like elk in different zones...and when i get drawn in any of them i lose priority..or something like that...i am not too sure how or if it could work i am just sad i have to pick just one spot haha

You can put in for more than one WMU already.

[RobinHood]

Due to the over population, rapid infrustructure growth in the bowzones ( 410,212,248),and continuous growth in the archery community. There should be a serious look into the furthar expansion of these zones. Not to mention the ever growing emergence of parks, conservatories and corridor expansions,that we have endured in the past and present and will in the future.Town limits have grown, and hunting oppoturnities and land have diminished, creating stress for game,land owners, the general public and hunters.

[steve]

Originally Posted by RobinHood

Due to the over population, rapid infrustructure growth in the bowzones ( 410,212,248),and continuous growth in the archery community. There should be a serious look into the furthar expansion of these zones. Not to mention the ever growing emergence of parks, conservatories and corridor expansions,that we have endured in the past and present and will in the future.Town limits have grown, and hunting oppoturnities and land have diminished, creating stress for game,land owners, the general public and hunters.

x2 great post

Theres subdivisions, where I arrowed my first deer 5 years ago..

[bingo1010]

diamond i like your thoughts on the outfitter tags.....for private land at the very least. this is the way it is in sask. and i believe it would rid us of a lot of our (residents) issues that are common. buying them out over time does seem quite reasonable. i agree as well with the supplemental wt tags, although this would be a hard sell, since the insurance companies would like to see all the deer gone.

[kevpack]

How about the evidence of sex and that nasty blood encrusted tail-isn't there a different way to prove whatchagot?

[NCC]

First off, cut back on the cow and calf moose and doe tags. The tough winters,wolves, and ticks have hammered the herds in the Peace and the tag numbers haven't changed. A crew cab full of guys with two tags each can wipe out an entire herd of mule deer does.

By going to six point elk zones, you create a gene pool full of mature 5 point elk. I don't think any one wants that.

Put the non resident tags on draw. That way the tags numbers can be controlled relative to what the game populations are. Now the guides get their tags regardless of where the game populations are at and the resident hunters get what's left over.

[pitw]

Well guys keep wanting changes to the hunting Regs. Some of you want longer this and more of that. Mr. Morton and APOS with your help will see to it that our local papers are full of ads like this one I got in a box of stuff from West Virginia.

[gunslinger]

Well i know this is going to peeve a few guys off -- guys with huge priority in 437 but i would like to see that go to a lottery draw also.
I am priority 9 and i will never see that tag,

Also just from going off of last years statistics there was only around 65 of the 200 buffalo harvested, in this scenario they could probable afford to up the aunty by 50% in this aspect also, although we are in the first years of that draw.

I would also like to see 100% more tags given out for the Billy Goat as i beleive the areas can substain more than one Billy. But to tell you the truth i think were going to see this happen anyway,maybe.

Anyway this is three substainable resources that i think need to be and are going to be looked at.

Originally Posted by nube

GOOD luck with this.
This topic should keep me entertained for a while

I have to agree .

[theduke]

Originally Posted by nube

GOOD luck with this.
This topic should keep me entertained for a while

lol x3

[blackmamba]

Originally Posted by RobinHood

Due to the over population, rapid infrustructure growth in the bowzones ( 410,212,248),and continuous growth in the archery community. There should be a serious look into the furthar expansion of these zones. Not to mention the ever growing emergence of parks, conservatories and corridor expansions,that we have endured in the past and present and will in the future.Town limits have grown, and hunting oppoturnities and land have diminished, creating stress for game,land owners, the general public and hunters.

great post . we were actually talking about this last weekend . Somethings gotta be done .

[TheClash]

Originally Posted by rookiemoosehunter

You can put in for more than one WMU already.

what i was under the impression that i was not able to.....if i put in for an elk draw say in 300 i could not also put in for 108...am i wrong??

[spurly]

In reguards to NCC comment. right now we have a gene pool of spike and 2pt. elk so I think having a gene pool of 5pt would be quite an improvement.I live in Alberta and work 20 miles into BC the difference in the quantity as well as quality is remarkable.We from alberta do not often take pics of our elk to work, but man you wanna see the pics the bc boys bring.

[Bassett]

Originally Posted by diamond k

I would like to see the season extended by 2 weeks in December.

Too long of a season, only if it was started 2 weeks into November, the animals will be over hunted probably. Just my opinion.

Non-residents-aliens should have to be drawn for the tag.

[pdfish]

Elimination of the supplemental tags is ridiculous, maybe from 2 to 1 (I'm talking whitetails), but not eliminating entirely. I can already see what would happen. Instead of someone going out and putting meat in the freezer with a doe then holding out for a good buck, people would be shooting the first buck they see, just to say they filled their tag with a buck, not a doe. If anything I can see this decreasing trophy quality because few bucks would reach their full potential. Thats not even taking into account the out of whack buck/doe ratio that would result. I know lots of people (myself included) that will put a doe (or 2) in the freezer, then hold out for a really good buck, passing up dozens of young or mediocre bucks in the process. Often, that tag goes on the Christmas tree. Who knows, that buck I passed up this year might be a monster in a couple seasons.

[6mmhunter]

Originally Posted by RobinHood

Due to the over population, rapid infrustructure growth in the bowzones ( 410,212,248),and continuous growth in the archery community. There should be a serious look into the furthar expansion of these zones. Not to mention the ever growing emergence of parks, conservatories and corridor expansions,that we have endured in the past and present and will in the future.Town limits have grown, and hunting oppoturnities and land have diminished, creating stress for game,land owners, the general public and hunters.

Totally unnecessary in my opinion. The entire province is open to bow hunters for the first two months of the season so I see no reason to remove opportunity from the rifle season hunters who only get one month. And yes I am a bow hunter and have bowhunted for 20 years.

[solocam3]

Diamond K, there is a process for this, but it is good to see your thinking about it. The Alberta Fish and Game Association, of which 130000 hunters of the 150000 in Alberta, dont know exists is having their Annual (101st Anniversary Conference to be exact) Conference in Edmonton in Feb. By Nov, all the Alberta local clubs such as Sherwood Park, Edmonton, McMurray, Calgary, etc (There are around 200 clubs) have there Resolutions passed at the local level and then present them at Conference to be brought forward to "Ted" Of course, a lot dont get brought in but by our numbers (Almost 20,000 members, I said that in my second line) the Government takes notice. Why do you think that 12 year olds can now hunt with a rifle and why is there a lot more areas open for Sunday Hunting.
As well, lately there have been several Post Hunting Season Open House mtgs just for this prurpose. The adds are in the local papers and if you want to offer suggestions, these are the mtgs to go to. Every Sept, Sherwood Park and Edmonton Fish and Game host a Hunters night where the CO are in attendance and the Government fellas that put the Regulations together are there to take comments and answer your questions.
So from some of the replies to your post, I did not see anyone asking how they can help change things other than getting in touch with you. Well, now there are a couple ideas here.
But this is a good idea, some suggestions should come forward out of this.

[rookiemoosehunter]

Originally Posted by TheClash

what i was under the impression that i was not able to.....if i put in for an elk draw say in 300 i could not also put in for 108...am i wrong??

You can enter up to 3 WMU that you wish to hunt.
You cannot put in a draw for bull elk in one zone and for cow elk in another zone though.

Look online (or if you have it at home) of the hunting draw booklet. Page 6 under "Common Questions"

[gunslinger]

Originally Posted by TheClash

what i was under the impression that i was not able to.....if i put in for an elk draw say in 300 i could not also put in for 108...am i wrong??

u arnt allowed too, if your putting in in wmu 300 then thats the draw you have to stick too, you cant put in there for 4 years then switch to another unit