I just saw on another forum that there was a bad accident in the North West Territories. You may remember that one of the Lancasters was killed last August when the super cub he was piloting went down. The hunter survived. Last Tuesday or Wednesday a helicopter taking a hunter and a guide in (same outfit I believe) crashed. The guide and the client were killed and the pilot seriously injured. He is now in an Edmonton hospital. That is about all the information that I have .... My nephew is hunting next month with this outfitter ... you gotta know he was shocked when I phoned him tonight. Those poor poor folks.

From the Hunting Report

Canadian Guide and Client Die In Helicopter Crash

(posted August 07, 2009)

Canadian correspondent Ken Nowicki has reported from a phone in the bush that a helicopter crash in the Northwest Territories has claimed the lives of an unidentified hunting client and well-known hunting guide Jake Weibe. Helicopter pilot and former big game outfitter Barry Scott survived the crash but is in serious condition and was scheduled for surgery when Nowicki called late Thursday. Nowicki says the crash took place this past Tuesday.

Details are very sketchy at this time, but Nowicki says the helicopter seems to have been blown out of control by winds. The crash took place in the Nahanni Butte area where the hunters were to pursue Dall sheep. A group of hunters witnessed the crash and called for help from a satellite phone. Scott, who reportedly was ejected from the aircraft, was taken to a hospital, but Weibe and his client reportedly died on the scene. Weibe is survived by his wife, Bernice, and two children. A memorial service is being planned in Fernie, British Columbia. We were unable to learn the identity of the hunting client.

It is unclear which outfitting company Weibe was working for at the time, but supposedly it was one of the Lancaster family's operations. The Lancasters own and operate numerous outfitting operations in Canada. I tried contacting the Lancasters today, but was unsuccessful in reaching them. Look for an update and details on a memorial service in a future bulletin or the next issue of The Hunting Report.

From everyone here at The Hunting Report, our deepest condolences to the families of Weibe and the unidentified hunter. Our sympathies also to the Scott family and to the Lancasters, who lost Cam Lancaster only last year in a plane crash. - Barbara Crown, Editor.

Seloushunter

TIPTON, Iowa - For the second time in three years, the Behrle family of Tipton has been struck by tragedy in a far-off place.

Authorities say 55-year-old Johnnie Behrle of Tipton and Columbus, Neb., died Tuesday in a helicopter crash in a remote part of Canada's Northwest Territories.

Behrle was the father of 20-year-old Spc. David Behrle, who was killed in May 2007 by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

According to Canada's Edmonton Journal, the helicopter crashed into an Arctic mountain range near Nahanni Butte. Behrle, an avid sportsman, was on a hunting trip with a company that led 10-day backpacking trips into remote areas.

------

quote:

Originally posted by scruffy:
I just saw on another forum that there was a bad accident in the North West Territories. You may remember that one of the Lancasters was killed last August when the super cub he was piloting went down. The hunter survived. Last Tuesday or Wednesday a helicopter taking a hunter and a guide in (same outfit I believe) crashed. The guide and the client were killed and the pilot seriously injured. He is now in an Edmonton hospital. That is about all the information that I have .... My nephew is hunting next month with this outfitter ... you gotta know he was shocked when I phoned him tonight. Those poor poor folks.

Yes, Scruffy, it is amazing how really dangerous the true north country can be at times, Flying small aircraft in the weather conditions up there is often literally life or death. My good friend Murray John Ross was killed about 25 years ago when the tips of the floats on the plane he was in caught the chop on Great Slave Lake during take-off at the end of a fishing trip. Plane flipped over and all four on board were trapped inside and drowned.

Though it isn't much consolation there ARE worse ways to go. These guys were all active sportsman up until the moments of their deaths, didn't suffer long, and were doing something they loved.

Peace be with them....

Sorry to hear of another misfortune for the Lancasters. Three years ago, I hunted Dall sheep with them out of Nahanni Butte. Great hunt; they run a 1st class operation with skilled, hard working guides. I would like to go back for moose & caribou, but the downturn in the economy severely limited my "play money". Cam Lancaster was very, very good at running the operation. I thought very highly of him. What these crashes illustrate is that what we do for sport has some inherent danger and is part of what attracts, at least some of us. I recall when I was researching my 1st guided hunt in Alaska

Oops! Had an interruption and hit wrong key. Continuing on, cocerning my 1st Alaska hunt, when researching, a very close friend, retired from AK Fish & Game & living in Anchorage, told me that more important than the guiding skill, etc. of the guide, was the skill of the pilot delivering you to & from the hunting camp. I have not forgotten that. Since then I have done 5 trips into the Alaska bush & 2 into Canada. That has always been a concern which I have always researched as well. I have landed & taken off in a couple of pretty hairy situations: bad weather & primitive landing strips. All of the landing strips were primitive, a couple very much so. Glad I had very competent pilots; even so, it gave me pause for thought about my mortality. The worst one though was landing & later taking off on a snow covered mountain top in Idaho's Middle Fork Salmon Wilderness for an elk hunt. Before we got there though we had to skirt around mountain tops to find an opening in the clouds & fog. But, even with the best pilots, shit happens. We should not be under any illusions that we are guaranteed a safe return. Our affairs should be in order & life insurance paid up. All of this said, I still want to continue doing these trips. Would rather go out doing what I love than from all of the other things that can take us- or, just dying in bed of old age. I was on that same chopper with Barry Scott; he was a very competent pilot and a really good guy. I will pray for him & wish him a speedy & full recovery. Does anyone know what this will do to South Nahanni's current season?

N.W.T. helicopter crash probe continues

CBC News
Investigators wrapped up their work Thursday at the site of a fatal helicopter crash in a Northwest Territories mountain range earlier this week.

Two passengers were killed and the pilot was seriously injured in the crash Tuesday afternoon in the Liard Mountains, 25 kilometres west of Nahanni Butte, N.W.T.

RCMP officers and mountain climbers from Parks Canada have removed the bodies of the passengers, a hunter and a hunting guide.

Staff Sgt. Francis Cullen told CBC News late Thursday that the bodies are now being flown to Yellowknife.

Cullen said investigators also photographed the site and took statements from everyone who was involved in the events leading up to the crash.

To date, police have not identified the deceased. The helicopter, which was destroyed in the crash, was leased to Nahanni Butte Outfitters.

The cause of the crash has not been determined, as the pilot has not yet been interviewed. Police said he is recovering in an Edmonton hospital following an operation for unspecified serious injuries.

"Next up will be to speak with the pilot, who we're told is recovering, but he won't be available to speak with us for another three or four days," Cullen said.

Officials with the federal Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the incident, say the helicopter was trying to land on a top of a ridge so that the passengers could meet another hunting group.

The helicopter rolled 300 metres down a steep slope, catching fire on impact.

"He was in tough shape," Cullen said of the pilot, who somehow escaped the aircraft.

"So once we have an opportunity to speak with him, then I'm sure we'll be in a better position to understand just exactly what happened at the top of the cliff there."


Seloushunter

It is very sad, however, after years of fighting forest fires in B.C. and Alberta, I have seen all too many of these crashes and friends of mine from boyhood have died as a result. Flying in wilderness areas is always risky and even the best pilots can have accidents.

I would like to see all helicopter use for any hunting permanently banned and this is one reason why. We Canadian taxpayers must pay the cost of rescue, cleanup, investigation and hospitalization for these disasters so that foreigners can kill our rare wildlife for "trophies".

This is not "sports" hunting to me, it is merely ego gratification for wealthy individuals who lack the ability to hunt on their own.

quote:

I would like to see all helicopter use for any hunting permanently banned and this is one reason why. We Canadian taxpayers must pay the cost of rescue, cleanup, investigation and hospitalization for these disasters so that foreigners can kill our rare wildlife for "trophies".

This is not "sports" hunting to me, it is merely ego gratification for wealthy individuals who lack the ability to hunt on their own.

Seloushunter

quote:

Originally posted by Dewey:
It is very sad, however, after years of fighting forest fires in B.C. and Alberta, I have seen all too many of these crashes and friends of mine from boyhood have died as a result. Flying in wilderness areas is always risky and even the best pilots can have accidents.

I would like to see all helicopter use for any hunting permanently banned and this is one reason why. We Canadian taxpayers must pay the cost of rescue, cleanup, investigation and hospitalization for these disasters so that foreigners can kill our rare wildlife for "trophies".

This is not "sports" hunting to me, it is merely ego gratification for wealthy individuals who lack the ability to hunt on their own.

Up to your old tricks again,eh,dewey?

WHO are YOU to presume to tell a CANADIAN that we do not have the ABSOLUTE RIGHT to administer OUR wildlife, etc. in OUR country, as WE see fit?

This foreign attitude about OUR resources, so often found among Americans, is EXACTLY WHY an increasing number of Canadians are totally opposed to you being allowed to have access to any of our resources and this is what will end ALL American hunting here, first in B.C., within less than a decade.

REAL hunters DO NOT kill wild sheep using helicopters and this travesty WILL soon be banned, as it should be. Don't like it, well, stay home or go to Mongolia and "pogue mahone."

Dewey

This website isn't a Canadian resource, why don't you avoid it. I'm guessing you are not driving a Canadian car, why don't you avoid them. The clothes you are wearing aren't Canadian most likely, why don't you avoid them.

Your rant is stupid. Yes, you have the right to manage everything in your country, but most likely your country wouldn't survive without the rest of the world. If your country decides to close hunting to non-residents great. I have no problem with that.

I think Canada is a wonderful country. I love to hunt there, but like a lot of people around the world you want what the rest of the world has to offer, but you are basically selfish, and don't play well with others. I guess we can blame your upbringing for that.

People shooting game from a helicopter "deserve" to crash in my opinion, and if I could roll back the clock, radios wouldn't be used either to locate game or home-in hunters on their location, and game wouldn't be spotted first from fixed-wings and then hunted. Technology has overpowered the game animals. I'm on their side, although the ones I hunt and kill probably don't see it that way.

My only suggestion for you would be to build a higher fence around your own property and stay inside. Immediately burn your passport if you have one. You have no business on anyone else's property and they have no business on your.

We obviously need to have a hostage exchange. We'll return all Canadians from the U.S. if you'll take back all the damn Canadians.

I do NOT think that people who use a chopper to hunt game should crash, that is sick and typical of a coward.

I DO think that chopper HUNTING should be banned and, most non-Canadian hunting as well; I do want to see British, Australian and New Zealand hunters allowed here as we are all "brothers" in the British Commonwealth.

Your comments are false, but, I do not care, however, your remark about my upbringing is an insult to my dead parents. I suppose one must expect this.....

I heard about the accident the day it happened but did not want to post as I was not sure who was in the unfortunate incident. We live actually not far from where the accident happened and that is some rough country. We hunted not far from there last year and have two weeks booked out there again this September, We also spent some time last year out near the Lancaster's camp where that crash happened. both areas can be ugly to fly in.
I do not agree with the comments that suggest Dall sheep are rare. The writer may have been indicating other game animals but in the context of the story I don't think so. there are lots of sheep up here. If a non citizen wishes to pay the going cost which helps provide many jobs up here then please come on up.
Most of us will welcome you and give you all the information we can to help out.
I am leaving in the morning with my wife to hunt caribou for a few days. but I am not telling "YOU" where.
watson lake.

I just heard that one of the contract choppers on fire duty at Lillooet went into the Fraser River today. This is, of course, Cali. Bighorn country, but, we banned heli-hunting in B.C. quite some time ago.

These crashes always sadden me as I have known so many good guys who have died all too young this way and I have had a couple "hairy" landings myself, when fighting fire. My best buddy flew for awhile, even the big "SkyCrane" logging choppers....gotta have serious stones for that, IMHO.

Obviously, you and I do not agree on the resource allocation issue and we both have an equal right to our opinions and to act on them as we see fit. However, if you look south into B.C., you can SEE the huge slaughter of Stone's Sheep by foreign trophy collectors and the ensuing lack of opportunity for B.C. residents....AND other Canadians.

Why, should a guy from P.E.I., whose family pioneered in Canada in 1760 or so, as many of the Martimers did, have to pay some American-"owned" GO about $40,000 USD to hunt a Stone's Sheep in B.C. or the "non-res". price in the Yukon and get only the same deal that some Yankee would get? This, IMHO, is just wrong and it is GOING to change, no matter what has to be done to do so.

My direct ancestors participated in "the Klondike Gold Rush", after working on building the "Sleepy R" across the Prairies and BC to Vancity; my wife was an "outpost" R.N. out of Whitehorse in the '70s and I HAVE to PAY as a Yankee does to hunt there? Not going to continue, Canada is not a resource dump for Yankees.

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
People shooting game from a helicopter "deserve" to crash in my opinion, .

I didn't see where anyone was "shooting game from a helicopter". If it's like anywhere else, you can't hunt on the same day you are in an aircraft.

And insulting someone else's upbringing after stating that you think people "deserve to crash" in a thread about GOOD PEOPLE WHO JUST DIED IN A TRAGIC ACCIDENT is fucking bush league. Is this really who you are or did you misspeak? I'll reserve any further comments/judgement until you respond.

The "problem" with the use of aircraft for "trophy" collecting and it is commonplace here in Canadian hunting regions...to OUR shame...is that it tends to make the annual impact on that population of animals greater than would be the case if only human-animal transport were allowed. When you combine this with the huge ego investment by some "hunters" in putting 4-5 wild sheep heads on their wall after spending $100K or MORE, LOTS MORE, to do so, the potential for "hanky panky" becomes pretty obvious...and it IS happening here, continually.

I see hunting as a sport, an art, a spiritual exercise and a means to obtain high quality food for my wife and I. I believe that any killing of animals merely to obtain an "ego object" to impress others with is fundamentally wrong on a very important moral level and thus I object to ALL such "hunting" here, not merely that by foreigners.

I am, BTW, sufficently well-off, after a lifetime of hard work, to go on any of these hunts and have had three offers from outfitters to guide for them, so, I am not making my comments here out of inability or jealousy.

The situation is growing worse and I would very much like to see major changes made and P.D.Q. That said, if it were legal, I would gladly take a polite American or other non-Canuck hunter with me and my camp into Stone's or Dall's or Bighorn country and have invited several guys here to hunt with me....it's about HUNTING, Conservation and NOT about some of the less pleasant remarks made here.

I began writing a response but then deleted it. What is the use eh?
I will just say I do not appreciate taking such an unfortunate incident and changing it into a pissing match and soap box for views.
If one wants to start a thread on the subject of using helicopters or any other aspect of hunting, go ahead but not on the tails of someone losing their life.
Watson Lake

That was NOT my intention and I will drop the topic now, however, I do wonder, given your churlish attitude, ARE YOU in any way involved with the outfitting industry in the Yukon?It seems to me, that your concern here is for the hunting industry, far more than any other aspect of this sad situation.

If, that were not the case, WHY did you so strongly advocate foreigners hunting in the Yukon? You did not seem to have a problem with presenting the pro-foreign hunting position in your initial post.So, you are doing exactly what you now object to.

Do you have a problem with Canadians from other provinces-territories having both the right and preference in hunting in the Yukon? Could it be that you are a "resident" and NOT a native-born Canuck, i.e., a Guide-Outfitter or associated with one and thus are trying to use this thread as a means of advancing commercial "trophy" collecting in the Yukon?

Your sudden rude comment this morning certainly makes me question your motives here, so, maybe tell the truth about just what those might be? Or, if you do not like a thread's contents, simply do not participate.

Well, it would appear that the Canadian forum serves one purpose. I'll not bother asking any further questions.

You guys come in the middle of the story; dewey and I had much the same conversation last year,in fact HE has had this conversation on several different boards every year for the last few years.Probably more than I am not aware of.

Norton don't get turned away by Dewey, his opinion is the minority here. I for one have litle problem with non canadians hunting here, or the outfitters that provide these hunts. There is plenty of game to go around, and if outfitters are willing to work hard and access places residents do not want to go to then they can have at er, few residents will spend the money or the time to helicopter in to hunt.

Back on track I heard the guide was a Jake WIEBE from fernie area, can anyone confirm that was correct. Condolences to both the families.

That MAY be correct in terms of this forum and "Jetboater" sounds like a GO or one of their hangers-on; however, as we speak, the opposition I mention is rapidly growing in BC and this is where foreign hunting will be banned first...as well as "guides" who live elsewhere, wait and see.

MOST B.C. citizens are STRONGLY opposed to ANY non-resident hunting and, increasingly, to fishing, as well. Don't believe me, check the media reports from our major outlets.

Dewey, I'll say one last thing on this thread.....YOUR wildlife is a resource and should be managed as such. Your fellow Canadians understand that the wildlife is plentiful and can sustain the harvest....be it by you or a foreign fatcat that pays big bucks to do it. If it were being decimated I could understand your point.

Are residents being turned down for sheep permits? Might I offer that in my home state of NH some residents wait 20 years for a moose permit while every year a small number are given to NRs by lottery.

There are some of us who can't move to BC but would still like a chance at a sheep. We all have only one life.....right? I'd much rather go on a DIY Dall/Stone hunt in BC but I'm not sure I'll ever have that much time off from work to do it. So should I just forget it and say since I don't live in BC I'll never hunt sheep?

The comments here by a few who may or may not be Canadians concerning game populations are not credible, in that huge reductions in Caribou in Canada's northern regions have recently happened, Polar Bears are in serious trouble and Stone's Sheep are reduced in numbers here in B.C. So, that is one aspect of this, however, it certainly DOES make a HUGE difference who shoots Canadian game and MY rights absolutely "trump" the desires of any ...foreign fatcat...

What you choose to do/not do in NH is irrelevant, I am concerned with Canada-BC and do not interfere in foreign situations.

You CANNOT ...go on a DIY Dall's-Stone's hunt in BC..., you MUST by law be guided as a client of a GO and this has been the case for decades.

I don't know about your hunting desires, I would suggest Alaska as a venue for hunting sheep. Again, the crux of this issue is this attitude that because we BC-Canadians have this game, you have some "right" to hunt here and shoot it, if you want and can afford to. THAT is what REALLY pizzes Canucks off and MOST here feel exactly as I do, the few on this forum notwithstanding.

Do some research into "softwood", US "rights" under NAFTA to Canadian petroleum products, why we ravage northern Alberta so that you can preserve your pristine Colorado Rockies from "oil shale" development and the "continentalist" policies of various US governments concerning Canadian water, hydro-power and anything else they want. This will give you a basis to understand that WE DO NOT WANT our resources taken or shared by America and wildlife is among these.

So, yeah, I would forget about hunting in BC as my comments here, while annoying some, ARE representative of what the majority of Canucks think and "the times they are a'changin'".

Yes, I heard that the guide was Jake Wiebe.

I think that, if this is who I think it may be, his family may have been neighbours of ours some years ago. I have the deepest sadness about these crashes, but, I guess it is a part of the "price" we pay for living here where the mountains are so wonderful and still relatively pristine.

I see that the "Queen's Cowboys" have not yet located the pilot of the chopper that crashed into the Fraser, while "monsoon bucketing" yesterday or Thursday. Evidently, they found submerged wreckage, but, the pilot is missing and in those currents, his chances are not good.

Poor young guys, hope there is a "Valhalla" waiting for them......

I flew with Johnnie from Minn to Edmonton. Met him on the plane (he was an obvious hunter with his camo on). Told me he was dall sheep hunting and he was headed to NWT. Told him I was hunting dall as well but with Redstone. He just seemed like a heck of a nice guy and since I had to overnite in Edmonton (he did too) we decided to rent a car and go see Edmonton (none of us had been there before).
We drove all around and just had a blast. Again, I had never met him before, but there we were in Edmonton out seeing the sights. Later that evening we met up with another hunter in my group and had dinner.
Next morning we met again at the airport and swapped phone numbers and addresses and since we were to be back in Edmonton (both of us had 10 day hunts) we'd call each other to see how each did and compare notes, etc.
Next I know I'm in the base camp (day seven) when one of our guides came in and told us of the accident. He didn't have any names but I was praying it wasn't Johnnie.
Tried calling many times but had to wait til that Monday when I reached his secretary who confirmed what I'd been fearing.

Guys, it's a dangerous sport and you just never know when God will pluck you up next. Thankfully Johnnie's kids are all grown. I'm sure everyone who knew him will miss him.

You know, Dewey, I have just been lurking in this thread and it makes no difference, you could be American, Canadian, or from BFE, you'd still be a card carrying, dues paying asshole. To use this thread to push your mean-minded, little agenda is pretty contemptable.
I've never had a desire to go to Canada and hunt Dall sheep nor caribou nor any of your other game. There is too many places I've yet to see and game I've yet to hunt in the lower 48. And now, were I to have any vagrant thoughts of heading north, I'll think of you and keep my yankee dollars home. On behalf of American Tourism, thank you very much!

My condolences to the families of the victims.

I could reply in kind,however, it is not condusive to my concerns with respect to either this sad event, or, the continual attempts by Yankees of your type to grab Canada's resources, so I will not bother.

quote:

I do want to see British, Australian and New Zealand hunters allowed here as we are all "brothers" in the British Commonwealth.

They are no more Canadians than Americans are,and in fact most Canadians and Americans have more in common than Canadians and British,Australians,and New Zealanders do.

quote:

Are residents being turned down for sheep permits? Might I offer that in my home state of NH some residents wait 20 years for a moose permit while every year a small number are given to NRs by lottery.

Actually in many cases residents must wait years to draw a tag to hunt certain species,while non residents can simply buy a tag through an outfitter.I do agree that residents should come first.

I have NEVER stated that other members of The British Commonwealth WERE Canadians, simply that they are our brothers in the Commonwealth.

In any event, this is not the best venue to discuss who is/is not a "Canadian;" as, in retrospect, I wish now that I had not opened the discussion concerning the helicopter, etc., issue on this thread as it segued into comments such as those preceding my last post.

It is probably just as well that the issue that you are attempting to raise and which we both know is somewhat of a cover for certain other intentions be left to the former comments made elsewhere. There can be no resolution here and further "cage rattling", will merely degrade this forum, something I have no intention of doing.

This is about as productive as discussing the "rights" that you so strongly object to and I simply cannot be bothered.

quote:

I have NEVER stated that other members of The British Commonwealth WERE Canadians, simply that they are our brothers in the Commonwealth.

I am Canadian by birth,as are my parents,and I do not consider other members of the British Commonwealth to be any more my brothers than Americans are.We do more trade with the U.S.A.,and by and large most Canadians have more in common with Americans than with anyone else.As such,I see no reason why Americans should have less access to our resources than Commonwealth nations.

quote:

British, Australian and New Zealand hunters allowed here as we are all "brothers" in the British Commonwealth.

Just curious - What about our brothers in the other 50 commonwealth sovereignties?

No, I meant "The Old Commonwealth" only.

quote:

Originally posted by Dewey:
No, I meant "The Old Commonwealth" only.

"Old white," you mean? Sorry, old chap.

I suspect that few Canadians feel much in common with the old commonwealth any more. Its as dead as the dodo. One thing about the yanks we would be wise to recognize is their strong hunting and shooting communities and lobbies. We could use their expertise and lobbying power to stop the Liberals and NDP from stripping us of guns and hunting rights. As much as I object to their foreign policies, which I see as threatening to us all, I don't agree with banning Americans from hunting. Hunting should be shared as widely as possible before the antis do us all out of it.

Dewey has a point that nobody has addressed here. Guide outfitters usually refuse to accept BC hunter as a client and will often refuse other Canadian clients. Given the remoteness of the hunting areas, this means that in reality only wealthy foreigners have access to some of the best game herds. Changes to the regulations would help the problem, but BC's government is largely big-business and centered in the south. They are mostly non shooters, don't hunt and don't care enough to change anything. This kind of conflict is inevitable ss long as the status quo effectively shuts BC and Canadian residents out of large areas of prime hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by BBBruce:

quote:

Originally posted by Dewey:
No, I meant "The Old Commonwealth" only.

"Old white," you mean? Sorry, old chap.

I suspect that few Canadians feel much in common with the old commonwealth any more. Its as dead as the dodo. One thing about the yanks we would be wise to recognize is their strong hunting and shooting communities and lobbies. We could use their expertise and lobbying power to stop the Liberals and NDP from stripping us of guns and hunting rights. As much as I object to their foreign policies, which I see as threatening to us all, I don't agree with banning Americans from hunting. Hunting should be shared as widely as possible before the antis do us all out of it.

Dewey has a point that nobody has addressed here. Guide outfitters usually refuse to accept BC hunter as a client and will often refuse other Canadian clients. Given the remoteness of the hunting areas, this means that in reality only wealthy foreigners have access to some of the best game herds. Changes to the regulations would help the problem, but BC's government is largely big-business and centered in the south. They are mostly non shooters, don't hunt and don't care enough to change anything. This kind of conflict is inevitable ss long as the status quo effectively shuts BC and Canadian residents out of large areas of prime hunting.

Sounds to me like your corrupt government is the problem.
Also ,I would add,if anyone is going to lose the right to own firearms on this continent,it would be Canadians,not Americans,not because of any shortcomings( some present company excluded),but rather ,(I dont know for sure ,and I sure one of you will correct me if Im wrong) it's not a constitutionally protected right ,like it is here.Your government seems to have no problem screwing you out of what should be yours,why not go another step and just take away your permission to hunt and fish? They would get way more money to line their pockets from the wealthy foreigner ,than from a retired tree planter,for the same sheep,the same halibut or salmon,or for that matter,the same pulpwood.You can organize all the grass roots movements you want to,but they can just thumb their noses at you with one hand,and stuff cash in their back pocket from foreigner GO's ,with the other.
Face it guys ,your subject to the crown,not free men,like us,and I think that why some of you's panties are in a bunch all the time.

'old commonwealth'?

How would you feel if Canadian hunters were shut out of hunting elsewhere?
I not proposing that, just curious of your opinion?

Thankyou for your question as it is relevant to the basis of my concern. Given the flood of rhetoric that always degrades threads involving hunting "rights" here and elsewhere, it is rather difficult to make the points I consider valid.

My reply is very simple, it is NOT MY PLACE to question or disagree with WHATEVER the citizens of OTHER jurisdictions, i.e., the RSA OR the USA, CHOOSE for THEIR homelands. THAT is and has been my point, most of the comments fail to recognize it.

BBB makes the point, about ...old white...; this is a bit of a "leading question" on his part, characteristic of the irrepressible Brucie, BUT, it DOES have some validity. I want to preserve the traditions that founded my country and my home province, it is just that simple.

If, the people of the RSA decided that we denizens of "The Great White North" should not be allowed to hunt there, well, that IS their RIGHT and I would respect their decision, period.

As it happens, I have a number of friends FROM the RSA here in Vancouver, B.C. and they have family still there; yes, they are WHITE....not ashamed of it, either and they have told me, that if I wanted to hunt there, they would have their relatives assist me....I have no desire to hunt in Africa or anywhere, except western and northern Canada, each to his own.

BTW, much of the BEST hunting in the USA IS restricted and not available to Canadians, not that anywhere in that nation begins to compare with BC, except Alaska...and THAT is the "chip the bug is under", on this and related threads here on AR.