The leader of the NDP party in BC has stated his party will ban grizzly hunting in the province if they are elected. They have the First Nations on side with this and there is no doubt they can gain a lot of traction with the urban Liberal mindset in BC. Our fellow hunters and outfitters are going to have a fight on their hands if the NDP get in.............and I hope with this warning they will have their ducks in a row if/when this comes to pass. The attacks on grizzly hunting in BC have been going on for 40 years and they have made significant headway.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...-bear-hunt-1.3866223

Skyline
When is the next provincial election?When would NDP take office and how soon after an election could they get a grizzly hunt ban into effect?

Couple years I think until the next election, unless of course there is some sort of political turmoil that causes them to call one sooner, Hopefully they won't get in........ but you never know with politics.

Never thought I would see what happened in Alberta the last election and yet, there it is. Same goes with the federal election, Liberals by a landslide.

If the NDP did get in next go round in BC I suspect it would take a couple years for them to get things in order to ban the bear hunt, but it is hard to say. Even the Liberals could do something if pressured enough. BC has been on the hit list with the anti-grizzly hunt people for along time.

This last big chunk of the coast that has been closed is an example of how quickly things can change. With the First Nations on side and to be used as leverage, one just never knows what is going to happen and when.

Personally I think we are going to see some big changes with the great bears in the next decade. I hope I am wrong, but I don't think so.

the election I believe is this May 9 this year.
Not all the first nations are on the Ban grizzly side. There are many FN that are outfitters in fact the Nisga band bought out the largest g-bear concession in BC and plan on killing every bear on quota.
Let just hope the NDP don't get in.

Well there ya go........... seems like the current government just got in when looking from afar. LOL Time flies.

Interesting about the Nisga as the last thing I read about it suggested they were not going to kill any.

Word is even with black bear, in some of the northern treaty entitlement areas of other provinces, the First Nations are starting to voice their displeasure with bear hunting being conducted by outfitters in their areas. Mind you history has shown that they tend to be against things when it is in their best interests and then change their minds later when they have control.

My concern is I've got a 30 day hunt in 2018 with grizzly as my highest priority.I will be in contact with the outfitter and I'm flexible on a plan B or C for that matter.Just trying to keep up on which way the political winds are blowing.

If I see or hear anything else relating to this in the future I will post it on this thread to keep people aware of it, and I am sure others will as well.

Are there accurate Grizzly counts in BC? Has the specie been shown to be stable or increasing. I presume so and that information needs to be widely shared as well as the financial benefit of hunting for the specie, habitat, and economy.

Skyline
That would be great to being informed on grizzly status.I'm trying to recall many years ago that BC put a moratorium on grizzly hunts for a year while they did a population status.

There has been tons of work done on grizzly population analysis in BC, including the gathering of hair samples at collection sites and doing DNA identification. No shortage of grizzlies in BC at all.

The Guide Outfitters Association of BC has a good handle on things and actively puts the information out there and fights the good fight. But as we all know it is a topic that is very much about politics and playing off the emotions of people by the anti's.

Just think elephants, lions, polar bears, wolves and of course grizzlies. The charismatic mega fauna.......... they stir up raw emotion and rational thinking flies out the window. The anti's know this, hence why they focus on these animals...........science be damned.

We were very lucky to get Trump, I was surprised that the Australians got to keep the conservative (Liberals in Australia)government.

Hopefully Britain will keep theirs, Brexit isn't as popular with the left.

We're braced for it, sure hope it doesn't come to pass, been encouraging folks to hunt their BC Grizzlies this year as the future is uncertain. I'm just gathering the life experiences and savouring them while possible as I don't think the future is bright in BC for the grizzly hunt, and it's purely political. Hopefully Alberta taught BC a lesson on the NDP in recent times.

Was lucky to guide three nice bears in 2016. I just pray it's not a thing of the past soon.

They actually haven't said they will ban grizzly hunting...they said you may still be able to hunt them but only meat could be removed from woods...not head or hide. They vowed to end the trophy aspect.

The NDP's wording is they are opposed to grizzly bear trophy hunting and will end the practice, but are not opposed to hunting for food. This is a sideways way of saying sustenance hunting only, which is one quick sidestep from resident hunting only, which is one quick sidestep from there are more suitable (less idolised) species to eat.

Stick the word trophy in front of any sort of hunting and it's easy to garner support for a ban. Sadly, even many hunters will jump on the bandwagon.

I prefer "Hyper Selective Hunting".

"Participation Hunting"...where everyone gets a trophy!

the antis have an agenda the end of any kind of hunting not only GB or PB.

what do you think will happen when GB will be closed another one will come.

up to the time we stand together we will loose little by littl. what i can say is please continue to hunt them while you can ...

quote:

Stick the word trophy in front of any sort of hunting and it's easy to garner support for a ban. Sadly, even many hunters will jump on the bandwagon.

Trophy hunters can be their own worse enemies and to other hunters to demanding every people should hunt trophies.

I heard it many times it is only a doe its not a 500lb black bear. Why did you shoot that spike it could have grown up to be a trophy.

Some Trophy hunter's tend to look down on those hunting for fun and meat.

A house divided is a house defeated.

This is a very perceptive and sadly factual comment.

I have encountered this many times here in BC, while in various GO camps and working for the BCFS and BCF&W.

You are SO right and I wish more hunters would realize this.

Due to my birth, employment and so on, I have had the opportunity to hunt about all BC species, but, have never been interested in *trophies* as such. However, I support any ecologically-sustainable, sportsmanlike hunting and do so openly even in *anti* venues, like *MEC*.....and, many DO listen.

August; Nice looking bears. Just like Southeast bears. I'm sure the brown bear population in BC is at least stable or on the rise like they are in S.E.


I do get real tired of the trophy hunters looking down their schnoz at the meat hunters.
Anyone killing bears is doing good work in my book.

quote:

Originally posted by sheephunterab:
Stick the word trophy in front of any sort of hunting and it's easy to garner support for a ban. Sadly, even many hunters will jump on the bandwagon.

A very sad but true statement.

Bears of all kinds have been the poster children of the animal rights folks for years. Given the plentiful population of Grizzlies in western Canada (at least from what I've seen) it would be a sad day indeed if hunters lost access to these great animals.