I came across this story today and don't know anything else about it, except it would seem that the Angus Morrison of Wild Coast Outfitters must be the same Angus Morrison that has 531 posts here.

https://www.castanet.net/news/...-thwart-trophy-kills

Trying to stop trophy hunts
Vancouver Island group buys hunting rights to thwart trophy kills
Roxanne Egan-Elliott / Times Colonist - Oct 31, 2020 / 8:30 am |

A Sidney-based conservation organization has raised more than half a million dollars to buy the exclusive commercial hunting rights to a huge swath of the Great Bear Rainforest, with help from the star power of a couple of Islanders and donations from around the world.

Raincoast Conservation Foundation is on a mission to buy out all hunting guide outfitters in the entire Great Bear Rainforest to put an end to trophy killing of carnivores in the region, which is home to grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, cougars and wolverines. International hunters are required to use an outfitter, but B.C. residents are not and can still hunt in the region.

The foundation’s fifth and latest purchase ­covers 530,000 hectares of the region, giving it commercial hunting rights to about half the Great Bear Rainforest, which stretches 400 kilometres along the coast of B.C. from Knight Inlet to the Alaska Panhandle.

“What’s been eliminated is the ability for people to come from around the world to kill black bears, kill wolves,” said Brian Falconer, who fundraises for and negotiates the purchases for Raincoast. “[They] kill cougars and wolverines and­ ­everything else and just basically take the head and the hide home.”

Renowned wildlife and landscape photographers Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier, who live in Nanoose Bay when they’re not travelling the globe for National Geographic, lent their voices to the campaign, releasing a five-minute video of coastal wolves and a personal plea from Nicklen to help protect the animals.

Nicklen invited his 6.7 million Instagram followers to “come on a journey with me to witness the remarkable coastal wolves of British Columbia.”

The video, shot on remote islands off the coast of Vancouver Island, captures wolves feasting on marine life and howling on empty beaches, and playful young pups wrestling. In the video, Nicklen, who with Mittermeier co-founded Sea Legacy, a non-profit ocean conservation organization, says the most obvious of the many threats facing coastal wolves is recreational hunting.

Within minutes of the video being posted, donations started pouring in from across B.C., the U.S., Germany, Sweden, the U.K., India and Australia. That money helped Raincoast reach its $650,000 goal to buy exclusive commercial hunting rights from Angus Morrison, who was running Wild Coast Outfitters in the region.

Morrison, who grew up hunting and fishing, approached the foundation about buying his rights, because he “couldn’t justify” being in the ­trophy-hunting business anymore, he said.

“I just feel wildlife should be worth more alive than dead,” Morrison said, adding wildlife populations in the region are still healthy, and he wants that to remain the case.

“I don’t want it to get to the point that it is declining there as well, and then you decide it’s time to stop.”

His customers came from the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand, along with a small number from B.C. About 90 per cent wanted to hunt a mountain goat, which cost them about $20,000 for a 10-day field trip.

B.C.’s Wildlife Act requires the owner of guiding rights to facilitate hunts, so Raincoast plans to run “hunting” trips in the region, as they have in other areas where they own commercial hunting rights.

Raincoast’s trips resemble an outfitter’s hunting trip, but their guests, who tend to be supporters of the foundation, are “very fussy,” Falconer said.

“They are people that, the way I phrase it, they are very particular about the animal that they’re looking for, and we just have never been able to find one.”

It appears to be one and the same Angus Morrison.

Yup...that would have to be the same Angus Morrison. Can't blame him really. When they closed the grizzly hunting in BC they took away his number one drawing card for non-resident hunters. His area is remote and the cost to run black bear hunts is extremely high, hence hard to offer black bear hunts that will get many takers. The area has great goats, but it is hard hunting due to the climate.

With the covid issues this year, it left outfitters with a lot of bills to pay and next to nothing coming in. Even if they re-opened grizzly at some point, I doubt that would ever happen for guys operating in the Great Bear Rainforest. Additionally, the provincial NDP government that was responsible for closing the grizzly hunting in the province, just got re-elected for another four years.

Sad to see things going this way, but I do not blame Angus for taking this chance to bail.

quote:

Morrison, who grew up hunting and fishing, approached the foundation about buying his rights, because he “couldn’t justify” being in the ­trophy-hunting business anymore, he said.

Most likely could not survive with shutting down of grizzly hunting. Found some suckers that were willing to pay the price.

Well have very little impact on the number of critters killed. Non residents killed very few.

Exactly Skyline. With the current economic situation these outfitters are ripe for the picking. I thought Trudeau might print a little dough to help these folks....

Ya that ignorant prick has done NOTHING for the tourism industry. Hunting and fishing generate a huge amount of money and tourism as a whole is significant across the country. Tourism operators are floundering and going under in huge numbers but the federal and provincial governments do nothing but pay lip service to the death and destruction they have dropped on this industry due to their response to Covid.

Very sad to watch how this is playing out.

Sorry to hear that Angus sold the area, but it had to have been a terrible economic drain for him. To say it's remote is an understatement. I hunted goats with him in 2016 and 2017. The area is 5+ hours by boat or else by air. There's no infrastructure, operating costs very high, and weather is incredibly unpredictable. When the Canadian government stopped the grizzly hunting there, I saw the writing on the wall. Too bad he sold it, but at least he (hopefully) was able to recover his investment.

quote:

Originally posted by txsouthpaw:
Sorry to hear that Angus sold the area, but it had to have been a terrible economic drain for him. To say it's remote is an understatement. I hunted goats with him in 2016 and 2017. The area is 5+ hours by boat or else by air. There's no infrastructure, operating costs very high, and weather is incredibly unpredictable. When the Canadian government stopped the grizzly hunting there, I saw the writing on the wall. Too bad he sold it, but at least he (hopefully) was able to recover his investment.

Exactly. Most people have no idea what is involved in an area like that, except some guys with remote areas in Alaska.

I agree Angus was put in a tight spot, but I didn't like the parting shot he took at trophy hunting.
I sure hope he was miss quoted by the author.

I agree Doug. When I read it, I assumed that was the case as it seems to be the norm these days for reporters to take liberty with their "quotes". One thing is for sure, Angus is a member here and he could easily come on and drop everyone a note, but I guess at this point in time it matters not if he is no longer outfitting.

Angus Morrison posted here a bit to bad he doesn't come back.

And let us know the real story instead of all the speculation.

As quoted, his comments remind me of the CO here in BC, who refused an order to put down a couple of bear cubs and then made a media cause celebre about it,

No matter what the final details were I find it sad to have ones hard earned dream dissolve in front of their eyes after the grizzly closure.

Morning to all, good member here alerted me to this thread, I haven’t read through it as I’m sure a few responses would get my neck hair up.

Truth is, this is the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. Our young family’s house is mortgaged to have this territory, and with half the business cut in one fell swoop with the Grizzly closure 2017, then the goat quotas cut for the first time in our ownership right after, the writing was on the wall for us.

Raincoast is the one group to whom this territory was still worth it, in outfitter’s eyes the value was tumbling, as value and available animals for hunts are the same thing. We were down to pretty well just goats, and with the first decreases on goat quotas starting, had to make the call.

Raincoast owns many of my neighbours already, and business wise a point was coming when they wouldn’t need to buy us, as the wind down was happening with quotas already. Is this a sad story for us, no. We gained incredible life experience, and frankly I’ll be able to hunt with my young boys now and simply enjoy life, and pursue my bush pilot and aviation work which has far fewer questions marks hanging over it.

I have to admit too, and while I’ve reiterated it over and over in interviews about this, it never gets published, that wildlife in our territory is fully intact, and the area remains open to resident hunting as it’s still government land, and I’ll remain a hunter. I have however in my bush pilot work noted a massive decline in species around us in British Columbia since I started flying, moose and caribou in particular, and will focus my future efforts on conservation, and can’t fail to mention that or be concerned when asked.

I also see a future in guiding viewing tours, and the buyer is providing the clients for that and have a wait list. They’ve recognized we know how to find the animals the clients want to see better than anyone due to our experience hunting. So you’ll note my language won’t be attacking towards the buyer, or wildlife viewing, as we’ll give it a fair shake. Some will take this as turncoat, and I won’t attack them for their views. For our young family, it’s adapting to our current reality and financial prudence, I can’t say no to ready made business in a place I know like the back of my hand and love being in.

And we’re definitely not the first, or last making this transition, I know of many in the throws of it around the world in the industry. Frankly I am eternally grateful to outfitting, the members here I’ve come to know, and the experiences it has brought. I‘m also grateful for a transition that doesn’t put our home in the balance, and everyone we know in person so far has been supportive. Those less connected with us personally have the liberty to be more critical, and it’s not my place to argue with them.

Nobody hesitate to message me to discuss.

-Angus

Reviewed the thread and seems I was wrong to get immediately defensive, all fair comments and thank you Gene as well.

Thanks for posting Angus. This should clear things up for everyone and is exactly what I thought was happening.

I did not know you had your goat quota chopped. This is classic government tactic for devaluing outfitting territories, which as you know are closely tied to quotas for the big game species in the areas...which should be obvious. Given the issues with FN and Eco/non-consumptive interests we will see more of the quota cuts.

I know some will say that I sound like it is a bit of a conspiracy theory, but it is not. The writing is on the wall as to where things are heading in much of rural BC when it comes to the issues I mentioned. The one thing that government can do to "encourage" outfitters to sell and for them to buy out existing outfitters in the future, is to cut quotas and make the areas less viable for the operators. Wilderness areas are super expensive to operate in and at some point, if you do not have enough quota, you cannot operate.

Good luck Angus.

Thanks Kelly, will be an interesting next couple of years.

Angus,

As someone who has a young family, and a desire to have a retirement at the end of life I echo that feeling of having to do what is best for you and yours and I don't think most on this forum or anywhere else in the world would begrudge that.

T