I have read yet another commentary from a self-appointed group of “experts” to ban grizzly-bear hunting (‘Pack it out’ plan for grizzly hunts doesn’t work,” Oct. 31.)
The Raincoast Conservation Foundation, on whose behalf the article was written, is opposed to most hunting, along with logging, mining, tanker traffic, etc. They are only starting here with the grizzly-bear hunt.
If they succeed in stopping grizzly-bear hunting, and I hope they don’t, I believe the group will move on to the next target in an effort to get more bans imposed.
True experts gather and analyze all accurate data to see what the results are, whether good or bad to their cause. Some groups use only questionable data and emotionalism that will supposedly help their cause, and simply ignore the rest.
It’s a classic case of reverse engineering, where they know where they want to get to and ignore everything else that sends them off their desired course. They play on the emotions of people who have never been out in the wild. They state that trophy hunting should be outlawed, yet they don’t define what trophy hunting is.
Whenever any hunter bags wild game, that harvested animal or bird is a “trophy” to that individual, and rightly so. You should see the smiles on the faces of young people who have joined their families and friends on their first hunting trip, or of grandparents who are lucky enough to join their children and grandchildren on such a trip. When they are successful and get something wild, whether it be simply a grouse, duck, deer or moose, that smile and those memories will last a lifetime. That, too, is a trophy.
I don’t tell these “experts” how to raise their families. I don’t appreciate it when they try to tell me how to raise mine. If it’s legal and ethical to hunt, then I will.
There is no shortage of grizzly bears in B.C. In a recent moose hunt in north-central B.C., I saw more than 15 grizzlies in a 10-day period. I even saw groups of four and five adult grizzlies together on one hillside, as well as even more black bears and wolves.
My group was fortunate enough to harvest three mature bull moose. We will eat them and enjoy doing so. They are delicious and are a source of the highest-quality organic meat available. No hormones and sitting on store shelves where a lot of people purchase their meat from, thinking that it simply grows there.
During this hunt, we saw more bears than moose. Along with the bulls, we saw about a dozen or so cow moose. We only saw one calf moose, and it was all by itself with no cow around.
Some people might think that the cow was shot by a hunter. The most likely cause of the problem is predation by grizzly bears and black bears, as well as wolves.
During the moose calving season, usually in May, the bears kill and eat the newborn calves when they are defenceless. For them, it is as simple as you and I going to the corner store for a litre of milk. Wolves, however, are non-discriminatory and kill moose just for something to do year-round. Another group of nearby hunters saw about 30 cow moose, with only one calf seen.
We ran into a couple of conservation officers while on this trip. It was good to see them checking hunters and game populations, enforcing the laws. We were informed that the calf moose survival rate in that area is five per cent. In other words, only one calf in 20 makes it to its first birthday. No wild game population can survive and grow with such a dismal outlook for survival.
The conservation officers said the sole cause for this low survival rate is the large number of bears and wolves. It is the job of the officers to know this, and I believe them. I don’t believe the scientists at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. Nor should you.
I have been fortunate enough to have hunted and fished for my entire life. I hope my grandchildren will have this same opportunity.
I am a retired police officer with almost 30 years of service. I know fact from fiction. Post-retirement, I worked in the hunting and fishing industry for 15 years and have kept myself informed of the issues surrounding our sport, our way of life. Hunting is a right in this great country, a right some people constantly try to take away. We cannot allow it to happen.
John Beckett lives in Campbell River.
