a strategy for resident hunter recruitment and retention

A Strategy for Resident Hunter Recruitment and Retention in British Columbia

Ministry of Environment | Fish and Wildlife Branch

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Contents

PREFACE 1

PURPOSE 1

Background 1

WHYMOREHUNTERS? 2

HuntersandConservation 2

HuntingasaWayofObtainingFood 3

HuntingandtheGovernment’sGreatGoals 3

GreatGoal4 4

GreatGoal2 4

GreatGoal5 4

FACTORSAFFECTINGRETENTIONANDRECRUITMENT 5

STRATEGIESTOPROMOTEHUNTERRECRUITMENTANDRETENTION 8

THEBIGSIX 23

CONCLUSION 25

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 25

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PReFACe

Huntinghasbeenapartofthehumanexperiencesinceprehistorictimes.Numerouscavepaintings,pictographsandotherartformshavedepictedhumansintheactofhuntingmanydifferentanimals.Recordsofthisnaturehavebeenfoundindiverseareasoftheworld,datingbacktensofthousandsofyears.Theremainsofancientdwellingsandcampsiteshaveyieldedmanyimplementsandartefactswhichmakeitclearthatearlyhumanshuntedforfood,clothing,buildingmaterialsandprobablyforspiritualreasons.

Morerecently,NorthAmerica’smanydiverseaboriginalpeopleallhuntedgameasafoodsource,alifestylethatexistedundisturbeduntilafewhundredyearsago,andforsomebands,intothe20thcentury.Nativefolkloreandhistoryisrichwithreferencetohuntingandtheimportantroleitplayed,andcontinuestoplay,intheirlives.HuntingplayedaverylargepartinthesurvivalstrategyofearlyEuropeansinNorthAmerica,andwascriticaltothesurvivalofourearlysettlers.InsomeofCanada’smoreremoteareas,especiallyinthenorth,tothisdayhuntingcontinuestoprovidefamilieswithasignifi-cantportionoftheirfoodrequirements.

Today,huntingcontinuestobeawayoflifetomanyBritishColumbians.Forsome,itremainsavitalsourceofnourishmentonwhichtheydepend,whileforothershuntingismoreofasocial,spiritualorlifestyleconcern.Allhunterssharealoveofnatureandanappreciationfortheirplaceinit,aswellasaconcernforthewelfareofwildlifenowandintothefuture.

PURPose

ThenumberofannuallyactiveresidenthuntersinBritishColumbiahasbeendecliningforthepast25years.Forreasonsthatwillbeoutlinedinthefollowingpages,huntersareconsideredapositiveforceinthestewardshipofourwildliferesources.Thisdocumentexploresthereasonsforthedeclineandpresentsrecommendationsforitsreversal.

BackgroundThenumberofresidenthuntinglicencesinBritishColumbiapeakedat174,000in1981andhasdeclinedeversince,withonly84,000beingsoldin2004.

All Resident Basic Licence Sales Combined: 1976 - 2004

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Themostprecipitousdropinsalesoccurredin1982,coincidingwithaseriousrecessionandadoublingoflicenceprices.Saleshavecontinuedtodwindlewithtoday’ssalesbe-inglessthan50%ofthosein1982.

The2006/07–2008/09ServicePlanfortheMinistryofEnvironmentlistssustainableuseofenvironmentalresources,optimizedpublicandcommercialopportunitiesfromwild-lifeandprovidingoutstandinghuntingamongitsgoalsandobjectives.Theplangoesontosetaperformancemeasureofincreasingthenumberofbasicresidenthuntingli-cencessoldannuallyto100,000by2014/15.TheMinistryofEnvironmentrecognizestheimportanceofhuntersandtheircontributiontoahealthyenvironmentandeconomy.

WHY MoRe HUnteRs?

Hunters and ConservationInNorthAmerica,huntersandanglershavebeenontheleadingedgeoftheconserva-tionmovementeversincetheconceptwasdeveloped1.Thesepeoplewereinconstantcontactwithnatureandwiththegametheyhunted(orfishedfor),andwereamongthefirsttorealizethatwildlifewasnotaninfiniteresource.Theybandedtogetherintoclubsandassociationsandlobbiedforconservationmeasures,habitatprotectionandwildlifemanagement.Today,thehealthypopulationsofgameanimalsthatthriveacrossmuchofCanadaowetheirwell-beingtohunters2.Totakeasingleexample,waterfowlinthecentralflywayhavebeengreatlyenhancedthroughtheeffortsofDucksUnlimited.Thisorganizationhasworkedhardtopreservevitalwetlandsandtosecuretheco-operationoffarmersintheenhancementofwaterfowlhabitat.

Huntersandanglerscontinuetopressforconservationmeasurestothisday.Thisyear(2006),theBritishColumbiaWildlifeFederationcelebratedtheir50thyear,advertisingtheiraccomplishmentwiththeslogan,“50yearsofconservationleadership”.Inaddition

1 Twoearlygiantsofconservation,TheodoreRooseveltandAldoLeopoldwerebothhuntersandanglers.2 Twoexcellentreferencesonthesubjectare:

‘WildlifeConservationPolicy’byValeriusGeistandIanMcTaggart-Cowan

‘OurWildlifeHeritage–100YearsofWildlifeManagement’publishedbytheCentennialWildlifeSocietyofBritishColumbia

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totheirconcernwithandcommitmenttoconservation,huntersalsoprovideavastpoolofknowledgeandadviceusefulforwildlifemanagement.ThenotedbiologistStephenJayGouldcites“Theintimateknowledgeoflocalnaturalhistoryamongmillionsofhunt-ersandfishermen”asavaluablefactorinunderstandingthenaturalworld3.

Hunting as a Way of obtaining FoodAlllivingcreatures,plantoranimal,largeorsmall,musteatinordertosurvive.Allfoodcomesfromlivingsources,thereforeforoneorganismtoeat,anothermustdie.Thisisasimpleandbasicconcept,yetitseemstobeoutsidetheunderstandingofmanypeople,andliesatthecruxoftheargumentforhunting.

Whenawolfeats,adeer,mooseorsomeotheranimalmustdie.Whenasheepgrazes,plantmaterialisconsumedanddies.Whenatroutfeeds,insectsdie.Treesderivetheirnutrientsfromthedecayingremainsofdeadorganismsinthesoil,andsomeplants,suchastheVenusflytrap,actuallyattractandconsumeprey.Ineverycase,foronelifeformtothrive,anothermustbeconsumed.Humansarenodifferent.Tolivewemusteat,andwhetheritbefishorfowl,plantoranimal,otherlifeformsmustdieforustolive.

Althoughmostpeoplenevergiveitanythought,raisingfooddomesticallyhasimpactonwildlife.Hugeamountsofland,ofteninthemostproductiveareas,mustbede-velopedforfarming,displacingwildecosystems.Toplantanygivencroporraiseanylivestock,onemustfirstcleartheland.Allthenativetrees,shrubs,herbs,grassesandmossesmustberemoved.Alongwiththemgomostofthebirds,mammals,reptiles,amphibians,andmanyoftheinvertebratesthatlivedthere.Oncethecropisplanted,thefarmermusttrytodiscourageanywildlifethatinterfereswiththeplantedcrop.Thisisnottosaythatweshouldn’tfarmorthatfarmingiswrong,butrathertosaythatpeopleshouldbeawarethatthereisahighcostintermsofwildlifeandhabitatforthefoodoursocietyrequires.Itisalsoworthnotingthatfarmingreplacesonetypeofhabitatwithanother.Somespeciesofwildlife,white-taileddeerandpheasantsforexample,doverywellinfarmland.

Contrastthiswithhunting.Huntingisaformofselectiveharvest.Whenadeerhunterventuresintoanarea,ifthehunterissuccessful,heorshewilltakeadeer.However,alloftherestofthehabitatisleftasitwasbefore.Theoverallecologicalcommunityisunaltered.Anindividualdeerisnolongerthere,buttherestofthedeerpopulationcontinuestothriveinanenvironmentthatisleftunscathed.Itcouldbearguedthattoomanyhunterswouldultimatelycauseharmtothedeerpopulation,butwehavewildlifemanagementprogramstopreventthisfromoccurring.Properlymanagedhuntingal-lowshumanstotakefoodfromtheirenvironmentwhileleavingthehabitatintactandthehuntedpopulationinastatethatallowsittoproduceasustainableyieldindefinitely.

Farmingcontrolstheenvironmentinordertocreateaharvest.Properlymanagedhunt-ingallowsanaturalharvestablesurplustobetakenfromanuncontrolledenvironment.

Hunting and the Government’s Great GoalsTheMinistryofEnvironmenthasaleadershiproleinachievingthegovernment’sob-jectivesunderGreatGoal4andaccountabilityinachievingthegovernment’sobjectivesunderGreatGoals2and5.Adetaileddiscussionispresentedinthe2006/07–2008/09ServicePlan,andisofdirectpertinencetothisstrategy.

3 ‘TheLivingStonesofMarrakech–PenultimateReflectionsInNaturalHistory’byStephenJayGould,publishedbyThreeRiversPress,NewYork,2000.

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Great Goal 4

“To lead the world in sustainable environmental management, with the best air and water quality, and the best fisheries management, bar none.”TheServicePlanstatesthattheministryhasthefollowinglinkagestothisgoal:

“Providing sustainable environmental management using science-based decision-making.”

“Building greater understanding among British Columbians of the benefits of healthy living and the effect their actions have on the environment.”

Huntingisoneaspectofsustainableenvironmentalmanagement.Science-basedwildlifemanagementallowsBritishColumbianstoenjoyhuntinginperpetuity.Huntinggetspeopleexercisingintheoutdoorsandactivelyinvolvedintheirenvironment.Itpromotesfamilybondingandfostersanawarenessofthevalueofourenvironmentandtheimportanceoflookingafterit.

Great Goal 2

“To lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness.”TheServicePlanstatesthattheministrywillprovideoutdooropportunitiesrelatedtoBritishColumbia’sparks,fishandwildlife.

Huntingprovidesexerciseinacleanandexhilaratingsetting.Excitement,hardworkandperseverancearecompanionbenefits.Gamemeatisorganic,lean,generallytoxinfreeanddoesnotcontaindyes,artificialhormonesorantibiotics.Lifelongfriendshipsandstrongfamilybondsaredevelopedandenhancedthroughhuntingexperiences.Thear-duousconditionshuntersfrequentlyfacebuildteamwork,resourcefulnessandattitudesofcooperationandconsideration.

Great Goal 5

“To create more jobs per capita than anywhere else in Canada.”TheServicePlanstatesthattheministryhasthefollowinglinkagestothisgoal:

“Contributing to the economy and job creation through camping, hunting, angling and wildlife viewing opportunities.“

“Providing investment opportunities and job creation through sustainable environ-mental management.”

Inadditiontoenjoyinghuntingaspartofahealthylifestyle,BritishColumbiansbenefiteconomicallyfromtheactivityofhunters.Huntingisdirectlymentionedinthefirstoftheselinkagesandimpliedthroughthesecond.Huntersgenerated$48millionoftheprovince’sGDPin20034.Hunterscontributemoneythroughlicencepurchases,thepurchaseofservicesandconsumablesandmajorcapitalpurchasessuchasrecreationalvehicles,boatsandATVs.Manybusinesses,particularlyinsmallercommunities,aredependentontheannualexpendituresofhunters.

4 ‘BritishColumbia’sHunting,Trapping&WildlifeViewingSector’–BCStats,August12,2005,page8.

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FACtoRs AFFeCtInG RetentIon AnD ReCRUItMent

HuntinglicencesalesaredownthroughoutmostofNorthAmerica,andvarietyoffac-torshavecontributedtodecliningtrendsinhunterparticipation.

1. Demographics

InNorthAmerica,huntinghastraditionallybeenpredominantlyayoung,white,ruralmaleactivity.Trendstowardincreasedurbanization,anagingpopulationandaninfluxofethnicallydiversepeoplehavereducedtheprofileofthetraditionalhuntingpopula-tionrelativetotherestofsociety.ThischangehasbeenparticularlyprofoundinBritishColumbia.ThemildclimateofB.C.’ssouthcoastisattractivetoretireesandalargeAsiancommunity,mostlywithlittleculturaltendencytowardhunting,hasarisenoverthelast30years.

2. Increased Recreational Opportunities

Therecreationaloptionsofferedtodayexceedanythingeveravailableinthepast.Ababyboomergenerationdeterminedtoclingtoitsyouthhasresultedinallmannerofsportingleaguesopentopeopleofallages.Golfcourses,skihills,tenniscourts,recrea-tioncentresandmanyotherfacilitiescontinuetobedeveloped.Travelcompaniescom-petefiercelyforclients,offeringeverythingfromcompletelyself-containeddestinationresortstoextremeadventurevacations.Huntingmustnowcompetewithmanyotherpossiblepastimes.

3. Gas Prices

Thecostofgasolinehasrisendramaticallyoverthelastfewyears.Alotofhuntingop-portunitiesrequiretrucksandfour-wheeldrivevehiclesthatgetpoorgasmileage.

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4. Time Obligations

Overthelast30years,ithasbecomethenormforbothparentstobeemployed.Doublecareers,radicallyinflatedhouseprices,limitedvacationtimeandfamilyobligationshaveallconspiredtomakeatimeconsumingactivitylikehuntingmoredifficulttopursue.

5. Federal Firearms Laws and Hunter Education Requirements

WhilehuntereducationrequirementsarethenorminmostNorthAmericanjurisdic-tions,Canadianhuntersfacetheadditionalrequirementsofourfederalgunlaws.Canadianlawrequirestheregistrationofallfirearms.Thisrequirementcarriesanextraexpenseandmakesthepurchaseoffirearmsacumbersomeandprotractedprocess.Furthermore,inordertobeeligibletoownorinanywayacquireafirearm,Canadiansmustfirstpassthefederalfirearmssafetycourse.

Inthecaseoflong-gunowners,thefederalfirearmssafetycourseismostlyredundanttothetrainingpresentedinprovincialhuntereducationcourses.Successfulcompletionofahuntereducationcourse(C.O.R.E.course)ismandatoryinBritishColumbia.Thesecoursesareprivatelydeliveredandcancostupto$150.Aftercompletingsuchacourse,prospectivehuntersmaypayasmuchormoretotakethefederalfirearmssafetycoursesothattheycanbuyandlegallyownafirearm.ThefederaltrainingisverysimilartothefirearmssafetytrainingprovidedaspartoftheC.O.R.E.course,butfederallawdoesnotrecognizeC.O.R.E.training.Thissituationforcesprospectivehunterstocompletetwocourses,oneofwhichislargelyredundant,atacostthatmayexceed$300beforetheyevenhaveachancetotryhunting.

6. Hunting Regulations and Licensing Options

AswithallNorthAmericanjurisdictions,huntinginBritishColumbiaishighlyregulatedandprofessionallymanagedbywildlifebiologists.Theregulationsarecomplicatedandvarythroughoutthenineprovincialregions.Regulationsaredesignedtoallowtheharvestofgamewithinconservationconstraintsandarebasedonwildlifemanagementprinciples.Manyregulationsexistbecausehuntershaverequestedthem,basedonconcernsoversustainability,ethicsorsafety.Withthebestofintentions,theseregula-tionssometimesresultinconfusionormisunderstandingthatcandiscouragehunterparticipation.

BritishColumbia’shuntinglicencesystemisarchaic.Licencescanonlybepurchasedinpersonandtheyinvolvepre-printedformswithcarboncopiesthatareusedtotracksales.Thesecarboncopiesareenteredintoanelectronicdatabase,buttheprocessmaytakemonthsandnotalltypesoflicencesarecaptured.Thissystemmakesthepurchaseoflicencesandthereplacementoflostlicencesaninconvenientandinflexibleprocess.Offeringlicensingoptionsthatallowinnovativepackagingofhuntingopportunitiesorpricingoptionsthatmightbeenticingisdifficultorimpossible.

7. Opportunity and Enjoyment

Huntingopportunitiesaremorerestrictednowthaneverinthepast.Tighterrestrictionsonlandaccess,increasedprivatelandandnewrestrictionswithinmunicipalboundariesandregionaldistrictshaveallreducedhuntingopportunity.Wildlifemanagementplansdesignedtoproducequalityanimalsattheexpenseofquantityhavefurtherreducedhuntingopportunity,especiallyfornovicehunters.ThedeclineofhuntingopportunitiesclosetoGreaterVancouverandGreaterVictoriahashadaprofoundnegativeimpactonparticipationandrecruitment.Somegamespecies,suchasCanadageese,haveveryhighpopulationlevels;yethuntingopportunitiesarelimitedinsomeareasbecauseofprivatelandissuesorlocalrestrictions.Suchlimitedhuntingopportunitysometimes

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ariseseveninareaswherefarmerswouldwelcomeareductioninanimalsbecausetheyareagriculturalpests.

8. Lack of Mentors and Advice on How to Hunt

Numerousstudieshaveshownthatittakesahuntertomakeahunter.Mostpeoplethatbecomehuntersdosounderthetutelageofanolderrelative,usuallytheirfather,grand-fatheroruncle.Thosethatcometohuntingoutsideofafamilysettingusuallydosoinamannerthatsimulatesthesamepath,suchasbefriendingahunterandbecomingtheirprotégé.Peoplethatarenewtohuntingneedmentorsandadviceonhowtopursuetheirnewinterest.Simplygoinghuntingdoesnotmakeanindividualseethemselvesasahunter5.Becomingahunterisaprotractedlearningandsocialprocess.

Adviceonwheretohuntandhowtohuntislacking.Newhuntersneedadviceonwheretohuntbothinageneralgeographicsenseandinthesenseofbeingshownwhattypeofhabitatandterraintheyshouldinvestigateforthespeciestheyseek.Theactualtechniquesofhuntingmustalsobelearned.Fundamentalsoffirearmscareanduse,wildernesssurvivalandorienteering,huntingethics,basicequipment,firstaidandcareofgamemeatmustbeunderstoodinadditiontothevarioustechniquesforstalkinggame.Thesemattersarecoveredinmandatoryhuntereducationcourses,butfurtherstudy,especiallyunderfieldconditions,isnecessaryinordertotrulybecomeahunter.Generally,theacquisitionofsuchskillsrequiresamentor.

9. Hunting Has Not Been Promoted

Unlikeangling,huntinghasnotbeenactivelypromotedinBC.BritishColumbiaboastsagreatervarietyofgamespeciesthananywhereelseinCanadaandmanyofourop-portunitiesareworldclass.Nevertheless,whilehuntinghasalwaysbeenalegalactivitysupportedbyscience-basedwildlifemanagement,activepromotionhasbeenavoided.Thislackofpromotionhasleadtounderutilizationofmuchoftheavailableresource,alossofrecreationalopportunity,alossofpotentialrevenueandeconomicbenefitandageneralignoranceofthebenefitsofhunting.

Promotionandmarketingofhuntingwouldcontributetothegeneralawarenessofhuntingasapositivetoolinconservation.Additionally,itwouldraisetheprofileoftheresourceandthosethatmakeuseofit.

5 ‘MeetingtheChallengetoIncreaseParticipationinHuntingandShooting’–afinalreport/handbooktotheNa-tionalShootingSportsFoundationandtheInternationalHunterEducationAssociationsubmittedbyJimWentzandPhilSeng,SilvertipProductions,Ltd.,2000

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stRAteGIes to PRoMote HUnteR ReCRUItMent AnD RetentIon

Someofthefactorsaffectinghunterrecruitmentandretentionarecompletelyoutsideofourcontrol.Demographics,trendstowardurbanization,gasprices,increasedrecrea-tionalopportunitiesandtimeobligationsareallfactorsthatwemustrecognizebutcan-notmanipulate.Theonlycourseopentousistotrytoofferhuntingopportunitiesthatwillbeattractivetoavarietyofpeople,competewellagainstotherformsofrecreationandbemorelikelytofitintotherecreationaltimethatpeoplehave.

1. Federal Firearms Laws and Hunter Education Requirements

ChangesinthefederalgovernmenthaveaffectedCanada’sfirearmslaws.Theproposedeliminationofthelong-gunregistrywillremoveamajorbarriertobecomingahunter.

Undercurrentlaw,Canadiansmustpassthefederalfirearmscoursebeforetheycanownorinanywayacquireafirearm.ThematerialcoveredinthiscourseisverysimilartothefirearmssafetyandhandlingsectionoftheBritishColumbiahuntereducationcourse(C.O.R.E.),whichisalsomandatory.Thissituationforcesprospectivehunterstotaketwocourses,oneofwhichislargelyredundant.Thecostofthesetwocoursescangoashighas$150each.Education,despitethebestofintentions,hasbecomeanexpensiveroadblocktorecruitment.

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n : Seek a reciprocal agreement on firearms training with the federal government. If necessary, bolster the firearms section of the C.O.R.E. course to make it equivalent to federal training. Completion of C.O.R.E. should qualify hunters for a federal Possession and Acquisition Licence without having to pay for and attend a second course.

MostNorthAmericanjurisdictionsrequiretheirprospectivehunterstoundergosomeformofhuntereducation.Concernsoversafety,conservationissuesandethicsareaddressedthroughthesehuntertrainingcourses.InBritishColumbia,suchacoursecancostupto$150andmayinvolveuptoeightsessionsoftwoormorehourseach.Alternatively,thecoursemaybechallenged.Studentsmaystudyontheirownandthencontactaqualifiedexaminerandarrangetowritetheexam.Thisapproachcosts$50plusthecostofthetextbook(optional,butusuallynecessary).

C.O.R.E.coursesareofferedwhenitsuitsinstructorstoofferthemandchallengingcoursesthroughselfstudywithatextbookisnotacomfortableoptionformanypeople.Manypeople,especiallytheyoung,areusedtointeractivelearningthroughcomputersandaudiovisualmedia.Peoplewithlimitedtimeandtiringworkschedulesmaybemoreopentolearningbywatchingandinstructionalvideointheirownhomesthantoat-tendingacourseorstudyingatext.

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n :

Put the entire C.O.R.E. course into a video production and make it available on DVD’s and through a website. The website should be free and the DVDs minimally priced.

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DVDandweb-basedtrainingisnotintendedtoreplaceformalC.O.R.E.courses.Therewillalwaysbepeoplewhoprefertoattendacourseinaclassroomsetting.Theintentistoprovideabroadsetofoptionsforpotentialhunterstochoosefrom.

HavingC.O.R.E.trainingavailableonDVDsandthewebwillmakethematerialreadilyavailableinaformatthatcanbelearnedatthestudent’sconvenience.Furthermore,itwouldbeanexcellentwayforhunterswhohavegoneanumberofyearswithouthuntingto”brushup”beforetryingitagain.Thismaybeaparticularproblemforyoungparentsthathavehuntedandthenbeenawayfromhuntingforanumberofyearswhiletheyhadfamiliesanddealtwithsmallchildren.Theopportunitytoreacquaintthemselveswithfirearmsafetyandotherconcernsatnoexpenseandatatimetheyfindconvenientmightwelldecidewhetherornottheyeverreturntohunting.

Thefactthathuntingisapredominantlymalepastimecarriescertainimplicationsforhuntereducation.InmostC.O.R.E.courses,femalestudentswillfindthemselvestobeaminority.Somewomenareintimidatedbylearningwhattheymayperceiveasa“male”skillinthepresenceofmen.Theymaybereticenttoaskquestionsbecausetheyareafraidoflookingfoolish,andtheymaythinkthatthethingstheyareunsureofareobvioustomaleparticipants.Infact,mostmalehuntereducationstudentsarenomoreorlessinformedthanmostfemalestudents,butthatmaynotbetheviewoffemaleparticipants.Asimilarsituationsometimesariseswithvariousformsofphysicalexercise,andinresponse,all-womengymnasiumsandexerciseclasseshavebecomepopularinrecentyears.


Where possible, provide the option of C.O.R.E. courses for women taught by women. This recommendation will require the active sup-port of the B.C. Wildlife Federation (the NGO that delivers the C.O.R.E. course) and its member clubs.

Priorto1984,C.O.R.E.wasanoptionalcourseinB.C.publicschoolsandwasdeliveredbygovernmentpersonnel.In1984,itwasremovedfromthepublicschoolcurriculumanddeliveryofthecoursewasprivatized.Consequently,enrolmentfellfrommorethan12,000in1983tolessthan2,000in1984,andithasneverrecoveredtoevenhalfofwhatitoncewas.ItdoesnotseemlikelythatreintroductionofC.O.R.E.tothepublicschoolsystemwouldbeallowed,however,somesortoftraininginbasicecology,fisheriesmanagementandwildlifemanagementcouldbeattempted.


Develop a broader version of the C.O.R.E. course, not aimed at produ-cing hunters but touching upon hunting (and angling) as part of the process of land and wildlife management.

Acoursewiththeproperbalancecouldbeconsideredforinclusioninthepublicschoolsystem.Bypresentinghuntingasamanagementtoolandpresentinghuntingasanethicaluseofourresources,youngpeoplemightcometoseehuntinginapositivelight.Exposuretosuchacourse,especiallyforurbanchildren,mightpiqueaninterestinexploringhuntingfurther.Suchacoursecouldevenincludefieldexperiencesuchas“stalking”animalswithacameraorwithbinoculars.Inadditiontothepublicschoolsystem,otherorganizationssuchasBoyScoutsandGirlGuidesmightbeinterested.

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Althoughwellintendedandgenerallysupportedbyallstakeholders,huntereducationitselfisabarriertorecruitment.Asexplainedabove,huntersarerequiredtocompleteafairlycomprehensivecoursebeforetheycaneventryhuntingtoseeiftheylikeit.Iftheyareover19yearsofage,theyhavetocompletetwocourses(C.O.R.E.andthefederalfirearmssafetycourse).Thetimeinvolvedandthecost,anamountnotinsignificanttomostyoungpeople,presentsaconsiderablehurdleatapointwhenthepotentialhuntermayhavehadnoopportunitytodecidewhetherornottheywillenjoyhunting.

Researchhasrepeatedlyrevealedthatbecomingahunterisaprotractedprocesscomprisedmostlyofinteractionwithotherhuntersandaccumulatedfieldexperience6.Merelyattendingacoursedoesnotmakeahunternordoesitnecessarilyleadtoaper-sonseeingthemselvesasahunter.Huntereducation,dependingonhowitispresented,mayactuallybeasignificantbarriertopotentialhunters7.

UndercurrentB.C.law,peoplemustbeatleast10yearsofageinordertohunt.Atthatage,iftheyhavecompletedtheC.O.R.E.course,theymayhavetheirownbasichuntinglicence,specieslicencesandbaglimitsbuttheymusthuntunderthedirectsupervisionofalicensedadultuntiltheyare19yearsofage.Afterthat,theycanhuntunsupervised.Optionally,peopleovertheageof10butundertheageof14mayhaveajuniorhuntinglicence.TheydonothavetocompletetheC.O.R.E.courseoranyothertraining,musthuntunderthedirectsupervisionofalicensedadultandsharethebaglimitofthatadult.Thisoptionallowsveryyounghunterstofindoutiftheyenjoyhuntingandtobeginthesocialandparticipatoryprocessofactuallybecomingahunterbeforerequir-ingthemtogothroughalotofcoursework.Notethatbothpathsrequiredirectsuper-visionfromalicensedadult.Nonotablesafetyconcernshavearisenunderthissystem.


Extend the time range of the junior hunting licence from 10 years of age to less than 19 years of age. Junior licence holders would still have to be directly supervised by a licensed adult. Furthermore, give serious consideration to allowing them their own bag limit of one deer and their own bag limit of upland game birds and small game.


Reduce the price of species licences for hunters less than 19 years of age.

Potentialnewhuntersovertheageof19facethesameproblemasthoseunder19;theyhavetogotoalotoftroubleandexpensebeforehavinganychancetodeterminewhetherornottheylikehunting.

6 Numerousstudiessupportthispoint.SomeofthebestcanbefoundattheResponsiveManagementwebsite:http://www.responsivemanagement.com7 ‘MeetingtheChallengetoIncreaseParticipationinHuntingandShooting’–afinalreport/handbooktotheNa-tionalShootingSportsFoundationandtheInternationalHunterEducationAssociationsubmittedbyJimWentzandPhilSeng,SilvertipProductions,Ltd.,2000

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Develop a new “test-drive” licence, similar to the junior licence proposed above for new hunters 19 years of age or older. This licence could be time-limited to one season, the prospective hunter would not have to pass C.O.R.E. and the prospective hunter would have to be directly supervised by a licensed adult�.

Thesetworecommendationsareoptionsintendedtointroduceflexibilityintorecruit-ment.Sincethereisnosignificantsafetyissuerelatedtothecurrentjuniorlicence(10to14yearolds),thereisnoobviousreasontobelievethatdifficultieswouldarisewith14to19yearolds.Atanypointafter10yearsofage,shouldahunterwishto,theycouldstillcompletetheC.O.R.E.courseandbecomefullfledgedhunterswiththeonlyprovisobeingthattheymustbedirectlysupervisedbyalicensedadultuntiltheyare19.Iftheserecommendationsareadopted,someextrarecruitmentcanbeexpectedbecausesomenewhuntersthatinitiallyhaveonlyapassinginterestwillfindthattheyreallylikehuntingandwillthenbestronglymotivatedtocompletetheC.O.R.E.course.Underthecurrentsystem,manysuchpeoplewouldneverbothertogotothetroubleandexpensenecessarytotryhunting.

Itmaybepossibletocombinethejuniorlicenceandthe“test-drive”’licenceintoasinglelicence.Thismightbedesirableinastreamliningsense,toreducethetotalnumberofdifferentlicencesandtokeepthingsassimpleaspossible.Iftheserecommendationsaretobeimplemented,thepracticalityofcombiningthetwoshouldbeexplored.

Withrespecttorecruitment,theselastthreerecommendationsareamongthemostimportantonesinthisdocument.

2. Hunting Licences

Electronicissuingoflicencesisamust.MostAmericanjurisdictionshavealreadyde-velopedelectroniclicensingsystemsandmostofthosethathavenotareintheprocessofdoingso.ThisisnotthecaseinCanada.Mostprovinces,B.C.included,haveonlypaper-basedsystemsthatrequirelicencestobecompletedbyhandandpurchasedinpersonfromavendor.Thissystemisflawedinmanywaysanddoesnotlenditselftothepromotionofhuntingortoinnovativeproductsorpricing.


Develop and implement an electronic licensing system as soon as possible. This system should allow the purchase of licences through vendors, via the internet and over the phone.

Forthemostpart,huntingprivilegesaresoldasannuallicences.Thisisthewayithasbeenforaverylongtimeandgiventhatgovernmenttendstothinkinfiscalyears,itistheparadigmacceptedbymostpeople.Whenyouwanttohuntformoose,youpurchaseanannualbasiclicencefor$32(plusGST)andanannualmoosespecieslicencefor$25(plusGST).However,supposeyoucanonlyhuntforoneweekend.Underourcurrentsystem,youhavetopayforayear’sworthoflicencestohuntfortwodays.Itislikelythatthissitua-tiondiscouragesalotofpeoplefromtakingpartinshorthuntingopportunities.

8 Iffirearmssafetyisconsideredtobetoogreataconcern,anoptional(butnotrecommended)conditioncouldbetohaveonlythelicensedadultcarryafirearm.Thelicencedadultwouldonlypassthefirearmtothe”test-drive”licenceewhenashotistobetaken.

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Ifwewereinprivatebusinessandwelostmorethanhalfofourcustomerswe’dbeask-inghowweneededtochangeourproductstoregainourcustomers’interest.Upuntilnow,we’vesimplybeenaskinghowwecanattractpeoplebacktothesameoldproductwe’vealwayssold.Itmaywellbethatmanypeoplein2006donothavetheoptiontogohuntingforextendedperiodsoftime.Whilelicencetypesandtheirassociatedpricesaredefinitelynottheonlyfactorsthathavedrivenpeopleawayfromhunting,theyarefac-torsthatareentirelyunderourcontrol.Manypeoplefeelthatthecostoflicencesisaninsignificantpartoftheoverallcostofhunting.Forthemostpart,they’reprobablyright,buttherearemanywhodisagree.Peoplehavetheirownideasaroundhowmuchthingsshouldcost,whetherornottheirviewseemslogical.Additionally,aparentfacedwithbuyingtheirownlicencespluslicencesforseveralotherfamilymembersmaybefacingabillofseveralhundreddollars,anamountthatmostpeoplewouldnotfindtrivial,especiallyiftheyliveinaneconomicallydepressedcommunity.

Onceanelectroniclicensingsystemisinplace,hunterscanbeofferedproductsandop-portunitiesthatarecurrentlyunthinkable.Underthecurrentsystem,anylicencesofferedmustbepreconceived,pre-printedanddistributedtoallvendors.Offeringalicenceforahuntingopportunitythatmightinterestonlyasmallnumberofhuntersisimpracticalandprohibitivelyexpensive.Withanelectronicsystem,suchlicencescanbegeneratedona“one-off”basisandagreatmanymoretypesofhuntingopportunitiescanbeconsidered.Short-termlicencescouldbeofferedandspecies“combo”’licencescouldbeconsidered.Forexample,alicencecouldbeofferedthatistimeconstrained(foragivenweek,forexample)andallowsthebearertoshoot(oneof )amooseoradeeroranelkatapricelowerthanthecombinedcostofindividuallicencesforthosespecies.


Conduct a marketing survey to determine new types of hunting licences that would be of interest to hunters.

Theskiingindustryprovidesagoodexampleofthistypeofmarketing.Notallskiersarepreparedtobuyaseason’spass(analogoustoourannualhuntinglicence)eventhoughtheymayseethemselvesasavidskiers.Realizingthis,skiresortsoffer“six-pack”tickets,three-daypasses,singledaypasses,afternoonpassesandinsomecases,nightpasses.Theyhavefoundwaystopackagetheirproductinwaysthatwillfitintothefreetimeoftheirpotentialclients.

Thesheermagnitudeofthereductioninannualhuntinglicencesalesdemandsthatwereconsiderourpricing.Facedwithsimilarsalesdrops,privateindustrywouldcer-tainlylookatwhattheychargefortheirproducts.Reducingthepricesofsome,ifnotalllicences,wouldlikelyresultinincreasedsales.Itisimportanttonotethatrevenuegeneratedthroughhuntersdoesnotonlycomefromlicencesales.Huntersbuygasolineandpaytaxesonit.Theybuyequipment,someofwhichisveryexpensive,andpaysalestaxes.Theystayinhotels,eatinrestaurants,havetheirvehiclesrepairedatservicestationsanddomanyotherthingsthatgeneraterevenueforgovernmentandhelptofueltheeconomiesofmanycommunitiesthroughoutB.C.Reducinglicencefeesmightreduceoverallrevenuederivedfromlicences(itmightnotevendothat),butincreasingthenumberofhunterswouldcertainlyincreaserevenuefromtheiractivities.Giventhatoverallannualhunteractivityhasbeendecliningfor25years,revenuewillcertainlyalsodeclineifwedonottakeactivestepstoavoidit.

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Reduce the cost of a basic hunting licence and consider other possible cost reductions such as:• Combination prices, for example a 20% discount on species

licences after the first one is purchased – e.g. a hunter pays full price for a moose licence and then receives a 20% discount on a mule deer licence and a black bear licence

• “Early-bird” sale – sell licences at a lower price prior to July 1• Sell a basic hunting licence and an annual freshwater fishing

licence together at a price lower than the price of buying them separately

• A new hunter’s first basic hunting licence could be free – this is done in some U.S. jurisdictions

Themarketingsurveyrecommendedabovecouldhelptodetermineotherattractivepricingoptionsforhuntinglicences.Infact,themarketingpotentialpresentedbyanelectroniclicensingsystemisprobablyitsmostcompellingfeature.

Thereareanumberofotherpossiblewaystostimulatepeopletoparticipateinhuntingthroughalterationstolicensing:

• All licence purchasers could be eligible for an annual prize draw. This is done in New Brunswick. Each year, one lucky hunter wins 10 years of free hunting privileges. Al-ternatively, the prize could be cash or some item a hunter would consider desirable. A special “young hunter” category could be considered with a prize such as an Ipod or some other prize a young person would like.

• Offer free hunting days when you can hunt some game without a licence, similar to the free family fishing weekend now offered in B.C. A free hunting weekend might work well for upland game birds. Clearly, some rules concerning firearms compe-tency and safety would have to be established. This is done in some other North American jurisdictions.

• Be wary of introducing new licences for things that have not previously required them. In any given case, a new licence may be desirable, but all cases should be carefully scrutinized because additional licences are likely to be barriers to participation.

Themarketingpotentialofanelectroniclicensingsystemcannotbeoverstated.Duetothedynamicnatureofweb-basedservices,anelectroniclicensingsystemwillneverbecompleted–itwillbeanon-goingtasktoensurethatitco-evolveswithtechnology.Employingitonacontinualbasisasamarketingtoolshouldbeaprimarygoal.


Hire a full time professional marketer to fully exploit the potential of an electronic licensing system.

Likeanyotherrecreationalopportunity,huntingcanbenefitfrommarketing.Inadditiontogettingthemostoutofanelectroniclicensingsystem,aprofessionalmarketercouldworkatpromotingtheimageofhuntingandpromotinghuntingasa‘cool’thingtodo.Wildlifemanagershavetraditionallyofferedhuntingopportunities,buthavedonelittle

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toactivelypromotethem.Marketingskillsarenottrivialandareoutsidetheexpertiseofwildlifemanagers.Optimizingthemarketingofhuntingrequiresatrainedprofessional.

3. Hunting Regulations

Huntingregulationsmaydiscourageparticipationinhunting.Complexityofregulations,unavailabilityofaccurate,fine-scalemapsandvariationinregulationsforagivenspeciesbetweenregionsallconspireagainstparticipation.Ifhuntersarefearfulofrunningafoulofthelawbecauseofconfusionoverregulations,theymaypassupsomehuntingop-portunitiesaltogether.Indeed,simplificationofhuntingregulationshasbeenarecurrentrequestfromtheB.C.WildlifeFederationandotherhuntinggroupsformanyyears.Para-doxically,manyoftheregulatory“quirks”currentlyinplacewereadoptedattherequestofhunters.Lobbygroupswithinthehuntingcommunityhaveoftenpressuredregionalstafftoimplementnewregulationsintendedtoprotectorotherwiseregulatesomematterofspecialconcerntothem.Whileitisnicetopleaseeverybody,inreality,thatrarelyhappens.Ifwearetoincreaseparticipationinhunting,thenthatshouldbethebackgroundagainstwhichnewrestrictionsareconsidered.Specialopportunitiesshouldonlybeadoptedinwaysthatwillnotbedetrimentaltotheoverallgoalofrecruitmentandretention.


As much as possible, simplify and standardize hunting seasons and regulations throughout the province.

OnesimplechangethatwouldbehelpfulistoextendallspringblackbearseasonstotheendofJune.Inmanyareas,roadsarestillblockedbysnowuntilJune,soaclosingdateofJune30wouldprovidemoreopportunitytohunters.

Blackbearsareconsideredanunder-utilizedgamespecies.Furthermore,inmanycommunities,theyareaproblemthatmustbedealtwithatgovernmentexpense.Increasinghuntingopportunitieswillallowhunterstolessenthenumberofproblemanimals,whichwillsavetaxpayer’smoney.Atpresent,itisalegalrequirementtoremovetheedibleportionsofablackbeartakenwhilehunting.Thiswasnotalwaysthecase.Inthe1980sandearlier,hunterswereallowedtoshootblackbearsjustforthehides.Forethicalreasons,thiswaschangedin1991.However,giventhecostofdealingwithproblembears,itmaybeappropriatetoreconsiderthisrequirement.Manyhuntershavestatedtheviewthattheydonotwantthemeat,theyonlywantthehideandthecurrentregulationdiscouragesthemfromhuntingblackbears.Changingthisregulationmaybeappropriate,butitshouldbegivencarefulconsideration,asitcouldbeseeninaverynegativelight.


Consider developing variable harvest density strategies for black bears based on proximity to towns and cities.

Inareaswhereblackbearsareaseriousproblem,itmaybedesirabletotrytoexcludethemaltogether.Allowinghunterstotakeblackbearswithinsuchareaswithoutaspe-cieslicenceorthroughsomeotherliberalmanagementmeanscouldbeconsidered.Thiswouldallowincreasedhuntingopportunitywhilesavingtaxdollarsspentonprob-lemanimals.Itmightbefeasibletoallowthehuntingofblackbearsinthese“exclusionzones”’withouttherequirementofmeatremovalwhileretainingtheregulationunderothercircumstances.

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MapsofimportancetohuntersappearthroughoutboththeHuntingandTrappingRegulationsSynopsisandtheLimitedEntryHuntingRegulationsSynopsis.Thesemapsshowregionalboundaries,managementunitboundaries,theboundariesofspecialzonesandmanyotherfeaturespertinenttocompliancewithregulations.Inmostcases,thesemapsaresmall,theresolutionanddetailispoor,accessinformationislimitedandtheboundariesarenotclear.Wellintentionedhunters,wishingtocomplywithregula-tionsregularlyrequestmapswithgreaterdetailbutwecannotaccommodatethembe-causeinmostcases,nothingbetterexists.Attheveryleast,thisisapoorandfrustratinglevelofserviceandatworst,itmaydiscouragehunterparticipation.


Develop an on-line mapping tool that will allow hunters to easily download high quality maps pertinent to regulations and access.

LimitedEntryhuntingisnowwidespread,controllingmanyofthebestopportunitiesformostbiggamespecies.Whenitwasoriginallyintroduced,LimitedEntrywasastrategytoallowhuntingtocontinueincaseswhereithadtobecloselycontrolledtoavoidover-harvest.Throughouttheyears,LimitedEntryhasbeenappliedmoreandmorebroadly.RegionalstaffoftenlacktheresourcestoproperlyinventorytheirgamepopulationsandthereforeturntoLimitedEntryasatooltoensurethathuntingpressuredoesnotexceedwhatcanbesustained.Thisisalaudableintention,butitmaybethatwildlifemanagersarebeingexcessivelyconservativeinsomecases.SomeLimitedEntryhuntsattractveryfewapplicantsyearafteryearandchangingthemtogeneralopenseasonsshouldbeconsidered.


Form a Limited Entry Review Committee to review Limited Entry hunts on a regular basis and determine whether or not keeping them as Limited Entry hunts is justified.

LimitedEntryisausefulandvaluabletool,butitalsolimitshuntingopportunityandshouldonlybeusedwhentrulyneeded.Huntingisprimarilyasocialactivity,usuallyundertakenbysmallgroupsofpeoplewithalonghistoryofhuntingtogether.UnderLimitedEntryconditions,itiscommonforoneortwomembersofsuchagrouptobedrawnwhileothermembersarenot.Thissituationfragmentsthesocialfabricofhuntingandisextremelydetrimentaltoparticipation.OnepossiblewaytoatleastpartiallysolvethisproblemwouldbetoallowthesharingofLimitedEntryhunts.ApersondrawnforaLimitedEntryhuntcouldnameapartnerwithwhomtheywishtosharetheop-portunity.Thiswouldallowtwopeopletolegallyhunttogetherandtakeoneanimal,thuspreservingthesocialcontextofhunting.ThisapproachisusedinsomeotherNorthAmericanjurisdictionsandseemstoworkwell.Manitobausesitforelkandmoose,soifBritishColumbiaweretoadopttheidea,wewouldhaveanexistingCanadianmodeltoworkfrom.


Allow Limited Entry hunting authorizations to be shared with a part-ner chosen by the individual that was drawn.

SomeLimitedEntryhuntingopportunitieshaveveryshortseasonswithnoalternativeoptions.Forexample,someantlerlessmooseseasonsareonly10dayslongwithno

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alternativesatothertimes.Thereisnoobviousgoodreasonforthis.Ifwildlifemanagersarepreparedtoallowtheharvestofagivennumberofanimals,whatdifferencedoesitmakewhentheyaretaken?Veryshortseasonsrestrictopportunitybecausetheymaybeofferedatatimewhensomehunterscannottakeadvantageofthem.


Make Limited Entry hunting seasons at least a month long in cases where there are no alternative opportunities.

Thereisadownsidetothisrecommendation.Ifaseasonislonger,theharvestlevelwillprobablybehigher,sofewerauthorizationscanbeoffered.Thiscreatesatrade-offsitua-tionbetweenthenumberofpeopledrawnandthequalityandtimelinessofthehunt-ingexperienceoffered.ThisrecommendationisagoodexampleofanissuethatcouldbeexploredbytheLimitedEntryReviewCommitteesuggestedabove.

Alongmanyhighways,thereisa400metreareaclosedtohuntingoneithersideoftheroad.Thisisprobablyjustifiableformosthunting,butnotinthecaseofbowhunting.


In the case of bow hunters, reduce the closed area to 100 metres on either side of these highways.

Thisrecommendationwouldmaintainthesafetyaspectthatistheintentoftheregula-tionwhileopeningauniqueopportunityforbowhunters.The100-metreclosedareawouldkeepthekillingofgameawayfromtheimmediatesightofpassersby.

4.OptimizeHuntingOpportunityandMakeHuntingMoreFun

Inordertobeattractive,especiallytoyoungpeople,huntingmustbefun.Olderhuntersmayhaveothermotivationssuchastradition,huntingforfood,stressrelief,etc.,butfunandsuccessarevitalmotivatorsforyounghunters.Earlysuccessisamajorfactorin“hooking“people,especiallytheyoung,onhunting.Thefollowingrecommendationsaddressthisgoal.

Inmanyregions,deerpopulationsareingoodconditionanddoesareespeciallyabun-dant.Antlerlesshuntsformuledeerandwhite-taileddeerforhuntersundertheageof19andhuntersparticipatingintheirfirstseasonshouldbeconsideredwhereverpossible.Thisisalreadybeingdonetosomedegree,butthereisroomforimprovement.Ifatallpossible,thesehuntsshouldbegeneralopenseasonsratherthanLimitedEntryseasons.Further-more,theyshouldbescheduledatatimewhensuccessislikely,includetimeswhenyoungpeoplecangetawayfromschool(earlySeptemberorThanksgivingweekend,forexample)andcoincidewithageneralopenseasonthatprovidesahuntingopportunityfortheirguardianaswell.Ageneralopenseasonduringtherutisideal.Ifthereareover-harvestconcerns,thiscanbedealtwithbyadjustingthedurationoftheseason.


Wherever possible, provide general open seasons for mule deer and white-tailed deer does for hunters under the age of 19 and hunters participating in their first season.

Huntingopportunitiessuchasthiswillallowbetterchancesforearlysuccessandincreasedsightingsofpotentialgame,bothofwhichwillmakehuntingmoreexcit-ingandenjoyable.Additionally,theseopportunitieswillfosterthesocialbondsof

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huntingbetweenyoung/newhuntersandtheirmentors.Valuablefieldexperience,acquisitionofhuntingskills,directinstructionfromanexperiencedadultandthesocialaspectsofhuntingandhunterdevelopmentarebenefitsthatwouldstemfromthisrecommendation.

Ingeneral,wildlifemanagersshouldadoptaquantityoverqualityphilosophyfordeer,mooseandelk.Huntingsuccessisstronglyrelatedtocontinuedparticipation,andtherearefarmorehuntersthatarehappytoshootanaverageanimalthantherearehunterswhosespecificpurposeistobagatrophy.Reallyskilledhuntersarecapableoffindingimpressiveanimalsiftheyputtheirmindstoit,buthuntersoflesserskillfindtheirchan-cesforsuccessgreatlylimitedbytrophymanagementpractices.Furthermore,managingforanimalswithimpressiveantlerspushesopportunityawayfromgeneralopenseasonsandtowardsLimitedEntryhunting,restrictingparticipationevenfurther.


In general, the Fish and Wildlife Branch should pursue a quantity over quality direction in its management of deer, moose and elk.

Providinghuntingopportunitiesclosetowherepeoplelivewillencourageparticipation,especiallyamongyoungandelderlyhunters.Thisisparticularlytrueofuplandgamebirdhuntingandsmallgamehunting.Generally,uplandgamebirdandsmallgamehuntingrequireslittlepreparationorexpenditure,sohuntingclosetohomecanbedoneonawhimasallowedbyweather,leisuretimeoranyotherfactor.Sometypesofhabitat,suchasthatfavouredbybluegrousecouldbeenhancedthroughminormanipulationssuchassmallscaleburns.Suchastrategymightbecompatiblewithlandmanagementpracticesintendedtoreducetheamountof“fuel”forpotentialforestfiresincloseproximitytoinhabitedareas.


Look for ways to enhance hunting opportunities close to communities, especially for upland game birds and small game.

NumerousAmericanstudieshavestressedtheimportanceofbirdhuntingandsmallgamehuntingtohunterrecruitmentandretention9.Ingeneral,greatermanagementemphasisshouldbeplacedonbirdhunting.Uplandgamebirdsareprobablyanunderutilizedresource.Waterfowlhuntingisanotherareawithgrowthpotential.TheWaterfowlHeritageDaysprogramhasbeenagoodstartanditsmomentumshouldbeusedtofurtherpromotewaterfowlhunting.Canadageeseareparticularlyabundant,tothepointofbeingpestsinmanyareas,andadditionalhuntingopportunitiesshouldbeconsidered.Programssupportingprivatelandhunting,especiallylinkedtofarming,shouldbepursued.


Promote goose hunting, especially in areas where goose populations are causing problems.

Developmentofsmallgameopportunitiescaninsomecasesbepursuedwiththeintentofreducingcroporlivestockdamage.Inmanyfarmorurbanareas,someanimalscauseproblemsthatmaybepartiallysolvablethroughhunting.Forexample,coyotes

9 Twosuchreferencesare:‘NewHampshireLapsedHunterSurvey’,ResponsiveManagement,2004and‘FactorsRelatedToHuntingParticipationInPennsylvania’,ResponsiveManagement,2004

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intheFraserValleyarenumerousandareanongoingproblemnotonlytofarmers,butactuallywithingreaterVancouveritself.Clearly,huntingwithinheavilypopulatedurbancentersisgenerallyuntenable,butincreasinghuntingpressureonproblemanimalsim-mediatelyoutsideurbanareasandinfarmlandwillhelptoreducetheproblem.HuntingonprivatelandtoreducecropdamageisalreadygoingoninB.C.,evenforbiggame.


Look to hunting as a solution to problem wildlife and wildlife related agricultural problems.

Thisrecommendationhasalotofpotentiallatitudeandcouldbeappliedtomanyspe-ciesandsituations.Agriculturalproblemscanbeusedtojustifyhuntingopportunitiesinareaswheretheymightotherwisenotbeconsidered.Huntingcouldbeusedtoreducebirdandanimalproblemsaroundairports,reduceintroducedspeciessuchasstarlingsorgreysquirrels,andeventolowersafetyconcernswithblackbears.


Allow hunting of Schedule C animals without a basic hunting licence.

Huntingofthesespeciescouldbejustifiedviaagriculturalmanagementconcerns.Suchopportunitieswouldallowyoungandnovicehunterssomereadilyavailablefieldexperi-enceatminimalexpense.Inordertosatisfysafetyrequirements,hunternumberregula-tionsandthesupervisionofyoungornovicehunterswouldstillhavetobeobserved.

Thedeclineofblack-taileddeeronVancouverIslandhasbeenaseriousblowtohunterrecruitmentandretention.Inthe1970s,theannualblack-taileddeerharvestonVancou-verIslandexceeded10,000.By2004,theannualharvesthaddroppedtojustover1,700.Therearemanyfactorsthatcontributedtothiscollapse,someofwhicharebeyondcontrol.Regionalstaffbelievethatthedeerpopulationsarerecovering,buttherecoveryismodestandslow.Decliningdeerpopulationsarenottheonlyreasonforthedropinharvest.Anothersignificantfactorisalackofaccess.Manyroads,especiallyonthesouthernpartofVancouverIslandaregatedandlocked.Eveniftheseareasheldgooddeerpopulations,hunterswouldnotbeabletogettothem.VancouverIslandissecondonlytotheLowerMainlandasamajorhumanpopulationcenter,andgoodlocaldeerhuntingopportunitiesallowedalotofpeopletoparticipateandstimulatedrecruitment.RecoveryofVancouverIslandblack-taileddeerpopulationsandtheassociatedhuntingopportunitieswouldhelpgreatlywithhunterrecruitmentandretention.


Make the recovery of Vancouver Island black-tailed deer populations and the associated hunting opportunities a top Fish and Wildlife Branch priority.

VancouverIsland,morethananyotherarea,presentsanopportunityforgood,afford-abledeerhuntingincloseproximitytolargeurbanareas.Regionalstaffaredoingtheirbest,butmakingthisgoalamajorinitiative,withspeciallyallocatedfundingwouldgreatlyacceleratetheprocess.Themoretimegoesbywithpoorhuntingopportunities,themorepeoplewillgiveuphunting.Thisnotonlygoesagainstretention,butitalsore-ducesthenumberofmentorsthatcouldbeinvolvedintherecruitmentofnewhunters.Thetimelyrecoveryofthisuniquehuntingopportunity,soclosetosomanypotentialhunters,shouldbeamajorgoal.

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AccesstohuntingareasisaproblemthroughoutmanypartsofBritishColumbia.Deactivatedroads,activelogging,liabilityandotherissuesallconspiretolimithuntingaccess.Inmanycases,thereislittleoranythingthattheFishandWildlifeBranchcandotochangethis,butinformationcanbemadeavailable.AccessinformationcanbemadeavailableinregulationssynopsesandontheBranchwebsite.


Provide access information in regulations synopses and on the Branch web site. Contact information for Ministry of Forests district offices and logging companies should be provided. Link this information to the on-line mapping tool mentioned earlier in this document.

AccessproblemsespeciallyfrustratehuntersafterlengthywaitsforLimitedEntryHunt-ingopportunities.Ahunterthatisfinallydrawnafteryearsofwaitingmaybeveryangryorevenfeelbetrayedifaccessisseverelylimitedwithoutpriorwarning.

5. Provide Hunting Advice

Earlierinthisdocumenttheprovisionofon-linemappingwasrecommended.Properlydone,on-linemapsandcleverlylinkedinformationcanbeapowerfultoolforpromot-inghunting.Manyusefulfeaturesandtypesofinformationcanbelinkedtothesemaps,including:

• Management unit boundaries and Limited Entry hunt boundaries

• Hunting season dates and associated regulations by species

• Access information

• Harvest and hunter success information

• Information on private land hunting

• Links to hunter oriented services such as Compulsory Inspectors, butchers and taxidermists

• Fishing information

• Camping information


Ensure that links to useful hunting information are included in any on-line mapping tool that is developed for hunters.

Somehunterslacktheskillsnecessarytopursuesomeorallgamespecies.Duringthepastfewdecades,white-taileddeerhaveincreasedboththeirnumbersandtheirrangewithinBritishColumbiaandarenowbeinghuntedinareassuchastheCariboo,wherelocalhuntershavelittlefamiliaritywiththem.Huntersschooledonmuledeerhuntingtechniquesmayhavedifficultyadjustingtothenewopportunitiespresentedbywhite-tails.Readilyavailableinformationonthebehaviourofwhite-taileddeerandtechniquesforhuntingthemwouldbehelpfultosomehunters.Unquestionably,thebestwaytolearnsuchtechniqueswouldbethroughpracticalexperienceinthecompanyofan-otherhunterfamiliarwiththegamespeciesinquestion,butthisoptionmaynotalwaysbeavailable.Onceagain,thisinformationcanbeprovidedovertheinternetandlinkedtoon-linemapping,huntereducationandtheFishandWildlifeBranchwebsite.

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ManyFishandWildlifeBranchstaffareaccomplishedhunters.Thisisapoolofknow-ledgethatshouldbeutilizedforthepromotionofhunting.Branchstaffshouldbeencouragedtoattendoutdoorshowsandotherpubliceventsandpresentworkshopsonhuntingtechniques.Thiswouldhavetheaddedbenefitofshowingclientsthatourstaffarenotjustbureaucrats,buthunterstoo,justlikethem.


Encourage Branch staff that are knowledgeable hunters to present hunting workshops and training sessions.

Mentorshipiscriticaltotheacquisitionofhuntingskillsandthesocializationprocessinvolvedinbecomingahunter.DevelopmentofmentorshipprogramsofthisnatureisbeyondthedeliverycapabilityofgovernmentandmustbeundertakenbyNGO’s.Sev-eralBCWildlifeFederationmemberclubs,mostnotablytheChilliwackFishandGameProtectiveAssociation,havedevelopedmentoringprogramsforyoungpeople.Theyareintheprocessofputtingthe“formula”oftheirprogramonDVDssotheycansharetheirmethodswithotherclubs.MostBCWildlifeFederationclubsprovidethe“BecominganOutdoorsWoman”program.Bothoftheseinitiativesarebigpositivestepsinhunterrecruitmentandshouldbeencouragedandassistedbyministrypersonnelinanywaypossible.


Fish and Wildlife Branch staff should constantly bring up the subject of mentoring programs with BC Wildlife Federation members and encourage them to develop and share such programs among their member clubs. Keeping the subject in focus will help to maintain mo-mentum and produce results. Encourage continuation and expansion of the ”Becoming an Outdoors Woman” program.

AhuntingsimulatorwasdemonstratedattheBCWildlifeFederation’s2006annualcon-ventioninPenticton.ThissimulatorconsistedofalargeTVscreendrivenbyacomputerandlinkedtoanelectronic“rifle”thatlookedlikearealrifleandcouldbeaimedatthescreen.The“hunter”holdingthe“rifle”waspresentedwithahugevarietyofhuntingop-portunitiesandfieldconditionsandcoachedbytheoperatorofthesystem.Inadditiontopresentinganimalsinvarioussituations,thesystemalsoprovidedfeedbackonwhenawell-placedshotwaspossibleandsafetyconsiderations.Thissimulatorwasextremelypopular,withpeopleofbothgendersandallageslininguptotryit.

Simulatorsareanexcellenttoolforintroducingpeopletohuntinginacomfortable,non-threateningmanner.Theyallowexposuretopeoplewhomightnototherwisehavetheopportunitytoexperiencehuntinginanyway.Additionally,theyhelptodispelnegativestereotypesbyshowcasingtheconcernhuntershavewithsafety,ethicsandhumanekills.


Buy several more simulators and provide them to the BC Wildlife Federation for the purpose of promoting hunting.

Allmeansofexposingpeopletohuntinginapositivelightshouldbeexplored,butitisunlikelythatanyintroductorymethodwillbedevelopedthatwillbebetterthansimplygoinghuntingwithaseasonedhunter.Researchshowsthatthevastmajorityofhunters

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wereintroducedtotheactivitybyacloserelative,usuallyafather,uncleorgrandfather.Itisvitalthatexperiencedhunterstakethetimetointroduceotherstohunting.TheFishandWildlifeBranchandtheBCWildlifeFederationshoulddoeverythingpossibletoen-courageexperiencedhunterstotaketheirchildren,theirchildren’sfriends,theirspousesandtheirfriendshunting.Articlesencouragingthiscanbeprintedintheregulationsandoutdoorsmagazines.Themessagecanbepropagatedthroughhuntingclubsanditisevenpossiblethatincentivescouldbedeveloped.Forexample,anexperiencedhuntercould“sponsor”anewhunterandbegivenadiscountontheirhuntinglicence.


Encourage established hunters to introduce others to hunting. Explore options for providing incentives.

6. Other Means of Promoting Hunting

Thepotentialofe-licensingasamarketingtoolandthehiringofaprofessionalmarketerwerediscussedearlierinthisdocument.Anumberofothermarketingandpublicrela-tionsopportunitiesshouldbepursued,including:

• Actively promoting hunting. Brochures, advertisements, radio, internet, television and all other means of communication should be considered.

• Wild game is a healthy, organic, naturally renewable source of nutrition and should be promoted as such. Possible marketing avenues include health food stores, vita-min shops, gymnasiums, physicians, dieticians and any other health enterprise. A wide variety of literature caters to this area, some of which might be appropriate for advertisements.

• Conduct a marketing campaign to expose hunters as pro-conservation. Tell the story of hunting as a force for conservation and the development of the North American Wildlife Management Model.

• Develop a catch phrase like the Freshwater Fisheries Society has done to promote fish-ing. They use “Go Fish BC”. We might try “Go Hunt BC” or “Hunting – give it a shot!”

• Hunters are potentially a skilled volunteer labour force who provide their own time and equipment. This can be promoted as a solution to agricultural problems, an aid in combating poaching, pollution and other environmental crimes and a source of assistance with many other problems.

• Promote the ethical side of hunting. Show hunters in a light that underscores their concern for their environment and their willingness to comply with hunting regulations.

• Involve Tourism BC. Not long ago, the phrase “Super Natural BC” was being pro-moted. A similar promotion for hunting could be pursued.

OneareathatshouldbeexploredisapossiblelinkwithFirstNations.Whiletheytooareresidenthunters,theydonothavetobuylicencesandthusthereisnoeasywaytodeterminetheleveloftheirhuntingactivity.Theirhuntingactivitymayormaynotbedeclining.Furthermore,theyhavebroaderhuntingrightsthanotherresidentsandgen-erallydonotreporttheiractivity.Forthesereasons,thesuggestionsinthisdocumentarelessrelevanttothem.However,sincehuntingisacommoninterest,itmightprovidea“connectionpoint”withFirstNations.SomeNativeeldersareinterestedinpromotinganinterestamongtheiryouthintheirtraditionalculturalactivities.Thismayofferanop-portunityforpartnershipthatshouldbeexplored.

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Approach First Nations leaders and attempt to develop a partnership to promote hunting.

AlargeamountofresearchhasbeendonethroughoutNorthAmericaonthephenom-enaofdeclininghunteractivity.Surveys,focusgroups,andothermeanshavebeenusedtoassesstheunderlyingcauses.Journalistshavewrittenarticlesandbooks,andmanynewspapercolumnshaveaddressedtheissue.Somuchhasbeencovered,thatitisunlikelythatamajorunderlyingcauseisunknown.

Despitethefactthatthecausesareprobablyallknown,aproperlydesignedstatistic-allyvalidsurveyshouldbeconductedinB.C.Thepurposeofsuchasurveywouldnotsomuchbetofindnewcauses(althoughthatcouldhappen),butrathertoranktheirimportanceandtorevealregionaldifferences.Themainbarriersanddissatisfactionfactorsrelatedtohuntingmayverywelldifferfromareatoarea.ItislikelythattheprimeconcernsintheLowerMainlandwouldbeverydifferentfromtheprimeconcernsinSmithersorFortSt.John.RegionalbreakdownswouldhelptoshedsomelightonculturaldifferenceswithinB.C.andstrategiesthatmightreachouttogroupsthatdonothavehuntingaspartoftheirculture.Asurveyofthisnatureshouldbecontractedtoaprofessionalsurveyingcompanyforcredibilityreasons.


Hire a professional surveying company to conduct a survey of B.C. residents to determine the specific factors important to hunter recruitment and retention in British Columbia. This survey should be designed to reveal regional differences.

ThroughoutNorthAmerica,researchhasconsistentlyrevealedthatapartfromFirstNa-tions,huntingisverypredominantlyaCaucasianactivity.IfhuntingistosurviveandanappreciationofwildlifeandthenaturalworldistohaveafutureinB.C.,itisimperativethatotherculturesbeintroducedtohuntingandotheroutdooractivities.Thesoonerthisgoalispursued,thebetter.EarlierinthisdocumentitwasrecommendedthatabroaderversionoftheC.O.R.E.courseshouldbedevelopedandmadeavailablethroughtheschoolsystem.Thiswouldbeagoodfirstmoveinreachingouttoothercultures,butalotmoreneedstobedone.

R e c o m m e n d a t i o n : Develop a task force devoted to raising awareness of B.C.’s environ-mental heritage among all citizens, but with a particular focus on residents of non-European descent.

BritishColumbiaisluckytostillbeinapositiontomaintainitsnaturalwondersintothefuture;however,thiswillonlyhappenifourcitizenswantitto.Spreadinganapprecia-tionamongourcitizensofthenaturalsplendourofourprovinceiscriticaltothelong-termenvironmentalhealthofB.C.Huntingisoneofthechannelsthroughwhichthisimportantmessagecanbewidelyspread.

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tHe BIG sIX

Alloftherecommendationsinthisdocumentareworthyofseriousconsiderationbutsomewillprobablyprovidebiggerreturnsthanothers.Withoutintendingtodiminishthevalueofanyoftheideaspresentedabove,thefollowingsixrecommendationsareconsideredparticularlyimportant.

1 . R e c o m m e n d a t i o n :

Seek a reciprocal agreement on firearms training with the federal government. If necessary, bolster the firearms section of the C.O.R.E. course to make it equivalent to federal training. Completion of C.O.R.E. should qualify hunters for a federal Possession and Acquisition Licence.

Withoutquestion,thenecessityofcompletingtwocourses(oneofwhichislargelyredundant)inordertobecomeahunterisoneofthebiggestbarrierstorecruitment.


Extend the time range of the junior hunting licence from 10 years of age to less than 19 years of age. Junior licence holders would still have to be directly supervised by a licenced adult. Furthermore, give serious consideration to allowing them their own bag limit of one deer and their own bag limit of upland game birds and small game.

Allowingyoungpeopletodevelopafeelfortheexperienceofhuntingandbeginthesocializationprocessofbecomingahunterisvitaltorecruitment.Thisrecommendationwillallowteenagersmoreflexibleoptionstoexperiencehuntingbeforecommittingtoformalhuntertraining.

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Develop a new “test-drive” licence, similar to the junior licence proposed above for new hunters 19 years of age or older. This licence could be time-limited to one season, the prospective hunter would not have to pass C.O.R.E. and the prospective hunter would have to be directly supervised by a licensed adult.

Aswiththerecruitmentofyoungpeople,itisimportantthatpeopleofallageshaveanopportunityto“feelout”theexperienceofhuntingbeforehavingtocommitalotoftimeandmoneytoformalhuntertraining.


Develop and implement an electronic licensing system as soon as possible. This system should allow the purchase of licences through vendors, via the internet and over the phone.

Anelectroniclicensingsystemwillallowmuchmoreconvenientaccesstolicences,timelyavailabilityoflicenceinformationandmostimportantly,theopportunitytooffermoreenticinghuntingopportunities,licenceoptionsandpricing.


Conduct a marketing survey to determine new types of hunting licences that would be of interest to hunters.

Insightfulmarketinginformationandplanningispivotaltooptimallyexploitingtheopportunitiesthatwillbeopenedupbyelectroniclicensing.Additionally,aprofessionalmarketershouldbehiredtoconductsuchsurveys,exploreothermarketingopportun-itiesandpromotehuntingasadesirablethingtodo.


Wherever possible, provide general open seasons for mule deer and white-tailed deer does for hunters under the age of 19 and hunters participating in their first season.

Retentionofnewhuntersisconsiderablystrengthenedbyearlysuccess.Inmanyareas,thereisanabundanceofdoesthatcanbemanagedwiththisgoalinmind.

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ConCLUsIon

Whilecertaininalterablefactorshaveconspiredagainsthuntingoverthepastthreedec-ades,thereisagreatdealthatcanbedonetobolstertheactivity.Approximately385,000residenthunternumbercardshavebeenissuedsincetheirinceptionin1982.Someofthesecardholdershavelefttheprovinceoraredeceasedorinfirmnow,butthemajorityarenot.Sinceonlyabout80,000–85,000huntersareactiveinanygivenyear,thereareapproximately150,000–200,000additionalhunternumberholdersthatarepotentiallyinterestedinhunting.Imaginativeapproachestoprovidinghuntingopportunitiesmayluresomeofthembacktoactivity.

Recruitmentcanbeenhancedbyremovingbarriers,marketinghuntingasanattractiveactivityandmotivatingestablishedhunterstomentornewones.Attractinginactivehuntersbacktohuntingwillhelpwithrecruitmentbecauseitwillprovidemorepoten-tialmentorsandrekindleenthusiasm.Huntershavealwaysbeenattheforefrontofthoseinterestedinandconcernedwiththehealthofourenvironmentandwildlifepopula-tions.Ahealthy,vibranthuntingcommunitywillbeasignificantfactorinensuringthesurvivalofourwildlifeheritageforgenerationstocome.

ACKnoWLeDGeMents

Thisstrategyisbasedontheideasandcontributionsofmanypeople.Theauthorwouldliketothankthefollowingcontributors.

TheHunterRecruitmentandRetentionAdvisoryGroup:

Kim Brunt

John Elliott

Jack Evans

Doug Heard

Les Husband

Doug Jury

Wilf Pfleiderer

Darryl Reynolds

Tara Szkorupa

Irene Teske

Mark Williams

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Additionalindividualsandgroupsthatprovidedideasandadvice:

Paul Adams

Gary Biggar

Bob Boswell

Geoff Chislett

Bob Clark

Darlene Clark

Laura Darling

Chris Dodd

Don Doyle

Dale Drown

Dave Dunbar

Ross Everatt

DylanEyers

ValeriusGeist

PaulHaley

JeffHanratty

RickHildebrand

JohnHoldstock

BobHooton

TrevorJeanes

DaveLow

HughMarkides

JohnMetcalfe

JeffMorgan

RickMorley

BobMorris

GarthMowat

DaveNarver

BillOtway

KentPetovello

RalphRitcey

DonRobinson

GregSawchuck

GeoffSwannell

TonyToth

DonTrethewey

BillWarkentin

GlenWatts

RodWiebe

GuyWoods

JesseZeman

DenisZentner

TheBCWildlifeFederation

TanyaKleywegtandtheBCWFYouthDelegatesandnumeroushuntersthathavepro-videdcommentsandobservations

ParticularthanksisextendedtoTomEthier,DirectoroftheFishandWildlifeBranch,AlMartin,ExecutiveDirectorforFishandWildlifeBranchandEcosystemsBranch,NancyWilkin,AssistantDeputyMinisterofEnvironment,ResourceStewardshipDivisionandtheHonourableBarryPenner,MinisterofEnvironment,forhavingthevisionandwilltopromotethisstrategy.

JohnP.Thornton

April16,2007

a strategy for resident hunter recruitment and retention

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