rocksteady
02-01-2008, 11:17 AM
Got this from a friend.....
Proposed Kootenay Region Wildlife
Regulations Changes for 2008-09
Regulation number: R40809-01
Location: Region-wide
Management Units: all
Species: Turkey
Proposal: Change the fall turkey season to all weapons. Lengthen the season to run September 1 to October 30. Drop the requirement to shoot a bearded turkey only. Hence the fall season only would be open for ANY bird including young-of-the-year (often termed Jakes).
Decision: ACCEPT (with modification)
Rationale: Although the wild turkey is not native to the Kootenay Region, it has become a challenging trophy and an economically important game bird for hunters and local businesses, respectively. Hunting objectives for wild turkeys need to reflect these attributes. More than half of the web-based responses either opposed outright or supported a modification of the original proposal. Implementing a highly liberal hunting strategy to reduce populations (e.g., to mirror those in the Okanagan Region aimed at minimizing damage to vineyards) was not supported for the turkey populations residing in the Kootenays. Therefore, this regulation proposal was modified to allow for some increase in hunter harvest success, without adversely affecting their population levels. The modified proposal allows for a new 15 day hunt (October 1 to 15), any bird (i.e., either sex), shotgun or archery-only season, to follow the existing 30 day archery season (Sept 1 to 30). The fall season bag limit will continue to be one bird. The regional annual bag limit will continue to be two (2).
Regulation number: R40809-04
Location: Creston Valley
Management Units: 4-06C
Species: Antlerless elk
Proposal: Open the antlerless elk LEH season in 4-06C earlier (Sept 21 instead of Oct 20). This earlier season means landowners will better benefit from hunters disturbing or killing animals that are damaging crops, hopefully reducing crop damage.
Decision: ACCEPT. We will also extend the season to January 31.
Rationale: Reduce elk damage to agricultural areas and provide additional hunting opportunities in an area where the elk population is doing well. The season will be extended till the end of January, to align with the elk season in Idaho across the border.
Regulation number: R40809-05
Location: Region-wide
Management Units: all
Species: Bull moose
Proposal: Open a General Open Season for spike-fork bull moose in the Kootenay Region from September 20th to October 31st.
Decision: ACCEPT (with modification)
Rationale: Based on consultation feedback, we will also open a bow-only GOS for spike-fork bull moose from September 1st to 19th. The GOS for spike-fork bull moose is primarily in response to calls from resident hunters to increase opportunity. In addition, recent inventories indicate healthy, growing moose populations and high bull to cow ratios in most parts of the region.
Adjacent regions (Thompson and Okanagan) have spike-fork General Open Seasons from September 20 to October 31. The Omineca region to the north has a spike-fork GOS from September 10 to November 5. These regions also have Limited Entry Hunts for any bull moose.
This new harvest strategy will be followed for 5 years unless conservation concerns are raised through monitoring. MoE staff have funds available this winter for pre-treatment monitoring. We have also submitted a funding application to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund for monitoring the program over 5 years.
Regulation number: R40809-06
Location: West Kootenay
Management Units: 4-16, 4-17, 4-18, 4-19 and 4-33
Species: Bull moose
Proposal: Open Limited Entry Hunt seasons for moose in MUs currently closed to hunting (416-419 and 4-33).
Decision: ACCEPT
Rationale: Moose are expanding and populations appear to be increasing in the West Kootenay. We now believe we have sufficient populations in all MUs for moose hunts, although the moose hunts may be restricted to only a few permits in some units.
Regulation number: R40809-07
Location: Region-wide
Management Units: all
Species: Bull moose
Proposal: Align LEH season dates throughout Kootenay Region so that all seasons run October 15th to November 15th. The archery season for LEH holders would then run September 1st to October 14th.
Decision: ACCEPT (with modification)
Rationale: We will change most MUs to open from October 15th to November 15th. However northern units (4-38, 4-39, 4-36, 4-37 and 4-40) will open from September 20th to November 15th, with an archery season from September 1st to 19th. These northern units have minimal access, difficult hunting conditions and can have substantial snow by mid October. Success has historically been very low.
These changes will help to ensure consistency across the region and create a longer season in some areas to allow more opportunity for hunters. Although this change may result in higher success for hunters, the overall harvest is not expected to change. This is because the number of permits is based on success; if success increases, the number of permits declines to achieve the same target harvest.
Proposed Kootenay Region Wildlife
Regulations Changes for 2008-09
Regulation number: R40809-01
Location: Region-wide
Management Units: all
Species: Turkey
Proposal: Change the fall turkey season to all weapons. Lengthen the season to run September 1 to October 30. Drop the requirement to shoot a bearded turkey only. Hence the fall season only would be open for ANY bird including young-of-the-year (often termed Jakes).
Decision: ACCEPT (with modification)
Rationale: Although the wild turkey is not native to the Kootenay Region, it has become a challenging trophy and an economically important game bird for hunters and local businesses, respectively. Hunting objectives for wild turkeys need to reflect these attributes. More than half of the web-based responses either opposed outright or supported a modification of the original proposal. Implementing a highly liberal hunting strategy to reduce populations (e.g., to mirror those in the Okanagan Region aimed at minimizing damage to vineyards) was not supported for the turkey populations residing in the Kootenays. Therefore, this regulation proposal was modified to allow for some increase in hunter harvest success, without adversely affecting their population levels. The modified proposal allows for a new 15 day hunt (October 1 to 15), any bird (i.e., either sex), shotgun or archery-only season, to follow the existing 30 day archery season (Sept 1 to 30). The fall season bag limit will continue to be one bird. The regional annual bag limit will continue to be two (2).
Regulation number: R40809-04
Location: Creston Valley
Management Units: 4-06C
Species: Antlerless elk
Proposal: Open the antlerless elk LEH season in 4-06C earlier (Sept 21 instead of Oct 20). This earlier season means landowners will better benefit from hunters disturbing or killing animals that are damaging crops, hopefully reducing crop damage.
Decision: ACCEPT. We will also extend the season to January 31.
Rationale: Reduce elk damage to agricultural areas and provide additional hunting opportunities in an area where the elk population is doing well. The season will be extended till the end of January, to align with the elk season in Idaho across the border.
Regulation number: R40809-05
Location: Region-wide
Management Units: all
Species: Bull moose
Proposal: Open a General Open Season for spike-fork bull moose in the Kootenay Region from September 20th to October 31st.
Decision: ACCEPT (with modification)
Rationale: Based on consultation feedback, we will also open a bow-only GOS for spike-fork bull moose from September 1st to 19th. The GOS for spike-fork bull moose is primarily in response to calls from resident hunters to increase opportunity. In addition, recent inventories indicate healthy, growing moose populations and high bull to cow ratios in most parts of the region.
Adjacent regions (Thompson and Okanagan) have spike-fork General Open Seasons from September 20 to October 31. The Omineca region to the north has a spike-fork GOS from September 10 to November 5. These regions also have Limited Entry Hunts for any bull moose.
This new harvest strategy will be followed for 5 years unless conservation concerns are raised through monitoring. MoE staff have funds available this winter for pre-treatment monitoring. We have also submitted a funding application to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund for monitoring the program over 5 years.
Regulation number: R40809-06
Location: West Kootenay
Management Units: 4-16, 4-17, 4-18, 4-19 and 4-33
Species: Bull moose
Proposal: Open Limited Entry Hunt seasons for moose in MUs currently closed to hunting (416-419 and 4-33).
Decision: ACCEPT
Rationale: Moose are expanding and populations appear to be increasing in the West Kootenay. We now believe we have sufficient populations in all MUs for moose hunts, although the moose hunts may be restricted to only a few permits in some units.
Regulation number: R40809-07
Location: Region-wide
Management Units: all
Species: Bull moose
Proposal: Align LEH season dates throughout Kootenay Region so that all seasons run October 15th to November 15th. The archery season for LEH holders would then run September 1st to October 14th.
Decision: ACCEPT (with modification)
Rationale: We will change most MUs to open from October 15th to November 15th. However northern units (4-38, 4-39, 4-36, 4-37 and 4-40) will open from September 20th to November 15th, with an archery season from September 1st to 19th. These northern units have minimal access, difficult hunting conditions and can have substantial snow by mid October. Success has historically been very low.
These changes will help to ensure consistency across the region and create a longer season in some areas to allow more opportunity for hunters. Although this change may result in higher success for hunters, the overall harvest is not expected to change. This is because the number of permits is based on success; if success increases, the number of permits declines to achieve the same target harvest.