Editor: Hunters are up in arms. Our Clark government is disregarding the needs of B.C. resident hunters. The last few years have seen a 10 per cent increase in resident hunter numbers and a 30 per cent decline in foreign trophy hunters. Yet for 2015, the Clark government has announced a policy to reduce residents’ share of the allowable annual harvest and award the reductions to commercial guide-outfitters’ foreign clients.
I began hunting in 1944 with my parents and grandparents. All like me, who follow in the ages-old hunter-gatherer tradition of sustenance harvesting from the wild, support public access to wildlife resources along with sustainability of wildlife populations. To accomplish this, we need to recruit young, ethical hunter-gatherers who support us.
The Clark government created special youth licences and special hunting seasons which have proven successful. However, reductions in allocations will negatively impact all residents, including our youth. The Clark government’s wrong-headed policy of taking from residents and giving to an industry in decline must be turned around.
Larri Woodrow,
Langley
