Decline in B. C. moose population threatens hunt
Consultant hired to examine causes and solutions
The B. C. government has hired a consultant to investigate a dramatic decline in moose in the Cariboo region, including the impact of unregulated aboriginal hunting after large- scale pine- beetle logging opening up the landscape and increasing access.
“The Liberal government is the main suspect,” asserted Chief Joe Alphonse of the Tsilhqot’in National Government. “The clearcuts out there are a desert. You can now see them ( moose) from 300 to 400 yards. That makes it easier for hunters, poachers, everyone.”
Moose populations have declined so precipitously in the Chilcotin west of Williams Lake that hunting opportunities for non- natives may be reduced by half in 2013, according to freedom- of- information documents obtained by The Vancouver Sun.
Reductions in moose- hunting quotas for non- resident hunters are already “causing a severe hardship” for the guide-outfitting sector, said Rodger Stewart, director of resource management for the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations in the Cariboo.
B. C. resident hunters can also expect “very significant” restrictions on moose hunting in 2013, he confirmed.
Aboriginals have no restrictions on moose hunting — either by number, sex, or age — and there is no system of reporting kills to the province to assist in management. “There is no law or policy that would require them to do so,” Stewart confirmed in an interview.
Non- residents on guided hunts must declare their kills. Resident- hunter moose kills are calculated by an annual ministry survey.
The number of moose shot by resident hunters in the Cariboo region increased to 1,201 in 2010 from 977 in 2000. During the same period, kills by guided non- residents dropped to 147 from 200. A guided moose hunt can cost $ 5,000.
The documents include a “background” paper by the Cariboo region office warning that surveys in early 2012 indicated the moose population in the Chilcotin had declined 40 to 60 per cent. Stewart said the decline occurred over five to seven years.
The paper notes that the status of “antlerless” moose — cows and calves — is more serious than bulls and has “declined so significantly the moose population will take years to recover.”
Hunting opportunities for guide- outfitters and residents — who shoot bulls in the Chilcotin — could shrink by up to 50 per cent, the paper warned.
The province has hired Wildlife Infometrics of Mackenzie to investigate causes of the moose decline. A report is expected in March.
Alphonse said that given the high cost of fuel for vehicles, natives hunters may feel they cannot afford to pass up shooting a cow in the off- chance they might later get a bull.
“They don’t have the financial luxury,” he said.
He believes that native hunting is not a major reason for the decline in moose and says the hunting effort is actually down over the past decade or so. “Do you spend $ 100 buying gas trying to hunt a moose or spend that money on bologna and bacon?”
Alphonse said moose management benefits from the best information and that a survey is underway on the Anaham reserve — largest in the Chilcotin, about 100 kilometres west of Williams Lake — to determine how many moose are being shot by members annually.
“This is a huge resource, one that we depend on very heavily. We need to talk about this openly and develop policies to ensure the survival of this species.”
Alphonse criticized the province for not putting enough money into moose management, including enforcement, and through large- scale salvage harvesting of beetle- infested timber that has left moose naked on the landscape and hunters with increased access on logging roads.
Wolves also benefit from greater access, he emphasized, and can efficiently take cows and calves.
“If it goes into labour and has a calf, there’s an easy meal right there,” he said.
The freedom- of- information documents include a May 3, 2012, email from Stewart to assistant deputy minister Rick Manwaring warning that the moose decline is a “serious challenge” and that a communications strategy is required.
“A scan of the situation ... indicates very high risk of this going sideways for government,” Stewart writes.
While he doesn’t mention native hunting directly, he does note “there is a particular trend in the antlerless component of the population that will raise specific critical commentary, and increase tensions between sectors.”
Another document labelled “advice to minister” provides a list of potential questions and answers on the hot issue.
Question: “Will First Nations hunters also have their hunt reduced?”
Answer ( in part): “The Ministry consults with First Nations on hunting regulations that may impact First Nations ability to harvest wildlife for food, social or ceremonial purposes.”
The ministry also envisioned being criticized for its salvage logging policies.
Question: “Is this the result of the failure of government to adhere to the 2009 recommendations of the Forest Practices Board that warned salvage harvest of pine beetle wood could have conservation impacts?”
Answer: “We are not certain of the cause, and that is why we are actively investigating. It would be a mistake to prejudge the results of that work. The effects of the mountain pine beetle will form part of that investigation.”
The Tl’etinqoxt’in First Nation in June declared their traditional Chilcotin territory offlimits to non- native hunters in response to declining moose populations.
Stewart said the first nation cancelled that plan after reaching a “stewardship agreement” with the province related to issues such as management of forestry road densities and feral horses.
The Cariboo region extends approximately from Clinton north to Quesnel and from Tweedsmuir Provincial Park east to the Cariboo Mountains.