Slightly more than 100 hunters showed up outside the Civic Centre midday Tuesday to show their dismay with recent changes to B.C.'s wildlife allocation policy that gives a larger share of hunting permits to guide outfitters.
The rally was held to coincide with the Natural Resources Forum inside the Civic Centre, which many provincial cabinet members and MLAs are attending.
Braving wind and rain, many were dressed in camouflage and bearing signs saying such things as "B.C. wildlife is not for sale," "B.C. residents' freezers first," "Increase resident hunter allotment" and "We will remember on election day."
Organizer Steve Hamilton said the new allocation gives too much of the share to non-residents who require guide outfitters to hunt in B.C.
"There is an unprecedented amount of wildlife that is going to the guide outfitters right now," Hamilton said. "Across Canada and North America, the average is five to 10 per cent going to the guide outfitters and here, they're wanting 25 to 40 per cent."
He said resident hunters contribute more than $230 million to the provincial economy each year and claimed much of the money spent by hunters from out-of-province will stay out of province.
There are about 105,000 licenced hunters across B.C., according to Hamilton.
In an e-mailed reply, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson said the decision was the result of a 18-month review in which both resident hunters and non-resident hunters participated.
He said the decision transfers about 110 animals from resident hunters to guide-outfitters.
General open season opportunities, such as mule deer, whitetail deer and black bear remain untouched by the decision, Thomson also said.
However, Hamilton remains concerned it is just the thin edge of the wedge.
"We're afraid right now that once the ball is rolling, it will only roll downhill and it will affect general open seasons," Hamilton said.
He said the B.C. Guide Outfitters released a paper in 2010 in which they proposed to have all animals in the province managed as trophy class, "which means the general open season will close down."
"We realize there is a place in B.C. for the guide outfitters but we think there should be a better share of the animals coming to B.C. residents first," Hamilton said.
Hamilton, who relied largely on social media to get word out about the rally, was pleased with the turnout.
"We're here to get noticed and it looks like it's happening," Hamilton said.
The B.C. Wildlife Association has started a petition calling for the allocation policy to be rolled back to its 2007 iteration. A rally is planned for Jan. 31 in Kelowna where the petition will be presented to Premier Christy Clark's constituency office.
Thomson said he's received plenty of feedback since releasing his decision to the B.C. Wildlife Federation and Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia in December.
"I am currently considering that feedback and have asked ministry staff to evaluate the comments being received," Thomson said.
