Local hunters are hoping to capture the attention of provincial lawmakers this week when the Premier's Natural Resource Forum comes to Prince George.
A rally is set for Jan. 21 to protest the recent changes to B.C.'s wildlife allocation policy that give a larger share of hunting permits to guide outfitters.
Resident hunters and their supporters will gather on Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. outside the Civic Centre, where the forum is taking place.
Lead organizer Steve Hamilton said the event is "a gathering of like-minded people who are upset with the way this [allocation policy] has been pushed down on us."
Resident hunters, as opposed to guide outfitters who lead out-of-province hunters, are "dismayed about changes to wildlife allocations which give resident hunters the worst allocation in North America given the number of resident hunters," Hamilton said.
In mid-December, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations announced a new policy that shifted the percentage of hunting permits to each group, in many cases offering a larger percentage than previously available to commercial hunting outfits.
A Facebook page set up for for the Wednesday event (Prince George and area rally to protest allocation changes) emphasizes the rally is supposed to be peaceful and respectful and urges participants to bring family members and signs and to dress as they would for a normal work day.
"Hunters come from every walk of life," said Hamilton. "Conservation and hunting is something that crosses classes and unites people to ensure the future of wildlife in British Columbia."
Its a practice that for Hamilton began when he was eight years old on a trip with his grandfather, father and uncles. "It's now become a way of life for me and my family up here in Prince George," he said. "We rely on wild game as a staple in our diet - it's the true definition of 'free range, hormone and pesticide-free, organic' meat."
According to a ministry question-and-answer sheet, the new model represents approximately 186 animals moved from resident hunters to guides and a total reduction of about 618 hunting opportunities.
"This shift represents a minimum economic value to guides of approximately $2.6 million per year, and will help ensure the sector remains viable," the ministry document said.
Most jurisdictions give between five and 10 per cent of the wildlife allocation to non-residents, said Hamilton.
"The resident hunter bull moose allocation in the Omenica was 85 per cent in 2007, it is now 75 per cent," he said, adding that this is on top of a lower moose population. "All of this is occurring with the number of resident hunters has increased 20 per cent and non-resident hunters have decreased 30 per cent."
The BC Wildlife Association has started a petition calling for the allocation policy to be rolled back to its 2007 iteration. According to the petition the changes "provide and unwarranted larger share of hunting permits to B.C.'s professional guides and outfitters, who primarily guide non-resident trophy hunters, at the expense of B.C. resident hunters."
In a 2012 document, the ministry said that while resident hunters are placed at a higher priority than non-residents, "this does not imply that resident demand must be fully satisfied before non-residents can be granted harvest opportunities."
