B.C. hunters gather to protest allocations for foreign hunters

WATCH: New rules for hunting have local hunters up in arms, but conservationists applauding. Linda Aylesworth reports.

VANCOUVER – Members of B.C.’s hunting community held a rally on the steps of the legislature in Victoria Monday.

They are angry about government rule changes, which they say favour foreign hunters and hunting businesses, over people who live here and hunt as a hobby or a way of life.

They say B.C. sets aside up to 40 percent of big game trophies for non-residents, which is far higher than other jurisdictions.

A petition with more than 16,000 signatures was presented in the Legislature Monday by Dr. Andrew Weaver, Green Party MLA for Oak Bay – Gordon Head. “This petition represents a significant block of voters who are extremely unhappy with recent changes to the Province’s Wildlife Allocation Policy, which gave a larger share of Limited-Entry Hunting permits to guide outfitting businesses at the expense of resident hunters,” said Al Martin, B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF) director of strategic initiatives, in a press release. “We are sending a strong message to government that wildlife is an integral public resource that should not be treated as a mere commodity for sale to the highest bidder.”

The province has already backtracked on one decision after admitting its initial attempt at quotas missed the target.

The initial allocation gave guide outfitters the right to harvest 186 animals. Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson said the new changes give guide outfitters harvest rights to 60 animals.

The BCWF is asking the government to fully repeal the changes and limit non-resident hunters and guide outfitters to a maximum of 10 percent of the Wildlife Allocation Harvest for moose and elk, and 25 percent for sheep, bears and goats.

There are about 245 licensed guide outfitters in B.C., who serve an estimated 5,000 non-resident hunters, while there are more than 102,000 resident hunters in the province, up from 82,000 only 10 years ago.

– With files from The Canadian Press