ESPN Hunting

(Editor's note: All dates for firearms, archery and youth deer hunting seasons vary by Wildlife Management Unit. Please see the annual British Columbia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis for details. The publication is available online.)

Season dates:

• Archery: There are bow-only seasons in all regions in which white-tailed deer occur in the province. The majority of these are from Sept. 1-9, with some exceptions. Some regions also have a winter season in late November or early December.
• Muzzleloader: There are no special muzzleloader seasons.
• Youth/disabled: Youth: Sept. 1-9 in regions 3, 4, and 8 (Thompson - Nicola, Kootenay, and Okanagan, respectively). These regions are in southeast and south-central BC.
• Firearm: General open seasons are variable across the province. The seasons are typically found from Sept. - Nov. or in December. See the annual British Columbia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis for details. These seasons also vary by class of animal.
• Special antlerless: Kootenay (Region 4, southeastern B.C.): Sept. 1-9, Dec. 1-20 (either sex, bow only); Skeena (Region 6, northwestern B.C.): Sept. 1-9, Dec. 1-10; Okanagan (Region 8, south-central B.C.): Nov. 25- Dec. 10 (either sex, bow only).

Resident license fees: Basic resident license, $32; Resident species license, $15; (all amounts in Canadian dollars).

Nonresident license fees: Canadian nonresident basic license, $75; Nonresident basic license, $180; Nonresident species license, $125; (all amounts in Canadian dollars).

Bag limit: The provincial bag limit for deer is three in one license year. Regional bag limits are generally more restrictive. Please see the 2005/2006 British Columbia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis for more details.

Hunter education/bowhunter education required? Non-resident and non-resident alien hunters are not required to have completed a hunter safety education course prior to hunting in British Columbia. All non-residents of British Columbia hunting big game must do so under the direct supervision of a registered guide outfitter or a person with a valid "Permit to Accompany." Bowhunter safety education is not required.

Population for 2005: Ungulate specialists with the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Biodiversity Branch indicate that the B.C. whitetail deer population is stable or increasing and currently ranges from 65,000 to 91,000.

Season forecast: As anyone who has ever visited this Canadian province can attest to, without question, British Columbia is one of the most beautiful places in all of creation to visit.

And that's especially true for someone who is hunting B.C.'s surprising white-tailed deer herd.

For those who do venture to Canada's left coast in search of whitetails, it should be a good season according to Peter Sandiford, the senior wildlife regulations officer for the British Columbia Ministry of Environment's Fish and Wildlife Recreation and Allocation Branch

That prognostication comes primarily because the province's white-tailed deer populations are growing rapidly according to Sandiford.

The wildlife regulations officer indicates that the reason that the B.C. deer herd is doing so reasonably well is due to a succession of easy winters, and in some regions, very conservative harvest regimes.

But keep in mind that it's not just the pure quantitative numbers of B.C.'s deer herd that give this fall's whitetail hunting forecast a thumbs up.

While the province may not have the trophy buck reputation that its prairie provincial neighbors to the east do, savvy hunters know otherwise.

With a B.C. typical record buck on the books scoring 191 4/8 inches, it's obvious that this far western Canadian province can compete very well in the big antler department, thank you very much, with traditional hotspots Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

All in all, whether a hunter is hunting for venison to fill the freezer or looking for a set of horns to adorn the wall this fall, deer hunters who go afield in British Columbia should be productive this year.

2004 harvest: 5,569 deer.

Bow harvest: N/A.

Muzzleloader harvest: N/A.

Firearm harvest: Sandiford indicates that most of the ~ 5569 whitetails that were harvested a year ago were taken by firearm hunters.

Number of licensed deer hunters: 28,500.

Deer hunter success rates: 37 percent.

Number of bowhunters: No answer given - previous ESPNOutdoors.com Deer Forecasts have placed the figure as high as 12,000.

Bowhunter success rates: N/A.

Number of muzzleloader hunters: N/A.

Muzzleloader success rates: N/A.

Number of firearm hunters: Sandiford indicates that firearm hunters comprise most of B.C.'s 28,500 deer hunters.

Firearm success rates: 37 percent.

Top counties/regions: Sandiford lists Kootenay (Region 4), Okanagan (Region 8), Thompson-Nicola (Region 3), and Peace (Region 7B) as top B.C. white-tailed deer hunting regions.

Top public-hunting spots: Sandiford lists Kootenay (Region 4), Okanagan (Region 8), Thompson-Nicola (Region 3), and Peace (Region 7B) as top public hunting hotspots for white-tailed deer in B.C.

Testing conducted for chronic wasting disease?: Yes. Sandiford indicates that a CWD surveillance program was initiated for deer and elk in 2001. The surveillance program consists of focussed testing of deer and elk that demonstrate symptoms resembling those of CWD from anywhere in BC; random surveys of road-killed deer and elk; and some surveys of hunter-harvested deer and elk. These hunter-harvested tests are primarily done in the northeast, southeast, and southern interior regions of the province. Hunters are informed via the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis on various aspects of the disease, and on how to watch for animals that could be infected.

Units/areas that tested positive for chronic wasting disease: At this time, Sandiford indicates that CWD is not known to occur in British Columbia or in any wild cervids in neighboring jurisdictions.

Province record typical: 191 4/8 inches (pick-up entry in 1994).

Province record non-typical: 245 7/8 inches.

Province record archery typical: 151 6/8 inches.

Province record archery non-typical: 181 5/8 inches.

More information: For more information, visit the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Fish and Wildlife Recreation and Allocation Branch Web site, or call a regional a ministry office in the Thompson-Nicola at (250) 371-6200, the Kootenays at (250) 489-8505; for the Okanagan at (250) 490-8200; and in the Peace at (250) 787-3411. To report a poacher, call toll free, 1-800-663-9453.

Did you know? Sandiford indicates that B.C.'s hunting regulations can, and often do, change mid-season. Keep in mind that it is the hunter's responsibility to know the rules … Sandiford urges hunters visiting the province to please carefully read the British Columbia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis carefully and to check the British Columbia Ministry of Environment's Fish and Wildlife Recreation and Allocation Branch Web site for updates before a hunt. Hunters may access the synopsis online … The ministry's Web site indicates that the B.C. Ministry of Environment annually mails questionnaires to hunters asking them to assist wildlife management by providing details related to their hunting activities … The site indicates that this vital information is used to estimate numbers of hunters, hunter effort, harvest and time of harvest for each game species in each Wildlife Management Unit … In addition to the annual harvest questionnaires, harvest statistics are also collected through the Compulsory Inspection program … The ministry's Web site also reports that in some areas of the province, hunters that take a moose, elk, bison, mule deer, white-tailed deer or black bear are requested to provide a tooth sample. These samples are used to provide age information … Last year the province recorded increased hunting license sales for the first time in a number of years, with over 80,000 licenses sold. According to the ministry Web site, this reversal suggests a renewed interest in hunting and strengthening of the hunting community in B.C. … The site reports that the money generated from license sales goes directly towards wildlife management activities in the province … As one might expect, the Web site reports that the increased numbers of hunters inevitably contributed to and helped to promote stable economies in rural B.C. To that end, hunters spent over $100 million in B.C. on hunting related goods and services last year.