Five areas off limits to hunters in vehicles after BC wildfires
Posted November 5, 2017 9:20 am.
Last Updated November 5, 2017 9:24 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – BC hunters will have to avoid driving in five more areas this season as conservation officers continue to assess the damage caused by summer wildfires.
The Kootenay areas are near White Bull River, Linklater Creek, Lamb Creek, Soowa Mountain and Island Pond.
The areas, all in the vicinity of Cranbrook, are off limits to hunters using their cars to track down prey.
Cranbrook conservation officer Holger Bohm says while wildfires play an important role in forests and can have a lot of benefits, they also give hunters an unfair advantage.
“The land sight has been increased drastically so animals that were well-hidden in the forest before could now be seen right from the vehicle,” he says.
“It makes hunting quite easy just to drive in there on those brand new roads and you can see an animal from 400 or 500 or 600 metres away. So really what we’re aiming at is setting the burned areas back to what it was like prior to the fires.”
The areas will be closed until at least June. But that doesn’t mean the areas are completely shut off to hunters.
“Walk in, drive in, you just can’t pack your gun when you drive in.”
He says officers will check the affected areas and assess which can reopen and when.
