Ever since any buck season opened for mule deer on Oct. 1 the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Officer Services has been busy with many complaints about night hunting and people hunting unlawfully on private property.
“The numbers are comparable to other years with ongoing issues we see every year. We are receiving complaints from all around Williams Lake anywhere you can imagine that people can drive,” Sgt. Len Butler said. “A number of fines have been issued to a number of hunters.”
Every single patrol finds hunters in non-compliance, he added.
There are also complaints of firearm violations, including loaded firearms inside vehicles and people shooting firearms from inside their vehicles.
“Those laws have been around forever and people think they are getting an advantage,” Butler said.
At road blocks, officers are witnessing a high influx of LEH moose hunters who have hunted outside the region and they are finding many of them are not complying with rules around sex determination.
“Hunters must leave evidence of the sex of the moose so we can identify the animal if it is skinned, if there is no head or identifying features,” Butler explained. “We are encountering a number of those situations on the highway coming through.”
During this Thanksgiving weekend, the public can expect to see the COS out in full force with the possibility of roadblocks and putting multiple trucks in areas to try and hit different areas harder.
“It’s always a busy weekend for us,” he said. “There are many good hunters out there who follow the rules and are doing the right thing, but hunting at night come on? Not only is it unsafe, it’s one of the most unethical things people can be doing.”
Aside from hunting enforcement, the COS is still chasing black bears that are staying around garbage and trees, he added.