Editor’s note: This is a copy of a letter sent to Whistler’s mayor and council, Lil'wat Nation/Mount Currie council and Squamish Nation council.
First, I'd like to clear up some erroneous and misleading information regarding bowhunting in Whistler that was included in the recent newspaper articles, then I'll make some comments regarding hunting. The Pique article included a photo of a mother bear and her two cubs with the caption: "Under current rules, this family of bears is vulnerable to crossbow hunting." This is completely false. It is unlawful to hunt any bear less than two years old or any bear in its company. I also read that "the wounding rate for animals shot by bows is significantly higher and they often suffer slow and agonizing deaths." What actual statistical evidence is being used to support this claim? Modern bowhunters are generally very efficient and humane, and suggesting that it is common that deer or bear are being wounded and left to die agonizing deaths simply isn't true.
I saw it stated that bowhunting is a "huge safety risk for residents and visitors" and this is also false. There is no evidence to support any claims that bowhunting is a safety risk for pedestrians or cyclists also using the area. In fact, bowhunting has been used extensively as a wildlife management tool in eastern parts of North America in and around suburban areas because it poses such a small risk. In all of Canada, incidents of bowhunters shooting other outdoor enthusiasts is virtually non existent.
Every day the Whistler Medical Clinic receives patients that have injuries (or even deaths) from mountain biking, skiing, boarding, bar fights, motor vehicle accidents etc. Has there ever even been a patient in Whistler due to a bowhunting mishap? I have been working in Whistler for 24 years and I've never heard of a bowhunter shooting a cyclist or hiker. Clearly, the most dangerous activity in Whistler is not and never has been hunting, and there is no evidence to support banning bowhunting would make Whistler a safer place. Although banning biking, snowboarding and driving cars might!
The main big game species hunted in the Sea to Sky corridor are blacktail deer and black bear. Both deer and black bear are plentiful in this area. Hunters take a relatively small amount of animals and there is no conservation concern for these species populations. Both of these species provide excellent, free range, unmedicated, organic meat to hunters’ families. Both species have meat retention regulations: There is no strictly "trophy" hunting of these animals; all the meat must be retained. We hear quite a bit about "sustainability" in Whistler, and hunting wild game for food is possibly the most sustainable method of obtaining food in Whistler!
Hunting in the Sea to Sky corridor has been taking place for a very long time. First Nations people have used the area constantly for centuries and still do. There are relatively few bowhunters that hunt around the edges of the RMOW (I've never seen a hunter at Lost Lake and I don't expect to). There is no evidence to show bowhunters are any sort of risk to the public, and suggestions that bowhunting is a huge safety risk should be viewed with a great degree of scepticism because of this. There is no conservation concern for deer or bear in the Sea to Sky area. Rather than a discussion of banning bowhunting, instead it should be encouraged as a sustainable method of obtaining the very best healthy, organic meat for your family.
A little education and some signage for hunters and all other user groups can go a long way toward mutual understanding, and would be a preferable route to take rather than banning an activity under very questionable pretences. The Pemberton Wildlife Association would be happy to help implement an education plan endorsed by Whistler Council.
Clarke Gatehouse
President, Pemberton Wildlife Association
