Firearms restrictions being proposed in Alberta.

blasted saber you're quite welcome to come to SE Alberta and walk 100 miles of ditches to maybe see one flock of partrige, it's the ONLY cover and the only place you'll find them around our land. Fill your boots.

Letter to Mr. Knight:



Dear Mr. Knight,

I've been following as I can the proposed changes to the draw system, etc. I understand there is steadily more demand for some tags but please don't screw our current, fair system up to placate a small segment of the population that wants to hunt sheep 5 miles from Calgary, elk in the Kananaskis, or a bison.

Today I read of a proposal which would require hunters to have guns and ammo in seperate locked cases while on any improved road. I'm not sure where this would come from other than a problem again close to a city.
Obviously no one suggesting this has thought of partridge/pheasant hunting, as it would eliminate it. In this instance, the only way is to "truck hunt" down here, as you could walk 100 miles of ditches without seeing a single partrige, and that's the only cover.

Also, what about big game hunting down in my neck of the woods, where it is common to drive to an area with brush, get out and walk the brush, then drive to the next area with brush 10 minutes away? Or for that matter up N, where we drive to a cutline, walk the cutline in about a mile and back, then into the truck and drive to the next cutline. What then, get pinched and possibly lose hunting priveleges or guns, or a big fine for a loose round forgotten in the glovebox? I'm not likely to put everything away and take it out 6 times per day when I'm going as little as 2-3 miles between cutlines. Quite frankly it wouldn't allow much time for hunting. There's more to the province than the 30 to 50 miles that surround the cities.
There are already rules in place about shooting a rilfe from a vehicle or a road. Instituting more is just harrasment, or a means to prosecute hunters at will.

We don't "truck hunt" big game, I have always preferred to walk, and I love being out hunting and camping, the further away from a road the better, but I've gotta say, many more things like this to worry about on top of everything else and I'll either hang it up, or more likely just start hunting in different provinces or states where I can get a tag over the counter and there's less hassle and no fear of persecution.

SRD has had just one good improvement after another for the last 20 years. Don't drop the ball on your watch to try to placate a small fraction of hunters or leaseholders who want to make money off of hunting, which, remember, is a Right in Alberta according the the Heritage Act.

I understand these are all just proposals which have been brought forward, and it is impossible to please everyone, but between ramps inevitable long term outcome and the possibility of draws effectively being eliminated and going back to the lottery system where the "good ole boys" get a tag every year and no one else ever gets drawn it really does appear some of these proposals are trying to kill hunting for most Albertans; except of course those who want to hunt sheep 5 miles from Calgary, elk in the Kananaskis, or bison. Guess they're the new, "good ole boys", eh?

thank you for your time,
 
I am not supporting this, and wish that the govt would leave it all alone...

All I am saying is that this law is likely there to target the road hunters... there are thousands of guys driving around rural alberta with a rifle between their legs, and a case of beer behind the seat... I bet we have all been there, and I am surprised that road hunters have gotten away with it for so long.

I guess I am more of a purist and feel a man should put a little effort into his hunting... And sure as heck shouldnt be bragging up his 180 whitetail shot out of his window of his truck from the highway.
 
Oh, I'm with you waderow, nothing I hate more than putting a 2 hr crawling stalk on an animal only to have some truck hunter bounce across the prairie because they spotted you sneaking up on something.

Thing is, there are already rules in place that cover that in the hunting regs. Like everything else, enforce the existing rules and the problem is solved. Knee jerk new rules never have the desired effect, they just make more rules the rest of us have to live with.
 
It is already illegal to shoot from your vehicle or from the road in Alberta, so I don't see how this law will do anything to stop road hunters. All it does is make things unnecessarily difficult for the law abiding hunters.

Here's a great parallel that you can all get behind. This law is like the long gun registry. It will do nothing to stop crime. All it will do is make things more difficult for those who already are responsible and law abiding.
 
Ormachek said:
It is already illegal to shoot from your vehicle or from the road in Alberta, so I don't see how this law will do anything to stop road hunters. All it does is make things unnecessarily difficult for the law abiding hunters.

Here's a great parallel that you can all get behind. This law is like the long gun registry. It will do nothing to stop crime. All it will do is make things more difficult for those who already are responsible and law abiding.
Click to expand...

take one step out of your vehicle and you are legal
fish and game regard the door open and feet on the ground as legal
 
waderow said:
take one step out of your vehicle and you are legal
fish and game regard the door open and feet on the ground as legal
Click to expand...

You have to be off the road, defined as being on the other side of the fence or ditch(if present) If there is no fence or ditch there is a set distance you must be away from the centre of the road(I can't remember the number off the top of my head 15m or something).
 
In a way, I would prefer the road hunters staying where they are.... Out of my way in the bush.
__________________


I totally agree, but I don't need the government making it harder for me to remember the rules and having to consult the regs every time I get into the truck.
 
Ormachek said:
You have to be off the road, defined as being on the other side of the fence or ditch(if present) If there is no fence or ditch there is a set distance you must be away from the centre of the road(I can't remember the number off the top of my head 15m or something).
Click to expand...

on maintained roads, you have to be off the road.... where does this state on the other side of the fence or ditch?
 
waderow said:
on maintained roads, you have to be off the road.... where does this state on the other side of the fence or ditch?
Click to expand...

Section 51 of the of the Wildlife act(you know the reg book isn't a full listing of hunting laws right?) reads as follows:

Firearms on roads
51(1) A person shall not discharge a firearm from, or cause a
projectile from a firearm to pass along or across,
(a) a highway designated as a provincial highway under the
Highways Development and Protection Act, or
(b) any other road that is paved, oiled, graded or regularly
maintained in a municipal district or prescribed area.
(2) In subsection (1), “highway” or “road” includes, as well as the
travelled portion of it, a width of land on either side of the travelled
portion, including the inner 2 sides of a divided highway, that
extends,
(a) if there is a fence parallelling the travelled portion that
separates the adjacent lands from the travelled portion, to
the fence,
(b) if there is an identifiable ditch alongside the travelled
portion and there is no fence separating the travelled
portion from the adjacent lands, to the edge of the ditch
that is further from the travelled portion, or
(c) if there is no such fence or ditch, to a distance of 20 feet
from the edge of the travelled portion,
and also includes the whole of the remaining area between the 2
travelled portions of a divided highway at any location where the
distance between the 2 nearest points on the innermost edges of the
2 travelled portions is less than 200 yards.

So I was wrong when i said the distance was something like 15m from the center. It is 20 feet from the edge is there is no ditch or fence.
 
Any links to this proposed law of locking your gun and ammo while on a maintained road? I'd like to read the fine print on that one, or are they trying to pass yet another law which can be read and understood a thousand different ways?
 
Anyone who thinks this "proposed change" wouldn't affect them is fooling themselves.

I can see at any police check stop or fish cop stop - a perfect opportunity for them to search your vehicle for loose ammunition or guns. I can see it all now - you laying flat on the snowy road while they order you to empty your pockets - check your underwear for a few 22 shells. All while they nervously finger their sidearm as they stare you down....

Or perhaps they do the pat down on you, your kids, your wife or girlfriend or whoever is dumb enough to go hunting, all while you lean up against the fish cop's truck in the classic "position".

As absurd as it sounds - I can actually see them trying to do that. I can see the first constitutional cases now. Did you have the right to phone your lawyer? Did they have probable cause to search your person? your vehicle?

Wow - what a country we got going here!!!!
 
This is one of the proposed changes to the Alberta 2011 hunting regulations. They are making/contemplating making a whole list of changes. Some which will completely change the face of hunting in Alberta if put into place. Presumably these proposed changes were forwarded by, "stakeholders", the list I assume may be here: http://www.mywildalberta.com/join/CommunityStakeholders.aspx

Since these have been forwarded through informal public meetings all information is very sketchy, and personally I never heard of any meetings in our area and can't find anything in print other than third hand stuff on the internet posted by a couple guys who were at one of the meetings.
You won't see any fine print on it anywhere I know of; if it goes through it'll be spelled out in the 2011 reg book.
Since it'd be under hunting regs I don't even know if it has to go past any kind of review?

If it's taken to heart by SRD: http://www.srd.alberta.ca/ it'll simply show up in the regs is how I understand it.

The flip side being since it's currently, a "proposal", I suspect if srd receives a sh$tstorm of opposing letters they'll take it to heart and decide to leave this proposal alone. Mel Knight is the minister in charge of SRD: grandeprairie.smoky@assembly.ab.ca

Anyone who wants to hunt in Alberta also needs to be aware of the proposal to cap all priorities at 6, and after that you go into a lottery.
This is bad, and it appears primarily to placate a very few who want to hunt sheep close to Calgary. (stakeholder hint), Yes, some draws require 6, 7, even 9 priority, but at least you know you WILL be drawn, and while you're waiting you can hunt in other zones. Admitidly things like the bison draw could go to a once in a lifetime lottery like goat, but if everything goes this way within 5 yrs everything will be a lottery.
I don't buy lottery tickets for a reason, not to mention any one old enough to remember the old system knows where the tags went.
 
Had someone pm me about Alberta's previous system.

Here's how it used to work: You would apply for a tag locally, presumably all local tags were put into a bowl and drawn at random by the local reps(fish and game if I remember correctly).

What happened is the local rep and his buddie's got drawn consistantly on a rotating basis and no one else got a tag. Now that is not the "official" version, just what actually happened.

In other words, the "official stakeholders" got tags.

Our priority system is the only system I've heard of that is undeniably and actually fair to all applicants, regardless of their affiliation.
 
Lets start a letter campaign. Print out this info and drop it off at all the gun shops and stores selling hunting tags. Have them get their customers involved. Contact the Wild Rose Party and ask them to step in. You can bet any changes made will be anti-gun and anti-hunting.

They have enough laws as it is now, and all they need to do is inforce them instead of making more.
 
What I've dug up in addition to what has been said. It is the Beef Producers that are proposing this. However they would like themselves exempt so that they can still hunt coyotes uninhibited. They would also like the ability to kick anyone off a maintained road allowance who does not have an MD map in their possession and permission on a surrounding property.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom