Unfriendly highway signs in B.C.

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snowhunter

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Along the Trans Canada Highway in Lower Mainland, the highway signs is flashing "rapport poachers and polluters", and along the "Connector" between Merrit and Peachland, some very large and official highway signs states: "No hunting or discharge of firearms within 400 meters of highway".

I therefore appears, that the management of the British Columbia Highway Department is strongly againgst huntig and hunters ?

Since all hunters read and obey the hunting regulations, I see no need for these very public and very negative anti hunters signs, flashed at the general public, especially in the light of that the Bristish Columbia Government wants to recruit another 20000 new hunters, due to the loss of 60 % of B.C. hunters the last 20 years.

It would go a long way for a positive B.C. hunters image, if the B.C. Highway management, stopped using this department, as an anti hunting forum.
 
The sign tells me that the hunters, polluter and poachers are the same.

Why not put sign up in Vancouver, reminding hunters not to hunt and discharge firearms in Stanley Parks ?
 
As far as I'm conserned the first sign has nothing to do with hunting at all. As far as polluters and poachers, They are the same thing. Both are destroying the province that we live in. This sign could actually be taken as pro hunting. With the poaching rate in some parts of the B.C. being quite high, if it's not stopped we're going to see seasons closed do to the game that is lost to these A#$holes. As for the second sign, not all highways in B.C. have the closed area bordering them. To me there's really no differance between these signs and the speed limit signs they post every few K. People know the speed limit, but it's still posted over and over.
 
This is really no big deal the "No hunting or discharge of firearms within 400 meters of highway". It is in the Hunting synopsis and regulation as a rule for hunters to abide by. All I see it is just a reminder to anyone not just hunters but anyone wishing to do some shooting out in the bush that they have to get 400 meters away from any highway. It’s a safety concern not a anti-hunting or shooting campaign, I would hate to be drive the #1 and have bullets hit my car because some moron didn't get of the road far enought to create a safe buffer. I hunt and shoot and in no way see it as being offensive or some to get my knickers in a knot.
 
i don't see that as offensive or anti. if anything it may let the non-shooters and police know the rules and remind them people are allowed to shoot out there.
maybe they should have signs saying you don't need trigger locks to transport a firearm too;)
 
No shooting

A lot of guys don't read the regs too closely , and while most numbered highways and any two lane or greater public road in BC is governed by the no shooting within the road allowance rule, some are under the 400m single projectile rule and the list of "No hunting wihtin 400 m " roads is very short, the Coq. being one of them.

So I'm not surprised they post that.

There's places off the Coq. where you can get off the highway, drive 2km, and because of turns, backtracking and switchbacks, you are still within 400 m of the highway (linearly anyway).
 
Also depends on the type of road...a back logging road does not count as a highway. But common sense still applies.
 
If you are upset with these signs their is a good chance you are imposed by these concepts and feel threatened, these signs are reminders of laws that you and others may forget or ignore and assist enforcement officers when ignorance of the law is used as the excuse for violation..
 
snowhunter said:
The sign tells me that the hunters, polluter and poachers are the same.
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Dude you have a real good imagination! check out this site http://dictionary.reference.com/

In my book a poacher and hunter are at totaly diffrent ends of the spectrum!

And i as alot of you probly know hunters that should be reminded of the hunting near the highway along with other rules and regs

Long ands short in my opinion you sound extremly narrow minded by your quote but that just my opinion
 
I've seen the signs as well and haven't had any negative thought about them...

Due to the majority of what/how our society thinks about hunters/firearms I can see how you feel there is a link...

Don't worry about it... we have had awesome positive coverage in the news lately with how our BC government is promoting hunting...
 
I would have no problems if the highway department posted signs that reads: "Do'nt drink and drive", "keep distance", "slow down" etc.

However, why are the highway department concerned about poacher, polluters and hunters ? ?
 
They actually do post other messages...

Maybe not the ones you gave but the signs always have messages on them...
 
I like seeing the RAPP signs, and our clubs has been installing those and similar signs for years.

The general public doens' tknow what to do when they see a poacher or a polluter, this gies them the information they need to act upon what they have witnessed.
 
Which makes it very easy to make misstakes. To some, anyone with a hunting rifle is a moron, poacher and polluter that should therefore be rapported to the nearest authority.

With the number of drunk driving related dead and cripling of drivers and passenger on our highways, it is beyond my comprehension for the B.C. Highway Department to target hunters, poachers and polluters, instead of the safety of our highways.

There is clearly some, private negative political motivation behind the B.C. Highway Departments concerns in regards to highways signs against hunters, and since human highway deads far outnumber any dead, if any, from poachers and hunters driving along our highways, I fail to see any connection between highway safety and hunting/poaching.
 
The RAPP signs are up here in the Cowichan Valley aswell. To me both signs are not offensive, as the RAPP signs is just encrouaging people to call if they see and poachers or polluters. Its like when 911 came out, there was signs everywhere. Since no one can remember a 1-800 number.

The second one is just a reminder, since in the regs it talks about how far away from highways you have to be in able to discharge a firearm.
 
snowhunter said:
Which makes it very easy to make misstakes. To some, anyone with a hunting rifle is a moron, poacher and polluter that should therefore be rapported to the nearest authority.
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And if you have your tags, hunting licence, PAL and proper firearm paperwork then there is nothing to fear.

If your driving along and a deer goes running accross the road (highway), you decide to park and get out then track the animal, harvest it legally (meaning distance from highway) then drag it back to your vehicle and someone phones the police or CO's, you havent broken any laws.
 
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