With covid travel bans , outfitters might.take a huge hit

Ardent said:
Classy way to put it buddy. I’ll explain it, and how you take it will let me know a lot about you and I enter this conversation with an open mind. I’m the mid thirties father of three owner of Wild Coast.

In 2017 the government closed our grizzly hunt in one move which was half my family business. The compensation offered amounted to less than one single Grizzly hunt.

In 2018 our other quotas were reduced without consultation, which we now relied on to move forward. This also needless to say hits the value of the territory, hard.

Our family home is mortgaged to the maximum allowable to own and run my operation.

We received an offer from Raincoast, which owns most of the territories in our region we’re by no means close to the first in this situation, that keeps hunting open for residents of BC but would close us to non-resident hunting. I’ll remain open for fishing guiding and the like which is an ever growing proportion of the business anyhow, and far more sustainable rule wise.

Weighing the possibility of losing our home with continued downward quota reductions or closures we have no say in, and the area still being open to residents we decided to accept. Had we not one of our other neighbours would have received the deal. With current events there’s a very good chance it won’t sell now, and that’s alright will be a wild ride with current events and unknown future quota moves.

For me personally I can’t put our family home all on red with the government moves on the principle of non-resident hunting in BC. At this point in life we’re better to transition out big game hunting with non-residents and hunt with my kids and friends, and guide more fishing and tours as no territory ownership and a fraction of the financial risk and investment is required.

If you’d put your house and family on the line, I can’t fault you, but I can assure you the considerations are heavier than your one sentence inquiry makes them seem. And in the end, likely will still be going, just not in 2020 due to Covid-19, as I doubt fundraising for the purchase will go well in the current economic climate. We all have bigger concerns in 2020.
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Angus,

i do not think you owe us an explanation about yur life and the way you direct it especially when it is impacting your family.

im very sorry to see you had to.

i wish you the best for what is coming soon.

Phil
 
Ardent said:
Classy way to put it buddy. I’ll explain it, and how you take it will let me know a lot about you and I enter this conversation with an open mind. I’m the mid thirties father of three owner of Wild Coast.

In 2017 the government closed our grizzly hunt in one move which was half my family business. The compensation offered amounted to less than one single Grizzly hunt.

In 2018 our other quotas were reduced without consultation, which we now relied on to move forward. This also needless to say hits the value of the territory, hard.

Our family home is mortgaged to the maximum allowable to own and run my operation.

We received an offer from Raincoast, which owns most of the territories in our region we’re by no means close to the first in this situation, that keeps hunting open for residents of BC but would close us to non-resident hunting. I’ll remain open for fishing guiding and the like which is an ever growing proportion of the business anyhow, and far more sustainable rule wise.

Weighing the possibility of losing our home with continued downward quota reductions or closures we have no say in, and the area still being open to residents we decided to accept. Had we not one of our other neighbours would have received the deal. With current events there’s a very good chance it won’t sell now, and that’s alright will be a wild ride with current events and unknown future quota moves.

For me personally I can’t put our family home all on red with the government moves on the principle of non-resident hunting in BC. At this point in life we’re better to transition out big game hunting with non-residents and hunt with my kids and friends, and guide more fishing and tours as no territory ownership and a fraction of the financial risk and investment is required.

If you’d put your house and family on the line, I can’t fault you, but I can assure you the considerations are heavier than your one sentence inquiry makes them seem. And in the end, likely will still be going, just not in 2020 due to Covid-19, as I doubt fundraising for the purchase will go well in the current economic climate. We all have bigger concerns in 2020.
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That sucks even more.... good luck to you on your future endeavors.
 
Thanks guys :)

I can say it was the hardest decision of my life, for sure, literally got grey hair over it. Also for background I haven’t even seen the Alberta forum thread and don’t plan to as I know the details better than any, but I bet I know a chief instigator in that discussion and he used to own the territory. I wish him all the best and he planned a transition to ecotourism and even had a business incorporated up for it. I fully support it I do however find some of the attacks bizarre given the planned direction he had. I respect him and wish his family the best they are good people, but there’s some typical human factors.

In the end, doesn’t look likely to proceed, so we’ll continue to modernise and slowly move towards less at risk activities, cabins, fishing and the like, is the plan. This whole 2020 makes any kind of planning meaningless.
 
Ardent said:
Classy way to put it buddy. I’ll explain it, and how you take it will let me know a lot about you and I enter this conversation with an open mind. I’m the mid thirties father of three owner of Wild Coast.

In 2017 the government closed our grizzly hunt in one move which was half my family business. The compensation offered amounted to less than one single Grizzly hunt.

In 2018 our other quotas were reduced without consultation, which we now relied on to move forward. This also needless to say hits the value of the territory, hard.

Our family home is mortgaged to the maximum allowable to own and run my operation.

We received an offer from Raincoast, which owns most of the territories in our region we’re by no means close to the first in this situation, that keeps hunting open for residents of BC but would close us to non-resident hunting. I’ll remain open for fishing guiding and the like which is an ever growing proportion of the business anyhow, and far more sustainable rule wise.

Weighing the possibility of losing our home with continued downward quota reductions or closures we have no say in, and the area still being open to residents we decided to accept. Had we not one of our other neighbours would have received the deal. With current events there’s a very good chance it won’t sell now, and that’s alright will be a wild ride with current events and unknown future quota moves.

For me personally I can’t put our family home all on red with the government moves on the principle of non-resident hunting in BC. At this point in life we’re better to transition out big game hunting with non-residents and hunt with my kids and friends, and guide more fishing and tours as no territory ownership and a fraction of the financial risk and investment is required.

If you’d put your house and family on the line, I can’t fault you, but I can assure you the considerations are heavier than your one sentence inquiry makes them seem. And in the end, likely will still be going, just not in 2020 due to Covid-19, as I doubt fundraising for the purchase will go well in the current economic climate. We all have bigger concerns in 2020.
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Congrats on the sale, big relief I'd bet!
 
Ardent said:
Thanks guys :)

I can say it was the hardest decision of my life, for sure, literally got grey hair over it. Also for background I haven’t even seen the Alberta forum thread and don’t plan to as I know the details better than any, but I bet I know a chief instigator in that discussion and he used to own the territory. I wish him all the best and he planned a transition to ecotourism and even had a business incorporated up for it. I fully support it I do however find some of the attacks bizarre given the planned direction he had. I respect him and wish his family the best they are good people, but there’s some typical human factors.

In the end, doesn’t look likely to proceed, so we’ll continue to modernise and slowly move towards less at risk activities, cabins, fishing and the like, is the plan. This whole 2020 makes any kind of planning meaningless.
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You did the right thing. Your family must be your first and only concern. Anyone that doesn't understand that is a moron. However it ends, don't question your decision. You did what you thought was best given the information and circumstances at the time. Best of luck to you.
 
hawk-i said:
Congrats on the sale, big relief I'd bet!
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Probably isn’t happening now as it’s based on fundraising and that’s not likely to occur now with current world events, but I view either direction as new opportunity. I positively love where outfitting has taken me and positively dread constantly being at the whim of decisions you have no part in, that never go your way. Either way I’ll always find ways to be out where I love being.
 
Whoa man I wasn't meaning to come off as a #### with my post. I guess I could have said "hey I heard you sold your outfitting business to a conservation society"
My apologies for not wording it in a better manner. I was only posting to ask the question in reference to the AO thread. I wouldn't blame a guy for selling a business if the business couldn't more forward and getting out while the gettin' is good.
 
frabill said:
http://outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=360855

Here is the thread, give it a read, I don't know who from AO is on CGN but you could always sign up and ask some Q's about it.
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All good frabill and don’t mind if I bristled there, I just had my first look at the thread, it’s not what I expected and I got a little agitated too quickly as it’s a sore subject. The fellow I mention I didn’t see there in the first few posts, jumped to conclusions though I only went a few posts in.

Thank you Kamlooky, Papclaude and everyone commenting my thoughts are with everyone right now. If nothing else the government has bigger fish to fry now than the outfitting industry for quite some time.

Frankly I think every Canadian is in the same boat right now, which may have unexpected positive outcomes after this all passes
 
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Papaclaude said:
You did the right thing. Your family must be your first and only concern. Anyone that doesn't understand that is a moron. However it ends, don't question your decision. You did what you thought was best given the information and circumstances at the time. Best of luck to you.
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Agree 100%. Many of us are in a similar boat regardless if outfitters or small business owners. In two months one watches what took them years to built be lost or best case be lucky they can even reopen again and their plans gone :(
Oh well we will start again in our case
All the best Ardent and to all
 
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