Notice to Hunters
New Study Reveals the Facts
From the BC Ministry of Environment
The Fish, Wildlife & Habitat Management Branch, Thompson-Okanagan Region, is currently working on a collaborative project with the Lillooet Tribal Council & St’at’imc Nation to assess migration ecology and habitat use of mule deer bucks in Management Unit 3-32 and parts of 5-03 and 5-04, west of the Fraser River in the south-central part of the province. Twenty-one (21) mule deer bucks have been GPS collared on spring ranges along the Fraser River, between Lillooet and Empire Valley, and in the Carpenter Lake area during the spring of 2011. Based on previous information from collared deer in these areas, collared bucks may be found throughout these management units during the fall deer season. To facilitate the collection of information, and to maximize the information gained from these bucks, we request that hunters avoid harvesting radio-collared mule deer bucks. Hunters should also be aware that many of the collared bucks were chemically immobilized during capture operations. Health Canada advises that ungulates should not be consumed for a 1 year period following immbolization.
If a collared buck is harvested, we request that the collar be returned to the Ministry Regional office in Kamloops at the following address or contact (250) 371-6250:
Ministry of Forests, Lands and
Natural Resource Operations
Attention: Chris Procter
1259 Dalhousie Drive
Kamloops, BC V2C 5Z5
These particular GPS radio-collars store locations on board in accordance with the schedule programmed prior to collar deployment. As such, it is paramount to retrieve these collars so that data can be downloaded and utilized. Information from this project will be used to inform harvest management strategies for mule deer and the development and design of surveys used to assess the relative abundance of bucks in the deer population. Information gained from this study will have applicability to deer populations throughout the southern interior. If hunters have questions or would like more information, please contact Wildlife Biologist Chris Procter at (250) 371-6250.
Your assistance and support with this project is greatly appreciated.
Thank you
