Welcome to Hunting & Fishing BC, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columbia and western Canada. I’m Robert Koopmans. I’ve hunted and fished in BC for more than 30 years, and come to love everything about this province and all it has to offer.

This year, I’ve teamed up with Randy Nelson, a retired fisheries officer and a skilled hunter with a lot of wisdom and experience to share. We’re going to chat through the coming months about a wide range of topics related to wildlife, hunting and fishing.

If there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, let us know, we’ll see what we can do. If nothing else, send us an email letting us know how we’re doing. Reach us at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com … 

This week, Randy I talked about changes to B.C.’s hunting regulations that came into effect on July 1. We also talked about upcoming fall hunting plans, as well as Randy’s "fishing trip of a lifetime" to a prime wild lake in northern Saskatchewan...

BCWF membership page — https://bcwf.bc.ca/membership/

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Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send us an email at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com …  I’m Robert Koopmans, thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.

Welcome to Hunting & Fishing BC, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columbia and western Canada. I’m Robert Koopmans. I’ve hunted and fished in BC for more than 30 years, and come to love everything about this province and all it has to offer.

This year, I’ve teamed up with Randy Nelson, a retired fisheries officer and a skilled hunter with a lot of wisdom and experience to share. We’re going to chat through the coming months about a wide range of topics related to wildlife, hunting and fishing.

If there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, let us know, we’ll see what we can do. If nothing else, send us an email letting us know how we’re doing. Reach us at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com … 

Today’s episode is the story of what could have been a new world-record chinook salmon, caught by a BC couple in 2019. It was a monstrous fish estimated to weigh approximately 106 pounds. I say estimated because these anglers released the fish alive instead of killing it, and without a carcass to officially weigh, the current official world record of 97 pound four ounces set in May 1985 remained unchallenged.

Randy spoke to the woman who caught this chinook and while she was happy to share the details of the catch with hm, she didn’t want to chat with us live. Instead, we reached out to James McGregor at Advanced Taxidermy, who was the taxidermist who made a replica of this monster salmon. He shared his perspective about this salmon as well as about catch-and-release fishing, which he agrees is a growing trend.

Lastly, we talked to Ted Walkus, the maager of the Good Hope Cannery Eco-Tourism Lodge in Rivers Inlet in BC. His lodge is heavily involved In efforts to promote and support catch-and-release of big chinook salmon. Ted hopes that catch-and-release for chinook will spread across the BC coast.

But first, Randy and I chatted at length about catch-and-release and was it means to fishing … And just a quick note, this episode was recorded mostly in the spring, which is why you’ll hear us chatting about early season fishing in July… It took a bit of time to get all the bits and pieces for this one together …

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Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send us an email at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com …  I’m Robert Koopmans, thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.

 Links:

James Anderson Advanced Taxidermy — https://www.advancedtaxidermy.com

Ted Walkus Good Hope Cannery Eco-Tourism Lodge — https://goodhopecannery.com

BCWF membership page — https://bcwf.bc.ca/membership/

Welcome to Hunting & Fishing BC, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columbia and western Canada. I’m Robert Koopmans. I’ve hunted and fished in BC for more than 30 years, and come to love everything about this province and all it has to offer.

This year, I’ve teamed up with Randy Nelson, a retired fisheries officer and a skilled hunter with a lot of wisdom and experience to share. We’re going to chat through the coming months about a wide range of topics related to wildlife, hunting and fishing.

If there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, let us know, we’ll see what we can do. If nothing else, send us an email letting us know how we’re doing. Reach us at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com … 

This week, Randy I talked to Greg Anderson and Dan Buffet from BC’s Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. A portion of all hunting and angling licence dollars in BC goes to the HCTF, which uses the money for a wide variety of conservation and land acquisition projects.

We talked to Dan and Greg about the history of the HCTF, how it chooses projects to support, and other related topics.

But first, we talked about an interesting moment I had on the water — a moment that could have been frightening but for some good luck ….

BC HCTF website — https://hctf.ca

BCWF membership page — https://bcwf.bc.ca/membership/

*****

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send us an email at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com …  I’m Robert Koopmans, thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.

Welcome to Hunting & Fishing BC, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columbia and western Canada. I’m Robert Koopmans. I’ve hunted and fished in BC for more than 30 years, and come to love everything about this province and all it has to offer.

This year, I’ve teamed up with Randy Nelson, a retired fisheries officer and a skilled hunter with a lot of wisdom and experience to share. We’re going to chat through the coming months about a wide range of topics related to wildlife, hunting and fishing.

If there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, let us know, we’ll see what we can do. If nothing else, send us an email letting us know how we’re doing. Reach us at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com … 

This week, Randy I had a rambling chat about the terrible choices of spring. With so much opportunity for outdoor activity available this at this time of year — what do you choose to do with your time? 

We also discussed successes and failures we’ve had on recent trips. Both of us have had some great days on our local lakes fishing chironomids for trout. I’ve also been chasing bears with my bow, and despite my best tries, have not been able to find a way to close the deal on a bruin.

We wrap it up with an update on the court case for the two dudes busted for filming a 30-day survival challenge in Banff National Park, a two-hour show they posted on YouTube.

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BCWF membership page — https://bcwf.bc.ca/membership/

*****

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send us an email at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com …  I’m Robert Koopmans, thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.

Welcome to Hunting & Fishing BC, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columbia and western Canada. I’m Robert Koopmans. I’ve hunted and fished in BC for more than 30 years, and come to love everything about this province and all it has to offer.

This year, I’ve teamed up with Randy Nelson, a retired fisheries officer and a skilled hunter with a lot of wisdom and experience to share. We’re going to chat through the coming months about a wide range of topics related to wildlife, hunting and fishing.

If there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, let us know, we’ll see what we can do. If nothing else, send us an email letting us know how we’re doing. Reach us at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com … 

This week, Randy I talked to Toby Tobiasson and Sara Dirienzo from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department about how their state manages hunting and access to wildlife. It’s remarkably different than how it is done here in BC, and most of western Canada.

Randy and I decided the most important difference, however, is in the way they treat the hunting community. Game officials there have regular, meaning conversations with hunters and treat them more like partners.

Today’s chat is a loose continuation of the last episode, which focussed on Limited Entry Hunting and people’s perceptions of the system. The same as last time, Randy and I concluded the number one thing that western Canadian hunters need to do is pay attention to what is happening and be prepared to speak up.

Decisions around hunting and fishing opportunities are often socially or politically based, and groups that speak on behalf of the sporting community become crucial. Groups like the BCWF are a great way for hunters to have their voices counted and heard.

But before we continued our gripe about LEH, Randy and I chatted about our late May outdoors activities

Links:

BCWF membership page — https://bcwf.bc.ca/membership/

*****

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send us an email at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com …  I’m Robert Koopmans, thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.

Welcome to Hunting & Fishing BC, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columbia and western Canada. I’m Robert Koopmans. I’ve hunted and fished in BC for more than 30 years, and come to love everything about this province and all it has to offer.

This year, I’ve teamed up with Randy Nelson, a retired fisheries officer and a skilled hunter with a lot of wisdom and experience to share. We’re going to chat through the coming months about a wide range of topics related to wildlife, hunting and fishing.

If there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, let us know, we’ll see what we can do. If nothing else, send us an email letting us know how we’re doing. Reach us at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com … 

This week, Randy I talked to Jesse Zeman, who is the executive director of the BC Wildlife Federation, about B.C.’s Limited Entry Hunting regulations. The LEH system has been used in B.C. for many years and is designed to balance hunting opportunity against wildlife resources.

Jesse wrote a research paper in 2009 that found 60 per cent of hunters are not happy with the LEH system. His paper also outlined the current system and possible alternatives to the LEH regulations. It’s a complex topic and Jesse has done his homework in regards to the system and how it works.

We also talked about how hunters and anglers can influence government to protect their sports and activities for future generations. The short answer — “join a gang,” said Jesse, such as the BCWF or another group such as Backcountry Anglers of BC or the Wild Sheep Society, to name a few. Being part of a community such as the BCWF carries weight and can significantly influence decisions government make. Decisions around hunting and fishing opportunities are often socially or politically based, and groups that speak on behalf of the sporting community become crucial. 

We also talked about the BCWF’s recent set of resolutions passed at the April convention. The resolutions are full of incredibly valuable recommendations around hunting and fishing in B.C. and everyone should have look to see how the BCWF is working on our behalf.

I’ve included a few links in the show notes to some key documents we discussed in this episode, including Jesse’s research on LEH, and the BCWF’s recent resolutions. Lastly, I’ve included a link to the BCWF’s membership page. For those who have never considered membership — and I was one of them — have a look and think again.  There is value in being engaged and active.

But before we started our gripe about LEH, Randy and I small-talked about the unseasonably cold spring and early season fishing …

Links:

Jesse Zeman’s research paper on LEH in BC — https://bccf.com/sites/default/files/LEHReviewOct2009.pdf

BCWF resolultions passed at the April 2022 convention — https://bcwf.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022-AGM-Resolutions-Submitted.pdf

BCWF membership page — https://bcwf.bc.ca/membership/

*****

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send us an email at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com …  I’m Robert Koopmans, thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.

Welcome to Hunting & Fishing BC, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columbia and western Canada. I’m Robert Koopmans. I’ve hunted and fished in BC for more than 30 years, and come to love everything about this province and all it has to offer.

This year, I’ve teamed up with Randy Nelson, a retired fisheries officer and a skilled hunter with a lot of wisdom and experience to share. We’re going to chat through the coming months about a wide range of topics related to wildlife, hunting and fishing.

If there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, let us know, we’ll see what we can do. If nothing else, send us an email letting us know how we’re doing. Reach us at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com … 

This week, I met up with Jeremy and Kevin to talk about our journey in bowhunting to date. Through the last two seasons, we’ve had a variety of experiences with our bows — some good, and some not so great — and I wanted to see how we all felt about our ongoing commitment to bowhunting.

It was an interesting discussion about hunting, ethics and personal choice. Our chat also shows there is not always a clear path or easy answers, and that hunting is an individual journey that we take based on our own reasons.

Randy was out of town for this chat but joined me later to listen after the fact, and offer some of his thoughts …

*****

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send us an email at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com …  I’m Robert Koopmans, thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.

Welcome to Hunting & Fishing BC, my podcast about fishing, hunting and other wild pursuits in British Columbia and western Canada. I’m Robert Koopmans. I’ve hunted and fished in BC for more than 30 years, and come to love everything about this province and all it has to offer.

This year, I’ve teamed up with Randy Nelson, a retired fisheries officer and a skilled hunter with a lot of wisdom and experience to share. We’re going to chat through the coming months about a wide range of topics related to wildlife, hunting and fishing.

If there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, let us know, we’ll see what we can do. If nothing else, send us an email letting us know how we’re doing. Reach us at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com … 

Today, Randy and I talk with Wes David, the host of Fishing the Wild West TV Show, about his pathway from pro bull rider to host of a popular TV show exploring sport fishing in western Canada. Wes’s show focuses on teaching, conservation and the experience of fishing more than just tactics and gear. 

He says his main motivation for doing the show, now in its seventh season,  is to “help people catch one more fish” as well  meeting people at the boat launch to “talk hunting, fishing, farming and ranching.”

Before our chat with Wes, Randy and I chat briefly about the upcoming season here in BC …

*****

Thanks for listening to this week’s episode. If you want to share a thought, send us an email at bchuntingandfishing@icloud.com …  I’m Robert Koopmans, thanks again, and we’ll catch you next time.