Implement general open season for antlerless white-tailed deer in the Cariboo Region

The public is invited to comment on the proposed hunting regulation described below.

Status: Proposed

Region: 5

Management unit (MU): 5-1 to 5-6 and 5-11 to 5-15

Regulation type: General Open Season

Species: White-tailed deer

Closing date: 16:30, March 22, 2024

Decision statement: Pending

Current regulation

Antlerless white-tailed deer harvest in the Cariboo Region is currently managed under LEH only in MUs 5-1, 5-2, and portions of 5-13 and 5-14.  

Proposed regulation

Create new GOS for white-tailed deer:

Species	Management Units	Class	Season Dates	Bag limit
White-tailed deer	5-1 to 5-6 and 5-11 to 5-15	Antlerless	Oct 10 – Oct 31	1
*Youth Only	5-1 to 5-6 and 5-11 to 5-15	Either Sex	Nov 1 – Nov 31

Close LEH seasons for white-tailed deer in Cariboo Region.

Rationale

Limited Entry Hunting seasons for antlerless white-tailed deer were implemented in 2020 in MUs 5-01, 5-02, 5-13 and 5-14.  The new seasons were put in place following feedback from First Nations and hunting stakeholders suggesting that white-tailed deer numbers were increasing in the Cariboo Region and were greatly above historic norms.   Several groups communicated concern regarding possible competition or predator mediated apparent competition with mule deer, possible displacement, and hybridization. White-tailed deer are regularly observed in small numbers throughout many of the region’s Mule deer survey areas along the breaks of the Fraser River and anecdotal information from various stakeholders suggests a much wider distribution throughout portions of the region outside of traditional mule deer survey areas (e.g., Horsefly, Quesnel area, Chilcotin and Bella Coola).

LEH authorization numbers for antlerless white-tailed deer have remained unchanged since the implementation of the Limited Entry Hunting season in 2020, with 200 total authorizations issued per year.  Although interest in the LEH hunt is high, participation appears relatively low with only 120 hunters estimated in 2021 through 2022, a period over which 400 LEH authorizations were issued (Table 1).  Approximately two thirds of the available LEH authorizations go to resident hunters who reside outside the Cariboo Region.

Table 1. Authorizations issued, applicants, estimated hunters and estimated participation in Cariboo Region white-tailed deer limited entry hunts in the Cariboo Region from 2021-2022.

Year	Authorizations Issued	1st Choice Applicants	Estimated Hunters	Estimated Participation (%)
2021	200	2,997	65	32.5%
2022	200	2,835	55	27.5%
TOTAL	400	5,832	120	30%

 

Harvest of antlerless white-tailed deer under the LEH season structure has been low, with an estimated harvest of 5 in 2021 and 3 in 2022.

Both the Thompson and Omineca Regions have open seasons for antlerless white-tailed deer from October 10 – October 31 with youth restricted open seasons from November 1 – November 30.  The proportion of antlerless harvest in those regions has remained relatively low.

Given the low success rates and low harvest that is occurring under the antlerless white-tailed LEH, It is proposed to implement a General Open Season (GOS) for white-tailed deer from October 10 – October 31, with a Youth Restricted Either Sex season in November.  This season structure would align with the antlerless white-tailed seasons currently in place in neighboring Regions 3 and 7A.

Additional information