Morning ATV hunting closed areas

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

Status: Proposed

Region: 7A

Management unit (MU): 7-24 to 7-29

Regulation type: Motor Vehicle Prohibition

Species: All

Closing date: 16:30, March 22, 2024

Decision statement: Pending

Current regulation

Time of day and seasonal ATV for hunting closures exist in MUs 7-7 to 7-15. There are currently no ATV closures in MUs 7-24 to 7-29.

Proposed regulation

Add MUs 7-24 to 7-29 to the seasonal/time of day hunting closures in MUs 7-7 to 7-15:

◆ ATVs for Hunting Closed Areas

MUs 7-7 to 7-15, 7-24 to 7-29

◆ 4:30 am to 8:00am from Aug 15 - 31

◆ 5:30 am to 9:00am from Sept 1 - 30

◆ 6:30 am to 10:00am from Oct 1 to Nov 15

Rationale

Management units 7-24 to 7-29 are currently undergoing significant changes with wildfire and industrial access, and overall road density has increased. Morning ATV closures already exist in WMUs 7-07 to 7-15 to enhance hunting experience (same times as proposed for WMUs 7-24, 7-25, 7-26, 7-27, 7-28, and 7-29).

The morning ATV closures require hunters to access areas without ATVs, reducing associated noise and traffic for other hunters and people in the area. The morning closures still allow hunters to retrieve game later in the day using ATVs to reduce potential for meat wastage. This also means that hunters can access areas and harvest animals in the same areas they would hunt if they required ATV access, just not in the morning, avoiding a disruptive early morning ‘rush hour’ of ATV traffic. This proposal does not reduce hunter opportunity directly but would make it more challenging for hunters accustomed to using ATVs (hunters without access to ATVs would not be affected or would benefit from the reduced disturbance). There may be some additional benefit to reduced crowding of ATV-based hunters in the morning.

Additional information