Implement mountain goat limited entry hunting (LEH) in zone 5-12A

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

Status: Proposed

Region: Region 5, Cariboo

Management unit (MU):  5-12

Regulation type: Limited Entry Hunting 

Species: Mountain goat

Closing date: February 13, 2026 at 4:30 pm PT

Current regulation:

There is currently no LEH in 5-12 for mountain goat.

Proposed regulation:

Implement a new September 1 to October 31 (consistent with all other goat LEH in region) mountain goat LEH in the vicinity of Itcha Ilgachuz Park. Consult map (PDF, 230KB).

Rationale:

The population estimate for the Itcha-Ilgachuz mountain goat herd is a minimum of 339 and has been stable or increasing for the past two decades. In 1998 the population estimate was 16.

We are proposing to open a LEH given the size of the population of the Itcha-Ilgachuz mountain goat population management unit (PMU). The provincial Mountain Goat Harvest Management Procedure, section 3.2.2 Harvest Management indicates a population the size of the Itcha-Ilgachuz can sustain the maximum harvest rate recommended of 4%. This PMU is surveyed regularly, usually every one to two years in conjunction with caribou surveys.

Mountain goats have been observed travelling between the Itchas and Ilgachuz, and goats also seem to be dispersing to Nazko, Alexis Creek and the Fraser River. They have been consistently observed in many areas across the Chilcotin demonstrating that the Itcha-Ilgachuz herd is not as isolated as previously thought.

The terrain here is not comparable to anywhere else in the region. Hunting does occur within Itcha Ilgachuz Park provincial park. No hunting would be permitted within the Ilgachuz Range Ecological Reserve and the Itcha range. The Itcha range would be kept as a refugia from hunting.

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