Implement mountain goat limited entry hunting (LEH) in zone 5-15E

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

Status: Proposed

Region: Region 5, Cariboo

Management unit (MU): 5-15

Regulation type: Limited Entry Hunting

Species: Mountain goat

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

Current regulation:

Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis (PDF, 13MB)

General open season:

Proposed regulation:

Amendment to Mountain Goat closed area in MU 5-15 (Map E23 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis (PDF, 13MB)), and adding this area as a new LEH hunt. Consult map (PDF, 441KB).

Rationale:

The Mitchell-Matthew Mountain Goat Population Management Unit (PMU) has always been remote and difficult to access therefore it has historically been managed through General Open Season (GOS). Survey history for this area includes partial flights conducted between 1984 to 1989 and a complete aerial inventory in 2022 for the whole Mitchell-Matthew PMU.

The Mitchell-Matthew PMU was surveyed following Resources Information Standards Committee (RISC) standards in August 2022. The survey produced a count of 102 mountain goats. A sightability correction factor of 1.43 (assumes 70% of the mountain goats were observed) was applied to the total number of mountain goats counted, resulting in a population estimate of 145 individuals in the Mitchell-Matthew population management unit.

The Mitchell PMU has always been managed under a GOS, except for an area around Mount Spranger that was closed to hunting between 1984 to 2014 due to increased access from logging. In 2023, extensive logging began in the areas of Mount Spranger and Mount Ispha creating easy access for goat hunting. We are looking to replace the GOS with LEH in the areas most accessible to goat hunting.

The provincial Mountain Goat Harvest Management Procedure, section 2.9.3 describes how one of the most pervasive threats of increased access is associated with development for industrial purposes (logging). Access from industry can facilitate increased hunting activity. Liberal harvest regulations, like GOS, combined with increased access can result in massive overharvest.  In section 3.2.1, it states that mountain goat populations with less than an estimated 50 adults (non-kids) should not be hunted due to population viability concerns. While this PMU is technically much larger than the area being proposed for LEH, the connectivity of the entire PMU is unknown.

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