No plans to change hunting boundaries in Sea to Sky region

No plans are in the works to change the hunting boundaries in the Sea to Sky region. That is the message from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRO) following the shooting of a dog on Crown land.

A petition is currently circulating online that wants to see the hunting boundary moved further away from Highway 99 for hunting between Squamish and Whistler. The call comes after a local therapy dog was accidentally shot by a hunter on a trail near Lucille Lake recently. The petition claims that the dog was shot 200 yards from the highway, and hopes to receive 10,000 signatures before delivering a letter to the Minister of FLNRO, Doug Donaldson on the issue.

From North Vancouver to Squamish 1 kilometre to the east and 400 metres to the west of Highway 99 is designated as a no shooting zone. There are also areas around communities, parks and some lakes that are set aside as no shooting. Shooting restrictions on all numbered highways mean 15 metres either side of the centre line on single lane roads are classified as no shooting areas, while 15 metres from the edge of the paved road on either side is the area on a twinned highway. Lucille Lake is near a twinned portion of Highway 99.

Concerns of allowing hunting in the area have been raised by residents, given the proximity of Lucille Lake to the highway and the increase in recreational visitors to the overall region over recent years.

The Province says that human safety is their top priority and that they act swiftly when a safety concern is identified; the Conservation Officer Service is currently investigating the dog incident. In a statement to Mountain FM the Province says that ‘In most cases, Crown land throughout the province is multi-purpose, and incidents involving hunting and firearms are extremely rare’. Officials also say that ‘hunters need to be aware of their target and what is beyond it, if there is any doubt, don’t shoot’.

There are no signs alerting the public to hunting in the area, as is with most Crown land according to the Ministry; ‘Placing signs in areas of the province where hunting and other outdoor recreation occurs would be cost prohibitive’. Members of the public are advised to take safety precautions when walking on Crown land, such as keeping dogs on a leash or under control and making themselves visible and heard. It’s also recommended that dogs be outfitted with hi-vis or other markings to make them visible.