Posts by: Vernon Fish & Game Club

March 20, 2024

The Okanagan Region BC Wildlife Federation is having a General Meeting this Saturday, March 23rd.  The meeting will be held at the Kinsmen CPR Building in Penticton.

During this meeting there will be a presentation on invasive mussels, given by an Inspector with the BC Conservation Officer Service. The Vernon Club has appointed delegates that attend these meetings on behalf of the club, but the meetings are open to all club members. 

Members are encouraged to attend the meeting and listen to the presentation!  This is a very important topic that will impact the entire Okanagan if/when these invasive mussels reach our waterways. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the topic, and ask questions.

The meeting details are below; if you have any questions, please reach out to Alison at [email protected].  

Date: Saturday March 23, 2024
Time: 09:00am
Location: 216 Hastings Ave, Penticton, BC

If you decide to stay for the entire meeting, please note that $10 cash will be required for lunch.  We hope to see our club members on Saturday!

Click the link below for the recently published technical report from the Ministry titled “A Review of Cougar Biology and Management in BC”.

A Review of Cougar Biology and Management in BC

The Ministry wildlife biologists in Penticton are reaching out with a citizen science opportunity, for BCWF members to help inventory the cougar population in the Boundary (MU 8-14) this winter.

We are using a DNA mark-recapture technique to sample as many individual cougars as possible within the study area from now until March 2024. The majority of DNA samples come in the form of hair that is shed as cougars travel through the snow. It might sound unlikely, but it is actually quite easy to collect cougar hair by simply following their tracks. At the end of the winter we will genotype all samples to identify the individual cougars they came from, and the ratio of unique individuals that are sampled compared to individuals that are resampled multiple times provides a population estimate.

If anyone is interested in volunteering, all they have to do is drive, sled, ski, snowshoe, or hike anywhere they wish in MU 8-14 to search for cougar tracks. If tracks are located then they can follow them in either direction to collect hair (ideally around 10 strands), place the sample in a paper envelope labelled with the date and location, and get the samples to me before March. Folks can collect samples whenever they like and can start anytime. Every sample makes a huge difference and even a couple extra samples collected by volunteers through the winter will improve the population model considerably.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the project, please contact:

TJ Gooliaff, MSc, RPBio

A/Wildlife Section Head
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship | Thompson-Okanagan Region
102 Industrial Place, Penticton BC, V2A 7C8

Phone: 778-622-6843 | Email: [email protected]

The Okanagan Region of the B.C. Wildlife Federation (OKBCWF) and Westside stores have teamed up to offer an incentive program to encourage hunters to submit cervid heads for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) testing.

Support CWD monitoring and increase confidence that Region 8 remains CWD free.

For each hunter-harvested cervid (white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose) head you submit to a designated Okanagan drop off location, you’ll receive one free entry into a random draw for cool prizes!

Prizes:

• First prize – Zeiss Terra ED 10×42 binoculars, retail value $750
• Second prize – $250 gift certificate to Westside Stores
• Third prize – $175 gift certificate to Westside Stores

Learn more about the contest rules, procedure, and fine print here: OKBCWF CWD Incentive Program 2023 V1.1

Please visit www.westsidestores.ca for store location and to support our generous partner!

Contact OKBC[email protected] with any questions!

The South Okanagan Sportsmen’s Association (SOSA) in Oliver, BC presents their 76th annual turkey shoot on Sunday, December 10th at 9am. Guests are welcome to attend! For more information, please reach out to the SOSA club.

352 Sportsmen’s Bowl Road,
Oliver, BC, Canada
V0H 1T5

www.okanagansportsmen.com

Clink here for the fall update for the Southern BC Cougar Project.

All members are encouraged to attend the General Meeting on November 21, 2023. The meeting will be held in the Sunset Room at the Vernon Rec Center Auditorium, starting at 7pm.

There will be a brief general meeting, followed by a presentation and information session on Chronic Wasting Disease. This presentation is for the benefit of our members and we would like to see as many people as possible show up!

Chronic Wasting Disease is a devastating disease for our ungulate populations. The purpose of the presentation is to educate our members and learn what steps the province is taking, and what we can do as individuals. Everyone is welcome to attend and questions will be welcomed following the presentation.

All memberships are from January 1st to December 31st.
2023 memberships expire on December 31, 2023.

2024 memberships are now available online. New membership forms will be available at Del Selin’s Gunsmith, Kenkraft Sales and Meier’s Building Products.

A valid 2024 membership will be required to continue to enjoy membership benefits including insurance coverage and access to the range after December 31st.

If you require a 2023 membership (expires December 31, 2023) please contact [email protected]

Membership Benefits

• Membership in the BC Wildlife Federation, the largest and longest standing conservation group in BC
• $2,000,000 Excess Third Party Liability Insurance including ATV use for hunting or fishing (for more information please see BCWF Membership Info, scroll to the bottom of the page for Frequently Asked Questions)
• Subscription to BC Outdoors Magazine
• Reduced rates at major hotels, and other special pricing discounts
• Extra ATV coverage for pleasure use available at nominal cost

Please Note:
All individuals who use an ATV for hunting or fishing purposes are required to carry a certificate of insurance with them at all times. Members must carry their Vernon Fish and Game Club membership card as well as their current BC Wildlife Federation membership card to provide proof of ATV liability insurance.

2024 VFGC Memberships available on November 15th