Posted:
Hi Members! For those that were patiently waiting for next year’s memberships to be available, they are now live online. 2026 Memberships purchased prior to December 31st will be valid starting January 01, 2026. The gate code will be changed on January first.
Anyone requiring a 2025 membership prior to January 01, 2026 can contact [email protected].
Posted:
Just a friendly reminder that 2026 memberships are not available until we switch over on November 15th. If you are looking to renew your membership, please wait until the memberships are switched over. We will send out an announcement once the 2026 memberships are available so that folks can get their renewals in before the rush. Stay tuned for updates this weekend!
Posted:
The Okanagan Region of the BC Wildlife Federation (OKBCWF) is pleased to announce that we’re once again offering an incentive program with cool prizes for hunters to submit cervid heads for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) testing. With the threat of CWD on our doorstep, and the latest positive case of CWD being north of Spokane Washington, we need at least 300 samples per year from Region 8 to have confidence that our region is CWD-free.
Thanks to the generous support of our OKBCWF member clubs and Westside Stores, we’re offering a free entry into a random draw for every 2025 Region 8 hunter-harvested cervid (white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, and moose) head that is submitted to an Okanagan drop off location for CWD testing.
The Okanagan’s Regional CWD Coordinator will supply us with all the ear tag serial numbers from CWD samples submitted, from which four lucky winners will be randomly drawn. This will ensure your anonymity, as only contact information will be supplied to OKBCWF for the winners of our draw to be held in early 2026.
Eligible head samples will be collected from Okanagan drop off locations, which can be found at: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/plants-animals-ecosystems/wildlife/wildlife-conservation/wildlife-health/chronic-wasting-disease/cwd-surveillance-and-testing#dropoff or scan the QR code on the poster.
PRIZES:
First prize – Zeiss Terra ED 10×42 binoculars, retail value $800
Second prize – $250 gift certificate to Westside Stores
Third prize – $175 gift certificate to Westside Stores
Fourth prize – $100 gift certificate to westside Stores
Please visit www.westsidestores.ca for store location and to support our generous partner!
Fine print: Winners must answer a skill testing question (don’t worry, it’ll be easy!) and accept the prizes as awarded. There is no fee to enter the draw. Your head sample must be harvested from Region 8 during a lawful 2025 hunting season.
Questions? Contact us at [email protected]
Posted:
Check out the Kelowna Fish & Game Club’s gun show coming up on August 24. See the poster below for details
Posted:
The Okanagan Region of the BC Wildlife Federation are hosting a Chronic Wasting Disease Info Session in July, at the Oceola Clubhouse.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. You do not need to be a member of a club, this information session is open to members of the public as well as club members.
Due to the serious nature of this disease, and the implications on our wildlife, is it extremely important to share information and details on what steps we can all do to help prevent the spread.
There will be presentations, demonstrations, and questions and answer period, followed by a complimentary lunch.
Please share this with your social networks! Come out to the Oceola Clubhouse on July 26th, located at:
11888 McGowan Rd.
Lake Country, BC
For more information, please contact:
Nick Kozub: [email protected]
Jodi McKay: [email protected]
Posted:
This past Saturday (June 14) was another fun day fishing with clients from the Canadian Mental Health Association on Okanagan Lake. A huge thank you to the Vernon Fish & Game Club volunteers who make this event happen, the fishing day is one of their favourite outings.
Posted:
Fishing Day with CMHC – Saturday June 14
A fun day at the lake fishing with the best people you’ve ever met. We could use a couple of volunteers to assist CMHA clients to bait their hooks and cast for fish at Lakeshore Park (near Kin Beach) from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Please call Clint at 250-550-5290 or email [email protected]
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Scoot & Shoot ORV Biathlon – Saturday June 21
You may not fit into the spandex or cross-country ski like you used to so that’s why we’ve invented an ORV Biathlon. Bring your dirtbike, quad or side x side and we provide the rest.
Teams of two compete together for the top score across four stages:
A home cooked lunch is included and there are lots of prizes to be won. A limited number of spots are available for Adult Teams (2 Adults) and Youth Teams (1 Adult and 1 Youth) so find out more and register today on the Vernon Range Day website – www.vernonrangeday.ca
If you’re not able to participate but want to experience Scoot & Shoot, we need a few more volunteers. Please call Clint at 250-550-5290 or email [email protected].
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The Polson Pond Kids fishing weekend will be held for the last time in 2025! It will be run as usual rain or shine, so your children can learn the joy that comes with catching a fish. This is a free event for kids up to the age of 14. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Kids can bring their own fishing rod and tackle, or gear will be provided; all the rods, tackle, including worms and it’s all for free. If you need help, that’s free too. The kids can keep 2 fish each per day and the volunteers will even clean them for you. Nothing like fresh fish for supper.
There is a concession stand where hotdogs, chips, pop or water will be available for lunch.
Huge thank-you to the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, who donate about 1,000 rainbow trout weighing about 3/4 of a pound for the kids to catch.
The fun starts with the cleaning of the Polson Park Duck Pond the Sunday before the big event. Come on down and watch. We start draining the pond about 7 am and then use fire hoses to clean out the bottom of the pond. We want the pond nice and clean for the rainbow trout when they arrive. It is after all, a duck pond, and usually takes 4-5 hours to clean. After a thorough cleaning, we string some nets up in the pond to keep the trout spread out. Once that is done, we close the gates and let the pond fill back up.
Bring in the fish. The Wednesday before, the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC bring in and release 1,000 rainbow trout, each about 10-12 inches long, into the pond. The trout are spread out in the different areas so everyone has a chance to catch fish. These trout are raised by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC at the Summerland hatchery. Check out the hatchery for tour dates and times. The fish are a little confused when they first arrive but recover quickly and start looking for something to eat.
Let the fishing begin. By Saturday morning the fish are hungry and easy to catch. As the afternoon rolls around, especially if it is one of those sunny Okanagan days, the fish start looking for cover and the catching slows down a little. Sunday morning and the fish are looking for breakfast. There are always still lots of fish left to catch and they readily take the hook and worm again. If the kids are having some trouble getting the trout to bite, grab one of the Volunteers. We know a trick or two that may work. We do not want any child to go home without catching a fish.
Sunday April 27th: 7 am to 1 pm – pond cleaning
Wednesday April 30th: usually around noon the fish arrive
Saturday May 3rd: Fishing starts at 9am to 4 pm.
Sunday May 4th: Fishing starts at 9 am to 3 pm.
Check out the Kalamalka Fly Fishers website
Posted:
We’re a few days into the snap Federal Election. The BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) has worked with the National Fishing and Hunting Collaborative (NFHC) on National Priorities for a couple years.
The NFHC is a coalition of twelve organizations representing 375,000 anglers and hunters across Canada.
The NFHC has identified 5 priority issues, and BCWF has added a 6th around DFO/Federal fisheries.
From the NFHC website: “On behalf of our members and all conservationists in Canada, the NFHC requests meaningful commitments to these five priorities from the parties seeking to form the next federal government.”
BCWF has launched this webpage https://bcwf.bc.ca/2025-federal-election/ with the backgrounds and accompanying documents. OFAH has a similar page: https://www.ofah.org/nfhc/
BCWF has also created a ‘cheat sheet’ for clubs and members: https://bcwf.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Election-cheat-sheet-printable.pdf .
We need our club members to engage their MP candidates with the cheat sheet to raise awareness. Also let them know the NFHC sent questions to all parties and we want a response.
Finally, Club members on social media will see that the BCWF/NFHC have launched a series of videos and will continue to do so. Please share and feel free to tag your MP Candidates.
