Sunday, March 31, 2013

Frans on Pack Dogs

See what pack dog user Frans Diestraten has to say about dogs in grizzly country.


Pack dogs in grizzly bear country make a lot of sense. Here's a photo of my trail buddy. Not only does he provide an early warning system, with his senses that are a lot sharper than mine, he also is a great deterrent when an encounter with a bear occurs. Bears don't like dogs. Experiences from other provinces and territories, by people who live in grizzly country for a large part of the year, have demonstrated this. These dogs are generally good-natured, well-behaved and thoroughly trained. A dog that runs off, chases game, and otherwise makes a nuisance of itself would be counterproductive for a hunter. Yet having a packdog with you during hunting season is illegal in Alberta.

Please write to our Minister of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development Diane McQueen (ESRD.Minister@gov.ab.ca) if you agree with me that packdogs should be allowed in Alberta.
 
 
 

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Silver Willow Taxidermy

We just got this note from Curtis Fischer of Silver Willow Taxidermy. We here at Outdoor Quest TV are all very proud of him.

Hey all,
I just got back from the Montana Competition this past weekend. I got a third place ribbon in Masters as well as Taxidermist Choice Best of Show White-tail and Montana Outfitters Association Choice Award. This is my own deer from this past fall.
Thanks,
Curtis




Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Let's Go Outdoors

Just did an interview with Michael Short regarding pack dogs in Alberta. I want to thank Michael for this opportunity to share my message and encourage everyone to catch Let's Go Outdoors this weekend and to keep the pressure on McQueen to end this injustice!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Please Send Emails

I'm asking all my Alberta friends for help today. If you support the idea of hunters being able to be accompanied by pack dogs in the mountains please take a few minutes to express your desire to Diana McQueen, Minister of Environment Sustainable Resource Development at draytonvalley.devon@assembly.ab.ca

Below is a sample of an email you may wish to send or feel free to send your own thoughts.... Please pass this message along to your friends as well. We can make a difference but it will take a lot of public pressure and letters are the key. Please take a moment to email and ask all your friends and family members to do the same.

Dear Honourable Diana McQueen:

I support the 2011 resolution put forth by the Alberta Fish and Game Association to permit Alberta hunters to be accompanied by pack dogs. I understand these dogs are used strictly for packing and are not permitted to chase, harass, pursue or track game. I urge you to expedite this change and not allow it to become further mired down in bureaucracy.

Respectfully,

Your name
Your phone number

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Pack Dogs Again


My latest attempt at getting ESRD’s attention. Please take the time to write your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Honourable Diana McQueen:

 

At the 2011 Alberta Fish and Game Association convention, a resolution was passed by the membership and passed along to ESRD to allow the use of pack dogs in Alberta. While I won't go into too much detail in this letter regarding pack dogs, basically they are used as a beast of burden much as a horse is and aid primarily mountain hunters in packing their gear in and game out. They are in no way used to chase, pursue or track game. Their only purpose is to be a pack animal. There is considerable evidence from BC, Yukon Territory and NWT that their presence in remote hunting camps also greatly reduces human/grizzly conflict. Currently, Alberta is the only mountain jurisdiction in North America that does not permit their use. According to your own department, the current wording in the Wildlife Act is not intended to prohibit the use of pack dogs, yet it does. There has been historical use of pack dogs by hunters in the province as well but the confusing wording in the Wildlife Act makes this a very grey area.

 

During the course of the past two and a half years I have done extensive research into the use of pack dogs and the laws regarding them in other jurisdictions in North America and supplied this to previous Ministers of ESRD and to your senior staff. I have not passed this along to you because I was lead to believe that your staff was working to rectify this law to permit the use of pack dogs but was unpleasantly surprised to learn that basically nothing had been done despite constant reassurance that it was being worked on. I'd be happy to supply you with the considerable research I've done on pack dogs as well as an award-winning column I did on the subject for Alberta Outdoorsmen magazine.

 

Everyone seems to agree that pack dogs should be permitted in Alberta yet there seems to be no will by your staff to bring the change to fruition. The latest excuse I was given was that it would be a lot of work to change the regulation. I find this a bit confusing as I was under the impression that your staff was paid to work. I find this excuse completely unacceptable as a tax-paying citizen of Alberta. I've gone so far as to hire an articling student and retain a lawyer to help me better understand the process of changing hunting regulations in Alberta and their opinion is that this could be done without opening the Wildlife Act but your senior staff seems to disagree. If indeed your staff is correct, I appreciate that it will require extensive work to make it happen but I still can't accept the fact that it's too much work to correct an obvious flaw in the system. A legitimate user group is being excluded from Alberta's backcountry yet your staff feels it would be too much work to make things right. To me, that seems wrong.

 

I look forward to receiving your thoughts on this subject.

 

Yours truly,

 

T.J. Schwanky

 

 

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Snowy Day

Pretty nasty looking outside today....good day to stoke up the wood stove and get a little editing done on Outdoor Quest TV. I need to get my presentation put together for SCI Northern Chapter as well. I'm presenting at their speakers' series on Tuesday evening. Hope to see a few of you there....I'll be featuring our trip to Argentina.