673;
Good afternoon once more, I still hope you're all well.
Thanks for the interesting take on it from a FN perspective.
While I'm not nearly as connected as you are of course, in any conversations I've had with FN folks on the subject, I'd suggest the majority shared your opinion.
As a "by the way" sort of a question for whenever we get a coffee together or next phone chat, do you know why the Okanagan FN folks didn't hunt bears?
Had a couple of friends who were from local bands but they didn't know why exactly it was they didn't. One was going to ask an elder and get back to me, but unfortunately he succumbed to an illness before we were able to have that chat.
Again this might be something you know, but I want to say that the Woods Cree folks from Saskatchewan ate bear as regularly as they could get it. Muskwa or maybe better phonetically spelled Maskwa is a Cree dialect for bear if I'm not again remembering wrong.
Personally I'm not exactly afraid of them, but more and more I'm wary shall I put it? Some of them don't really take "No" or "Bad Bear" or "You _____ ______" either for that matter to heart, even when delivered with volume and enthusiasm.
Best to you all once more sir.
Dwayne
Good morning! Canada is truly a wonderful country with incredible natural resources but I find it frustrating that the folks in the eastern part of the country make all of the rule affecting those in the west, starting at say Manitoba. To suggest that residents living in or traveling in rural or wilderness areas don't have a right self defense simply contradicts everything part of my being, I simply can't understand such a concept. I was raised by my father and uncles (six of them) who were hunters and believed in self-reliance/defense. I would never consider venturing in grizz territory without a firearm for the same reason that I keep a fire extinguisher in my home.
257Bob;
Good morning to you sir, I hope that this last day of the week has begun in proper fashion and you're getting seasonally appropriate weather in your part of Florida.
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.
As mentioned by greydog who lives many valleys and nearly 8 hours east of us, we are allowed self defense outside of national parks for the most part.
That said, the tools we're able to pull from the tool chest to do that are restricted by folks who have armed security teams and could not conceive in their wildest dreams being solo in the wild, much less facing down a bear in that place.
There was a time when geologists and some guides could apply for what I want to say were called "wilderness carry permits" for handguns, but for those of us unwashed and unimportant folks who just wanted to hike, hunt, pick mushrooms or watch woodpeckers peck, that wasn't granted.
The choices then are to either pack something like a short, light shotgun or carbine or ignore the law and carry something one hopes to never have to use. That's only if that person has jumped through the flaming hoops of handgun ownership up here too of course.
While there are many like me who have worked long and hard and spent time and money attempting to have more logical laws come into play, our current crop in federal power apparently could not give a flying fig if multiple back country users become statistics.
Anyways sir, it is what is for today and regardless of that, I do appreciate your post.
All the best and good hunting.
Dwayne
