Members of the Conservation Officer Service were conducting yet another road check in Quesnel on Friday.
“We’ve seen quite a few loaded firearms in vehicles so far,” says Sgt. Jeff Tyre of the Conservation Officer Service Cariboo Chilcotin region adding that there’s some confusion on the new tag system.
“Hunters aren’t actually issued a hunting license anymore. It’s all electronic and they’re issued tags, so it’s a new system. There are some bugs to be worked out; people aren’t familiar with it.”
Tyre says other than that it’s the normal charges they see this time of year when it comes to road checks which include animals without evidence of sex and species attached, and fish without heads and filleted leaving COS unable to distinguish the species and length of the fish.
Tyre calls it a busy time of year and adds that if they are not patrolling and checking hunters they are dealing with human-wildlife conflict.
Nuisance bears are being reported in garbage cans and fruit trees.
“We’re just asking the public to pick their fruit and only put out their garbage cans when they’re there for pickup..If there are no attractants then the bears move on and hopefully move on to their natural food sources outside of town.”
A cougar meanwhile that was getting too comfortable with people and coming out during the daylight hours was removed last week from the Fox Mountain area according to Tyre. He says that the COS is currently keeping their eye out for a cougar in the 100 Mile House area that has attacked some miniature horses.