One avid local hunter has spent years advocating for man’s best friend to join their big-game hunting masters in action and despite a lack of government response and follow-through, T.J. Schwanky said he is not quitting.
A Cochranite for 28 years and a life-long hunter, Schwanky has been actively fighting what he said is outdated provincial legislation that does not permit pack dogs to accompany big-game hunters for several years.
Schwanky got in touch with the Eagle, with reference to the Sept. 7 bear attack in Kananaskis that took the life of 54-year-old Calgary hunter Rick Cross.
“It gives me no pleasure to write to you on the occasion of the tragic passing of Mr. Cross and while many of Alberta’s hunters could say that they told you so, it brings no pleasure to any of us to do that,” said Schwanky in a recent letter to Minister Robin Campbell.
He continued on in his letter to suggest that perhaps had Cross been allowed to have the accompaniment of a trained pack dog, the dog may have been able to reduce the human/bear conflict.
“I have yet to find a documented case where a human has been mauled by a bear where a trained pack dog has been present,” said the owner of five-year-old border collie and trained pack dog Jet.
Schwanky, dubbed the ‘sheep hunter’, is a well-known columnist for publications such as Alberta Outdoorsmen, The Outdoor Edge and Western Sportsman is also the host of Canada’s longest running hunting TV series, Outdoor Quest TV on Wild TV.
All other provinces, territories and states in North America where mountain hunting opportunities exist permit pack dog use by big game hunters.
Bird hunters are permitted accompaniment by bird dogs within the province; cougar hounds are also permitted during open big game seasons.
Schwanky said that hunters who advocate for pack dog use in Alberta are largely in support of laws that prohibit dogs from chasing or harassing animals; that the legislation was somehow changed over the last 100 years from its original intent to prevent the use of pursuit dogs to include pack dogs; and that the use of non-pursuit dogs by hunters has been documented across the world as substantially reducing human/bear conflict.
With the backing of the largest provincial hunting group — the Alberta Fish and Game Association (more than 30,000 strong) — Schwanky said the association has championed the cause and they have been advised by two ministers, Robin Campbell and Diana McQueen, that the legislature needs to be changed, yet actual change remains to be seen.
McQueen referred to the issue of changing legislation around the use of pack dogs at the April 15, 2013 Alberta Legislature as ‘a no brainer’.
Campbell addressed the use of pack dogs March 5, 2014 on his Facebook page:
“I’ve received a number of messages requesting the use of pack dogs for hunting. I personally don’t see an issue with it and it makes a lot of sense.
We are in the initial stages of consultations to review and renew all the regulations in the Wildlife Act…Unless we hear some strong opposition during these consultations, we will be allowing hunters to use pack dogs.”
Duncan MacDonnell, public affairs officer with Alberta Environmental and Sustainable Resource Development said that the province is ‘open to putting it on the table and talking about it’ and that public consultations are slated to take place ‘prior to June 30, 2015’.
“The position right now is that a big game hunter can legally use a pack dog in a hunting camp, but they can’t be used to accompany while hunting or to chase big game,” he explained, citing from the Wildlife Act, Section 45 (1).
Schwanky said provincial officials advised him that in order to change the legislation, the Wildlife Act would have to be opened up; the hunter has sought legal advice and has been informed that this is not the case.
At the very least, Schwanky said a ministerial order of non-enforcement could be issued by any minister in the interim — until the Wildlife Act is opened up.
“At the end of the day, I think a politician’s word should still mean something,” said Schwanky.
“It’s so frustrating when everyone agrees that it’s a good thing and nobody is willing to do the work.”
To get in touch with T.J. Schwanky, he can be reached at [email protected].
