Thursday, March 29, 2012

One more nail in the coffin for LGR

The Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has voted to report Bill C-19 unamended to the chamber. Bill C-19 removes the requirement to register non-restricted firearms, so-called “long guns”, and will require the destruction of all existing long gun registration information.The committee voted along party lines, with seven Conservatives voting to pass the legislation, and five Liberals voting against it.Various amendments were proposed by Liberal deputy chair Joan Fraser, including a requirement for businesses to keep records of transfers, and for individuals to be required to check purchaser’s licences with the Canadian Firearms Centre.The committee heard from witnesses over four days that provincial Chief Firearms Officers in many provinces already require business transfer records be kept, and that it is already a criminal offence to sell or transfer a firearm to an unlicenced person.Bill C-19 must now pass third reading in the Senate, which could happen as early as tomorrow, before receiving Royal Assent and becoming law.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

New Youtube Channel

We've started a new Youtube channel to serve our viewers better. We'll be adding new videos often including some great technical information on shooting and gun care so be sure to check it often.http://www.youtube.com/user/outdoorquesttvseries?feature=mhee

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Zebra Gun Arrives!

















We met up with Rich and Sandi and Matt at the Wild Sheep dinner last night in Red Deer and what an awesome event it was. Saw a ton of old friends and made some great new ones. Rich also brought a little surprise for me, my new .375 H&H Rocky Mountain Rifle. Man, Greg really knocked this one out of the park. I got a new Zeiss Duralyt mounted on it the is afternoon and what a sweet looking rig it is. It's a full custom built on a Defiance action with McMillan stock and a one of a kind paint job. I'm some pumped to get out and shoot it!




































Friday, March 23, 2012

WSF Fundraiser

The Outdoor Quest TV crew will all be at the Alberta Wild Sheep Foundation fundraiser tomorrow. Hope to see lots of you there! Looks like some great auction items this year, including that sweet Rocky Mountain Rifle in 7mm.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Edmonton Boat and Sportsman Show

Got water in both pools today and a good portion of the presentation stage set up. Things are looking good. Fish come tomorrow and the show starts Thursday. Hope to see everyone there.

Friday, March 9, 2012

News from Costa Rica

Just heard from Rich and Sandi...

"We are in San Jose Costa Rica tonight, but our luggage isn´t. All´s good otherwise.Rich"


..."Day 1 inshore was slow with only one rooster fish landed. Tomorrow we go off shore. Our luggage is supposed to be here later today. Great I could use a change of underwear."

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Outdoor Quest TV now on Shaw Cable

Wild TV is now available as a subscription channel on Shaw cable....it's about time! This will make Outdoor Quest TV available in an additional 2.5 million homes. It's only $2.95 a month! Be sure to order it today.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Time for more letters

Time to remind Oberle we aren't happy!

peace.river@assembly.ab.ca
Rob.Corrigan@gov.ab.ca
james.allen@gov.ab.ca
ron.bjorge@gov.ab.ca

Dear Honourable Frank Oberle:
I had the opportunity to sit in on your address to the delegates at the AFGA convention last week and I must say that what you had to say gave me hope that SRD is on the right track once again. I wish you luck with what you are trying to achieve with the department, especially given the budget constraints you are under.

I especially took notice of your comments about not allowing things to get bogged down in bureaucracy as a means of not dealing with them. This has often been a favoured tact of SRD when they didn’t want to deal with something. So, it came as somewhat of surprise to me when I was informed by your staff that they had not had time to look at the AFGA resolution put forth last year regarding the use of pack dogs by hunters in the 400WMUs. The sceptical side of me says that this is just a means of bogging the resolution down in bureaucracy, especially when your same staff was able to deal with the handgun resolution in a scant three days. It seems when your staff takes a personal interest in something it happens fast and when they don’t, it gets placed on the proverbial back burner.

There was some indication from your staff at the last AGMAG meeting that the practice of using pack dogs may be legal under current legislation so I asked Pat Dunford for clarification on this which he promptly supplied me with. After reading his interpretation of the law, it left no doubt in my mind that the practice of big game hunters being accompanied by pack dogs is definitely illegal and that the Wildlife Act needs to be changed to permit it as was put forth in the AFGA resolution in 2011.

It was interesting to see that two of the main reasons cited for the new handgun law in Alberta were that it brought us in line with other jurisdictions and that the current wording was never the intent. Both of these arguments are easily applied to the use of pack dogs as well, but in this case to allow their use. I must admit that to those looking from the outside in, there appears to be a double standard to the expediency with which the Wildlife Act can be changed. If it’s something your staff has a personal interest in and it creates no opportunity, it can happen very fast. If not, it gets bogged down in bureaucracy.

I have supplied considerable information to your department regarding how other jurisdictions deal with the use of pack dogs and I’ve supplied considerable anecdotal evidence as to their benefits to hunters yet it all seems to have fallen on deaf ears. While I was disappointed not to see this in the 2012 regulation changes, your speech at the AFGA convention gave me hope that it may indeed find its way into the 2013 changes and not a victim of bureaucracy.

Thank you for your consideration and attention to this matter.
T.J. Schwanky