Big Game Hunting

Hunting Availability

Vancouver Island, part of Region 1, offers hunting opportunities for rifle, black powder firearm, shotgun and bow & arrow (archery).  Indigenous big game species available include Blacktail deer, Roosevelt elk, Black bear, cougar and wolf.  The most commonly hunted upland game birds include the Blue grouse and Willow (Ruffed) grouse.  Several species of geese and ducks also have open seasons.  Check the Hunting & Trapping Regulations Synopsis issued annually by the Provincial Fish, Wildlife & Habitat Management Branch for season dates and bag limits.  Roosevelt elk are only available through limited entry application.  Check the Limited Entry Hunting Regulations Synopsis for details.

Access to much of south eastern Vancouver Island is restricted or prohibited because of private land ownership.  Much of the lands within the old Esquimalt & Nanaimo (E&N) land grant are privately owned by logging companies.  This area runs from Victoria to Courtenay and extends essentially from tidewater to the central Island.  There are also other private holdings outside this area which may restrict your access.  Access to these private lands is entirely at the discretion of the land owner.

Hunting Competition

The VFGPA offers an annual hunting competition with trophies available for deer and bear.  Blacktail deer taken in Management Units (MU) 1-1 through 1-13 by club members are eligible for the five trophies.  There is also a trophy for the largest bear taken by a member within the same geographical boundaries.  Boone and Crockett Club scoring system is used to determine largest bear and deer antlers.

Deer must be field dressed which means that the heart, liver and kidneys (edible portions) are the only internal organs which can be included when the animal is weighed.  Deer must be weighed on VFGPA scales by the caretaker or his designate.  The official weigher reserves the right to refuse weighing any deer which arrives in an unpreventable condition.  Lungs must be removed and the body cavity wiped dry with a rag or paper towels.  This should be done in the field at the same time the animal is gutted and cleaned.