"873e3f06-ec21-487b-ba32-91f2304c2c5d"@en . "CONTENTdm"@en . "GAME WARDEN'S REPORT."@en . "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1198198"@en . "Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia"@en . "British Columbia. Legislative Assembly"@en . "2014-12-10"@en . "[1906]"@en . "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcsessional/items/1.0064280/source.json"@en . "application/pdf"@en . " PRINTED BY AUTHORITY OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.\nFIRST REPORT\nOP THE\nPROVINCIAL GAME AND FOREST WARDEN\nOP THE PROVINCE OP\nBRITISH COLUMBIA.\n1905. 6 Ed. 7 Game Warden's Report. D 3\nVancouver, B. C.\nJanuary, 1906.\nThe Hon. F. J. Fulton,\nProvincial Secretary, Victoria, B. G.\nSir,\u00E2\u0080\u0094I have the honour to submit herewith my Report (as required by section 37 of the\nGame Act) for the year 1905.\nI am, Sir,\nYour obedient servant,\nA. BRYAN WILLIAMS,\nProvincial Game and Forest Warden. 6 Ed. 7 Game Warden's Report. D 5\nREPORT.\nThe Department for the Protection of Game and Forests, with the office of Provincial\nGame and Forest Warden, was instituted by the \"Game Amendment Act, 1905.\" The\norganisation of the Department and the appointment of Game and Forest Warden date from\nthe first of July last, so that there have been only a few months to organise an entirely new\ndepartment.\nOn taking office, it was at once found that the work was far in excess of that expected,\nparticularly the amount of correspondence from all parts of the Province and outside. It was\nin consequence impossible to do more than attend to the more important matters.\nThe protection of big game was the first matter to receive attention, after which other\nthings, of less importance, were attended to, as far as it was possible for one Warden to do so.\nConsiderable assistance was given me by the Provincial Police and by salaried Wardens provided by the Game Associations of Vancouver and Victoria. These Wardens did very good\nservice, and many of the convictions obtained in these districts were due to their efforts. The\nProvincial Police, of course, gave me every assistance in their power, and on all sides did\nexceptionally good service, most of the successful prosecutions being due to their efforts or\nassistance; but as they have so many other duties to attend to, the time they can devote to\ngame matters is necessarily limited.\nIt is to be regretted that there has been a great tendancy on the part of the Magistrates\nthroughout the Province to show excessive leniency towards those brought before them for\ninfringements of the Game Laws. This is, of course, due to the fact that, up to the present\nyear, these laws were never taken as seriously as they should have been; still, this year there\nis no reason why higher fines should not have been inflicted, as copies of the Game Laws were\nwidely distributed throughout the country, and it was generally made known that the time had\ncome when there was to be a change from the previous order of things. Now, the action of the\nMagistrates not only was an encouragement to the law-breakers to go on defying the law, but\nit was most disheartening to the Police and Wardens who were endeavouring to protect the\ngame. Nobody, however willing he may be to do his duty, can be expected to take the same\ninterest in his work if he has spent a lot of time in procuring evidence to obtain a conviction,\nand then the Magistrates acquit the culprit altogether, or impose such a light fine that the\nwhole thing becomes an absurdity. I do not, by any means, wish to complain of all the Magistrates, as, of course, some of the cases this year were more or less test cases, and others were\nunintentional infringements of small importance; also, one or two of the Magistrates, recognising\nthe attitude of the Government towards game protection, imposed sufficiently heavy fines, the\neffect of which has been to check, if not entirely stop, the more serious infringements of the law.\nAfter the Game Act was amended last spring it was generally considered that the law was\nmost satisfactory, but, in my opinion, after over six months' experience of the practical working\nof the Act, certain changes and additions are most necessary.\nThe genera] conclusions arrived at are, that the condition of the game is in even a more\nunsatisfactory state than supposed; that already there is a change for the better in the observance of the Game Laws, but that there is a great deal of room for improvement in that respect;\nthat with the Act again amended and sufficient help to see that it is observed, there is no D 6 Game Warden's Report. 1906\nreason why the stock of game should not only recover but in a few years greatly increase, so\nthat there will be sufficient for the people of the country and enough to spare to induce numerous\ntourists to come into the country and put large sums of money in circulation.\nNon-Residents' Licences.\nDuring the season of 1904 the total revenue produced by the licence fees of non-residents\nonly amounted to $1,750. This year (1905) the amount collected up to the present amounts\nto $2,720; and as it is likely that a few $5 licences may still be issued, the increase over last\nyear should amount to $1,000.\nTaking into consideration the fact that a good many people decided not to come into this\ncountry to hunt on account of so many rumours of the destruction of game out of season by\nIndians and others, it is satisfactory to find an increase, and shows that a great deal more\ntrouble has been taken in collecting the fees. Also, it is a known fact that the payment of a\ngood many fees, which should have been collected, was evaded under the plea of only hunting\nbear, and in other cases press of work prevented the following up of certain people who were\nhunting in out-of-the-way places along the Coast. However, even if the amount collected had\nbeen doubled, it would then be a mere nothing to what it should be, and, I think I may say,\nwill be, if it can be shown that we are enforcing the laws and can guarantee that the best\ngrounds are not despoiled of all game before the season opens.\nGame Associations.\nNow that the Government has shown that they are taking an interest in the preservation\nof game, the different associations have taken a new lease of life and new ones are being\nstarted. Owing to press of work, the organisation of these societies has not received the\nattention it should have, but it is to be hoped that, seeing the amount of interest that is being\ntaken in all matters pertaining to sport and the protection of game and fishing, this matter\nwill be remedied during the coming year.\nIn Victoria the association is strong and has assisted me in every way possible, and\nprovided salaried Game Wardens at the time most needed.\nIn Vancouver the interest taken by the various gun and game clubs is exceptionally\nstrong, as is shown by the large number of subscribers to the fund for the payment of salaried\nWardens during the past season. Such good work has been effected by the leading men of\nthe clubs that I think if they were to organise into one body from a game protection point of\nview, such an association would be more than strong. The individual interest taken by\npeople is very noticeable, as, of course, it is in other places, but here in a more marked degree.\nLast year, in this city, there were 935 signatures to a petition asking for a $2 licence to\ncarry firearms and better enforcement of the Game Laws; and this year they have, at their\nown expense, provided me with two salaried Game Wardens for some months and special\nofficers as they were required.\nAt Fernie the association is surprisingly strong; they have had several convictions and\nare doing a great deal of good. They are taking a most active interest in keeping the Stoney\nIndians on their own reserve.\nChilliwhack can boast of an association of over a hundred members, which, considering\nthe size of the community, is most creditable.\nAt Ladners, at a recent meeting to discuss the Game Laws, there were over sixty people\npresent.\nThere are also associations at Ashcroft, Eamloops, Nelson, ancl other places 6 Ed. 7 Game Warden's Report. D 7\nGame a Valuable Asset to the Province.\nThere is no doubt that big game all over the world is becoming scarcer every year, while\nthe number of sportsmen is increasing, and, in consequence, more and more difficulty is found\nin obtaining good shooting, so that it can only be a matter of a few years when those countries\nthat do not have strict preservation of their game will not have any game at all, and those\nthat do will reap a rich harvest from the number of people who will come to hunt it.\nBritish Columbia still has a splendid stock of game, and in spite of the great amount of\nslaughter during the last few years, there is but little doubt that it is the best all-round\ncountry for sport on the continent. Where else can sportsmen go and find the same variety of\nbig game, moose, wapiti, sheep, cariboo, goat, deer, grizzly, black and brown bear, wolves,\npanthers, racoons, lynx and wild cats, to say nothing of the small game, which embraces some\nof the best snipe shooting in the world, duck and geese, as well as pheasants, prairie chicken\nand other species of grouse, quail and, in a few years European partridges may be added to\nthe list. In addition to the sport with rifle and shot-gun, we have such salmon fishing as is\nunknown elsewhere, and trout and grayling fishing unsurpassed in any other country. When\nevery branch of sport is taken into consideration, I do not think I should have erred had I\ncalled it the best game country in the world, and not only on the continent.\nAnd yet, in spite of all the advantages the country can offer, what does it receive in the\nway of revenue from its game, and what benefit is it to the people living in the Province ?\nWith the exception of the men who shoot birds, and those who provide outfits or act as guides\nfor the tourists who come, the only people who really benefit are the Indians and prospectors.\nThe Province, at present, gets practically nothing in the way of revenue. During the season\nof 1904 only 35 non-residents paid for a hunting licence, and though it is likely that\na few more evaded the fee, still their number would not have made any material difference.\nThe amount of revenue from these people amounted to $1,750, which is nothing compared with\nthe amount collected in the State of Maine in 1903, where hunting licences were taken out by\n1,697 non-residents, producing a total revenue of $24,455. It is even very small compared\nwith the amount collected in New Brunswick, where 338 non-residents paid the sum of\n$10,140 ; and it is absolutely absurd compared with the total revenue collected in the States\nof Illinois and Wisconsin for the year 1903, which aggregated the enormous sums of $98,750\nand $90,169, respectively. (These latter figures include a residents' licence of $1 a head).\nYet British Columbia is a better game country than all the States mentioned put together,\nand could afford sport to at least as many visitors as the State of Maine, or half a dozen\nsimilar states. Had we the number of visitors the sport of the country would entitle us to\nexpect, the actual amount collected as revenue would be a small thing compared with the\namount expended by tourists in guides, horses, hotels, etc., and which would benefit everybody\ndirectly or indirectly.\nIt is very seldom that a man comes into this country to shoot big game without leaving\n$1,500 behind him, and more often it is double that amount; while, in addition to this, it is\nquite a frequent occurence that a man who comes here simply and solely to shoot, while he is\nhere sees the commercial advantages of the country, and not only invests money himself, but\nadvises his friends to do likewise, and generally advertises the country. Such men as these,\neven if they came in numbers, would hardly make any difference to the amount of game; they\nonly want a few specimen heads and shoot nothing that is not worth mounting. A good many\nof them are content with less than the amount they are allowed to kill, while others shoot\nnothing unless they think it is a record head.\nIn addition to the tourist class, there are a great number of people of fair means who,\npossibly, cannot afford to live in Europe and indulge in sport, which there costs large sums; D 8 Game Warden's Report. 1906\nthese people are always looking for a country in which they can settle and get some good sport\nat a moderate cost. There is no doubt that a few people have already come out here on that\naccount, and more will follow when they know what a good country for sport this is, and they\nhear that the game is well looked after.\nNow, why does British Columbia attract so much less than its fair share of wealthy sportsmen, to whom distance and expense are no object when sport is in question 1 There are\nseveral reasons; first of all, because so little is really known of the country. A few people\nhave been here, but of those few the percentage who have got any sport is very small. The\nchances are they arrive here perfect strangers, with only a faint idea of where to go or how to\nget guides and outfits; there has been nobody in authority to whom to apply for information;\nthey ask the hotel clerk or porter, who has very likely about as much knowledge of the subject\nas themselves, and, finally, they get off and follow a more or less beaten track. Wherever\nthey go they find Indians ahead of them, prospectors killing indiscriminately, or hunters who\nmake a living by selling meat and heads. These people have gone away in disgust and have\nwarned others not to come. To illustrate this, I annex extracts from a letter lately received\nfrom England, and from two others from residents of the United States; these are only three\nsamples out of many :\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n\" Godalming, England,\n\" A. Bryan Williams, Esq., . \" November, 1905.\n\" Provincial Game Warden, Vancouver, B. C. :\n\" Sir,\u00E2\u0080\u0094Having lately returned from another hunting trip in your Province, I venture to\naddress a few remarks and suggestions on the subject of the Game Laws and to point out\nsomething of what is taking place, in case your attention has not already been drawn to the\nfacts which have come before my notice. To put the whole matter into a nutshell, the goose\nthat lays the golden egg is surely being killed, but there is yet time to save its life. The laws\nare excellent as far as they go, but are not being sufficiently enforced.\n\" Two years ago, when hunting sheep in a well-known and until recently excellent sheep\ncountry, a place where a year or so previously sheep were to be found in abundance, I found\npractically none left. Indians had been hunting all summer and indiscriminately slaughtering\nboth sexes. I had ample evidence of this wherever I came upon their old camps, and although\nthe sale of heads is prohibited, they are taken into Alberta and sold there. Professional\nguides in that locality now have to admit that it is but little use going into that section for\nsheep any more. I know for a fact that heads are also sold in British Columbia itself,\nnotwithstanding the law, and merchants and storekeepers pay Indians high prices for good\nspecimens. The same remark applies to deer, which will soon be exterminated in the section\nabove referred to, unless prompt measures are taken.\n\"In the Stikine country, from which I have just returned, Indians and others make no\nsecret of the fact that they are hunting beaver this winter, although the sale of skins is in this\ncase also prohibited. They can sell them in Alaska, and do so.\n\" I found salmon traps set right across the tributaries of rivers, and if every salmon going\nup was not caught, it was absolutely impossible for them to get up to their spawning ground.\nI enclose a photograph of one of these.\n******\n\" The strict observance of the Game Laws in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, where I\nhave hunted, is resulting in an actual increase of game.\n\" I might remind you that some of the best game districts in Africa can be reached from\nEurope in less time and at less expense than the best parts of British Columbia; consequently,\nmany men prefer to go there and ensure sport.\n\" I am in no way interested in the game question of Canada, but write merely as a\npatriotic Britisher who hopes to see the game of the Empire preserved for all to fairly enjoy,\nnot only in the present day, but for future generations.\n\" Apologising for troubling you to this extent,\n\" I am, etc.,\n\" P. N. Graham.\" 6 Ed. 7 Game Warden's Report. D 9\nMr. Phillips, of Pittsburg, U. S. A., writes:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n\" I belong to a club which has a hundred members, most of whom go West every year,\nbut, from the experience of a number of us, we are likely to give British Columbia a wide\nberth until you can assure us that, after we have paid our licence fees and spent our money in\noutfit and guides, we will not be disappointed by finding Indians in possession of the hunting\ncountry and the game exterminated.\"\nMr. Scott, of Colorado, writes :\u00E2\u0080\u0094\n\"On September 1st, 1905, we started to hunt sheep, but everywhere we hunted we found\nthe marks of those that had been before us. Thus it appears that there has been no attempt\nto enforce the law.\"\nTo obtain a specimen of the mountain sheep and a few more minor trophies, it costs a\nnon-resident at least $800, while a good many people have spent several thousands and not\nobtained one head ; and yet ewes have been killed in hundreds by Indians and prospectors,\nwho prefer the meat to any other kind, and the rams have been slaughtered simply and\nsolely for their heads (which fetch from $20 to $50 each), and the meat left because the ewes\nare considered better eating.\nThis should make it plain to everybody that big game, and especially sheep, is too valuable to the country to be ruthlessly destroyed by Indians, prospectors and market hunters.\nIt is possible that it may be necessary to allow a little laxity to prospectors in certain districts,\nbut it should only be where it is absolutely essential to obtain food, and then only under hard\nand fast conditions.\nAll over the world the value of good shooting has become known. New Brunswick,\nand, in fact, all Eastern Canada, is alive to the fact. The United States have thoroughly\nproved it, and are setting such an example in enforcing the laws that even the most highly\nprotected countries of Europe might learn something from them. In Africa there is a big\nmovement on foot to get a general combination of nations having possessions there to protect\nthe game; and it is most worthy of note that the C. P. R. are so well aware of these facts that\nthey propose to spend money on the protection of game in their land grant on Vancouver\nIsland.\nAll this is chiefly due to the fact that game has become a commercial asset as well as a\nsource of pleasure to the people of the country.\nNow, in British Columbia we have millions of acres of mountains absolutely incapable of\nproducing anything except timber and minerals. On the greater part of these mountains the\ntimber is of little value or is too far away to become valuable for many years, and it is only in\nspots that the minerals are of any value at all, but every acre of these mountains is suitable\nfor game or fur-bearing animals of some kind and should be made to produce revenue from\nthat source, if from no other. It is not a question of what revenue will be produced this year\nor next, as under present conditions the revenue is scarcely worth mentioning, but it must be\nconsidered what it can be made to produce in future years. Every year the facilities for\ngetting into this country become greater, sportsmen more numerous and the Province better\nknown ; where, now, one sportsman comes there should be a hundred.\nTo bring people into this country we must, however, first and foremost protect our game :\nto do this there ought to be a certain number of paid Deputy Game Wardens. It is out of\nthe question to expect one man, even with the assistance the Provincial Police can spare, to do\nit all. A considerable amount of money must be spent for a few years and a thorough system\nof protection instituted. Then the fact that the game is here and is being protected must be\nextensively advertised, not only in Great Britain and in the United States, but all over the\nworld. The Game Book (Bulletin 17) has already attracted some attention, but so far its\ndistribution has not been sufficiently widespread. D 10 Game Warden's Report. 1906\nNow I wish to state most emphatically that, in my opinion, under the conditions that\nhave existed for the last few years, it will only be a short time before there is no game for anybody, either sportsmen, Indians or prospectors, but that there is a sufficient stock still left, which,\nif strictly preserved, might not only last for years, but increase, and be a most valuable asset\nto the Province, as well as a source of pleasure to the present and future residents of British\nColumbia.\nBig Game.\nWapiti.\nThere is still a fair number of these animals left in certain parts of East Kootenay.\nWere they protected they would soon increase, but unless this is done they will shortly cease\nto exist.\nOn Vancouver Island the stock of wapiti is rapidly diminishing; the Indians have been\nin the habit of slaughtering cows and calves indiscriminately, in many cases for their teeth\nalone, which find a ready market in the States.\nAt one time wapiti were plentiful all over the country, but owing to the lack of timidity\nof the animal, they were the easiest of all game to kill, and for that reason and, possibly,\nthrough two extremely severe winters coming in succession, they were soon practically\nexterminated.\nThe wapiti is rapidly decreasing all over the States, so much so that the Game Laws of\nCalifornia make the killing of one a felony punishable by imprisonment for one or two years.\nIt will be seen, then, that the wapiti is becoming extremely valuable and, if thoroughly\nprotected now and allowed to increase, might, in future years, be a source of considerable\nrevenue.\nDeer.\nThe whole of the country south of the C. P. R. is rapidly being depleted of deer. While\nthis is partly due to the advance of civilisation, it is mostly on account of the indiscriminate\nslaughter that has been going on for the last few years, not only by Indians but by whites as\nwell. North of the C. P. R. it is pleasing to be able to report that, in some places, the deer\nare on the increase again, notably in the vicinity of Spence's Bridge, where the Indians have\nfor the last year or two seen that the deer need protection or will soon be gone for good, and\nhave, in consepuence, only killed what they really needed.\nIt is to be regretted that the same cannot be said of the Chilcotin Indians, who are\nrapidly clearing out the deer from the Lillooet country. All along the Lower Fraser and on\nVancouver Island and Islands adjacent the deer are, if not increasing in numbers, at any rate\nholding their own. This is due to the more stringent regulations with regard to the selling of\nmeat and hides.\nIn Cassiar deer have been recently seen for the first time.\nCaribou.\nCaribou seem to have been especially plentiful in Cassiar this year. In the Okanagan\nand East Kootenay countries they are rapidly disappearing; very few heads have been\nobtained this year, whereas, a few years ago, the Okanagan was a favourite hunting ground.\nMoose.\nMoose seem to be rapidly working south, for some reason yet unknown, unless it is that\nthe increase in population further north, or the greater number of forest fires, are, to some\nextent, responsible.\nIn the vicinity of Atlin it is reported that they have more moose than for many years\npast. In Cassiar there were possibly not so many as last year, but they were reported to be\ngradually working down the Stikine. All through the north-east of the Province reports show a large increase, and there are\nnow numbers where a few years ago there were none. At the present, these animals are\nnumerous near Quesnel Lake, and will soon be found as far south as the C. P. R.\nIn East Kootenay there are still a couple of small herds which, strange to say, have, so\nfar, escaped destruction.\nMountain Goat.\nThere are still quantities of these animals all over the Province (with the exception of the\nIslands), and more especially on the higher coast ranges of the Mainland. The fact that they\ninhabit the most inaccessible parts of the mountains and are not very suitable for the table\ninsures these animals all the protection they require.\nSheep.\nAs far as big game is concerned, the mountain sheep is by far the most valuable asset the\nProvince has, and too much stress cannot be laid on the importance of the preservation of these\nanimals. At the present time there are supposed to be four varieties found in the Province,\nthe Ovis montana, Ovis stonei, Ovis fannini, and Ovis dalli. The only sheep found in the\nUnited States (Alaska excepted) is the Ovis montana, or common big horn, and so scarce\nhave these animals now become in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming that it has become necessary\nto limit the bag to one animal.\nIn this Province we still have a fair number of the common big horn left, and in the\nnorthern portion of the country large numbers of the other species. In East Kootenay, where\nthe biggest and best heads of the common big horn are got, there is still a fair stock, but the\nStony Indians have, during the last few years, killed off such numbers that only a quarter of\nwhat should be remains.\nIn the Ashnola (Similkameen), which was once the big horn country, there are only a few\nspecimens left, and the increase in the number of panthers and the in-breeding consequent on\nthe small number of animals, makes it unlikely that the stock will ever increase unless active\nmeasures are taken at once to protect them. The same applies to the Okanagan.\nBridge River and Chilcotin are still good countries, but of late years the number has\ndecreased rapidly; this is partly due to an influx of prospectors but more to the Chilcotin\nIndians, who never kill any other kind of game if they can get ewes.\nIt is pleasing to be able to relate that in Cassiar there are still quantities of the Ovis\nstonei and allied varieties. The Indians in that district are happily too lazy to climb to the\nmountain tops, where these animals spend most of their time.\nSmall Game.\nGrouse.\nThe bags of blue grouse made by people shooting on the opening days were 50 per cent,\nlower than in previous years. In the Interior this bird seems to have become very scarce, so\nmuch so that in the Lillooet and Cariboo Districts there has been considerable discussion and\ncorrespondence on the subject.\nIn the Yale country the same scarcity is reported. The birds shot were often very poor\nand out of condition, and in some places were said to have a ring of lice or vermin of the tick\norder round their necks. But beyond this I have been unable to trace any particular pest or\ndisease as being the cause.\nReports from the Fraser River country, with the exception of Nicomen Island and Matsqui,\nalso confirm the decrease, though in two districts mentioned grouse were unusually plentiful.\nOne gentleman reported to me that ho went, in pursuit of grouse, to the Nicomekl country, D 12 Game Warden's Report. 1906\nwhere they are, as a rule, very thick ; on the first day he did nof even see a grouse, and on the\nsecond day one only. From inquiry he would judge that not one bird was shot this year for\nten in past seasons.\nThe prohibition of sale of all grouse was very fortunate legislation, and in order to let the\nbirds increase it may be necessary to recommend a close season altogether for a certain period.\nPrairie Chicken.\nReports as to prairie chicken also tend the same way. They have been reported as bein\nmuch scarcer than in the last four or five years, and bags made by people shooting over the same\ngrounds every season, this year show results from four to twelve times less than the average.\nDuck.\nDuck of all kinds were extremely plentiful during the commencement of the season.\nOwing to the early cold weather in the north, the birds came south several weeks earlier than\nusual. The Coast seems to have been more favoured than the Upper Country, where ducks were\nmuch scarcer than usual.\nSnipe.\nSnipe were exceptionally plentiful, in fact more so than for many years past. The largest\nindividual bag reported was 36| couple in one day, and 15 to 25 couple were quite common.\nPheasant.\nPheasant seem to have been about as plentiful as last year, although the first week of the\nseason showed a marked falling off on all sides. The birds bred well, and in many cases there\nmust have been two or even three broods, judging from the size of some birds seen at the\nopening of the shooting season, when, in some cases, they were too small to fly.\nQuail.\nCalifornia quail seem to be on the increase, both on the Island and Mainland. This bird\nis, of course, still protected all over the Province, except for the short open season on Vancouver\nIsland and adjacent islands, which has been allowed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council\nfor some years past. The game associations on the Mainland are still fostering this bird and\nimporting others, in the hope that, in a few years, a short open season may be justified. Bob-\nwhite quail are reported to be doing very well in the vicinity of Ashcroft and other places in\nthe dry belt.\nPartridge {European).\nThese birds also seem to be prospering. (A detailed account of the birds last mentioned\nwill be found below, under the heading \"Acclimatization.\")\nAcclimatization.\nPartridge.\nThe following particulars have been furnished me by the gentlemen who imported these\nbirds:\u00E2\u0080\u0094\nIn March, 1904, 57 Hungarian partridges were imported from Liverpool, England. The\nbirds were kept in pens on grass for a week to ten days after arrival, in order to let them\nrecuperate from their journey. They were then turned out at four different points on the\nMainland, as follows:\u00E2\u0080\u009413th March, 1904, at Mr. McMynn's farm, Sea Island, 16 birds;\n14th March, 1904, at Mr. Hinde Bowker's farm, Langley, 14 birds; 20th March, 1904, on\nSea Island, 13 birds; 20th March, 1904, at McKee farm (Lefroy Bros.), East Delta, 14 birds.\nThe birds were put down during very wet weather and probably suffered in consequence.\nBut statistics show that there could not have been any very large initial loss, and at the\nend of 1904 it was estimated that the increase was 120 birds. In March, 1905, the same 6 Ed. 7 Game Warden's Report. D 13\ngentlemen imported 34 birds, which were turned out at Chilliwhack and Port Guichon.\nEight brace were sent to Mr. H. Hulbert, at Chilliwhack, and were turned out on 29th March\non the farm of Mr. A. Evans. The remainder of the shipment were given liberty on Mr.\nPemberton's ranch at Port Guichon. At Chilliwhack two coveys, six to ten each, have been\nseen on the Evans farm, and others have been reported in the vicinity. At Guichon two\ncoveys, certain, have been reported, and a number of single birds have been seen. From\ngeneral report from all districts, it would seem that a moderate estimate would show that at\nleast 400 to 500 birds are located in the Fraser Valley and the Delta land at the mouth of\nthe river.\nPheasant (Phasianus Torquatus).\nIn 1882 Mr. C. W. R. Thompson, of Victoria, imported twenty pheasants from England,\nThese birds, in spite of great care and attention after arrival, all died before they were strong\nenough to be turned out.\nIn 1883 Mr. Thompson imported between twenty and twenty-five birds from China\n{Phasianus torquatus), which were kept in confinement, the eggs being hatched out under\ngame fowl, and when the chicks were able to look after themselves they were set at liberty in\nthe vicinity of the property known as the Admiral's House, at Esquimalt.\nIn 1886 three male and nine hen birds were imported from China by Mr. Edward\nMusgrave, of Salt Spring Island. Two of the hens died and the remainder were turned out\non the south end of the Island; most of the birds in the Cowichan Valley are descended from\nthis stock. Generally speaking, the birds are now numerous and have spread all up the Island\nas far as Comox, and north even of that.\nIn 1889 some forty-four birds were put down in the vicinity of the Magee and McClary\nranches, on the North bank of the Fraser River, about five or six miles south of Vancouver.\nThese birds quickly spread over Sea Island, Lulu Island and the Lower Delta. Four years\nlater about twenty birds were put down at Ladners, thus giving fresh blood. At Harrison\nRiver, in 1898, about fifteen or twenty imported birds were turned out. At Chilliwack a few\nbirds, probably six or eight, were given freedom in the vicinity of Hope Slough about 1895.\nIn the Squamish Valley, in 1900, three birds, and in the following year four more, were put\ndown. No favourable reports were received till very recently (October, 1905,) when a number\nof individual birds were seen, and one late brood was reported by several people.\nThe Lower Valley of the Fraser, and the country for several miles on each side of the river,\nnow carry a good stock of pheasants and the birds afford good sport. They have made their\nway as far east as Hope.\nQuail.\nSeveral shipments of the Bob-white variety- have been imported and put down on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia during the last twenty years, but\nwith only indifferent success. There are still some left, but, in spite of their being protected,\nthey do not seem to increase in numbers. On one farm, where they were said to be doing\nexceptionally well, they were now reported to have entirely disappeared. Some people are of\nthe opinion that they were shot off illegally, but it is not probable that this was the case, it\nbeing much more likely that they have migrated elsewhere, as this species is well known to be\n\" partially migratory.\"\nIn the spring of this year some gentlemen of Vancouver imported about five dozen birds\nfrom Kansas, and put down three dozen of them on Mr. Shaw's ranch at Shuswap, and two\ndozen on the Harper ranch on the South Thompson River, a few miles above Kamloops. They\nare reported to have done well. D 14 Game Warden's Report. 1906\nBeaver.\nThat beaver are on the increase in certain parts of the Province is known to but few,\nbut the fact remains that in one or two places that were supposed to be trapped out years\nago, and have, in consequence, not been visited by trappers lately, a few beaver were left.\nThese places are known to a few Indians and white men, and they jealously guard their\nknowledge, being well aware of the fact that after a few years' protection they will reap the\nbenefit of the increased stock. It is, however, a fact that what was once a magnificent beaver\ncountry is, with the exception of these few places and some parts of the northern country,\nalmost denuded of beaver. This fact was brought to the attention of the Government last\nspring, and when the Game Act was amended a clause was inserted protecting beaver for the\nnext six years, but reserving the right for the Lieutenant-Governor in Council to pass an order\nexempting Indians north of a certain point, and also persons in the habit of dealing with\nthese Indians. During the past summer a great deal of evidence was brought before the\nGovernment to show that this order should be passed, as otherwise a number of Indians would\nsuffer great destitution, as the beaver were their chief source of livelihood, and as a tentative\nmeasure, and pending the obtaining of further information on the subject, the order was\npassed, excepting the northern part of the Province from the working of this portion of the\nAct for a period of two years.\nTrout and Salmon Fishing.\nThere is a widespread feeling of dissatisfaction throughout the Province owing to the\nunsatisfactory condition of the laws relating to rod fishing, by reason of the conflict between\nthe Statutes and Orders in Council enacted by the Provincial and Federal authorities, respectively. Also with regard to the depletion of the trout streams, both on Vancouver Island\nand the Mainland, and particularly in the vicinity of the City of Vancouver, the same feeling\nis apparent. The latter state of affairs is undoubtedly due to the employment of illegal\nmethods of taking fish, such as dynamiting, use of weirs, nets and other contrivances of a\nsimilar kind. Investigation proves that these methods of catching trout (with the exception\nof dynamiting) are more used by Indians than by white offenders, and it is to be hoped that\nmeans will be found by the Federal Government to prevent in future such wrongful acts by\ntheir wards.\nThe good trout fishing which was obtained in former years in the streams near the larger\ncities and towns, as well as all over British Columbia, was undoubtedly a great attraction to\nsportsmen, and the great increase of population in late years, combined with the present large\ntourist travel, would be the means of putting a large sum of money in circulation if resident\nanglers and visiting sportsmen could secure good sport without long journeys to reach the\noutlying streams.\nThe question as to whether or not the trout are undesirable in rivers which are valuable\nto the salmon canning industry is not one which can be covered by this report, but there are\nmany splendid rivers in which trout can be fostered without the least encroachment on this\nbranch of commerce. Most of the streams on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Seymour\nand Lynn Creeks, the Capilano and Indian Rivers on Burrard Inlet; the Kootenay River,\nalso the Elk and Flathead Rivers, in Kootenay, are a few instances in point, and many others\nmight be given. Every year there is a marked decrease in the number of fish taken from these\nstreams and rivers, while some of them are practically depleted. Stringent measures should\nbe taken to protect the trout left, and measures promptly instituted to increase the supply by\nre-stocking operations. 6 Ed. 7 Game Warden's Report. D 15\nSalmon Fishing.\nThe sport that can be obtained by trolling for salmon with rod and line in tidal waters is\nhardly yet realised even by residents of the Province. Cohoe salmon can be taken in August\nand September, and in some places as early as July, with the spoon bait. In the early spring,\nfrom January to the end of March, good sport can be had by trolling with a herring for spring\nsalmon, one of our best table fish; while in July, August and part of September the Tyee\nsalmon, ranging in weight from thirty to over sixty pounds, can be taken at the mouth of the\nCampbell River and other points. The fishing at Campbell River has attracted great attention during the past year, and salmon anglers from many parts of the world have visited it.\nReports show that the fishing during the past year has not been as good as former years, and\nthe cause is doubtless to be found in the \" seining \" which has been carried on by Japanese\nfor some time past. The fact that anglers from India, England, from the Eastern States and\nEurope, are attracted yearly by the magnificent sport to be had, indicates the great value the\nProvince should place on this water from the rod angling point of view. In my opinion, this\nfar exceeds its value from the standpoint of the canning of salmon, as it is doubtful if these\nfish are suitable for the purposes of this industry and only find a market in China and Japan.\nI would recommend that steps be taken at once to prevent the use of seines or nets in the\nestuary or in the river itself.\nIndians.\nThe time has come when more strenuous steps must be taken with regard to making the\nIndians respect the game laws. The law allows Indians in unorganised districts to kill deer\nfor their immediate use at any time, provided that they may not kill does or fawns between\nthe first of February and the first of August. If it were possible to restrict them to this\nprivilege there would not be much harm done in those districts where deer are plentiful, but\na great many Indians take advantage of it to kill most of their season's meat during the\nprotected season, more especially when the does have fawns and are easy to kill, and the\ndamage they do is enormous, particularly in the upper country, where deer are becoming\nscarce. Some few Indians have seen the folly of this slaughter and are observing the law, but\nthis only refers to a very few.\nIt may be said that the Indian is not to blame, as the game was plentiful before many\nwhite men came into the country, but in those days he was not armed with modern repeating\nrifles, with which he can shoot four times the distance and wound a number of animals which\nget away to die. It is certainly true that some white men are doing their best to kill the\ngame all off, but the number killed by them is small compared with what the Indians kill.\nTake the Chilcotin Indians for example; at a conservative estimate, not less than 200 of\nthem come into the Lillooet country every summer for the especial purpose of getting meat.\nIf they contented themselves with killing meat for their immediate use, they would kill at the\nvery least one animal a week; this would mean 3,200 animals for the four months they are\nthere. As it is, they kill everything in sight, whether they can use it or not. Their camps\nhave been described to me as veritable \" Golgothas,\" and, in addition, there are wounded\nanimals, which they are too lazy to follow, dead and dying all over the mountains. Taking\nthese things into consideration, and the fact that the majority of the animals killed are either\ndoes or ewes, and that they have fawns and lambs, often unborn, what must the total number\nkilled amount to in these four months by these few Indians. If it were deer alone, it would\nbe bad enough, but a great many of these animals are ewes, the most valuable big game in the\nProvince. Then there is the same thing going on to as great an extent in Kootenay by\nthe Stoney Indians, and, in fact, more or less all over the Province. Surely the time has\ncome when the Indians can make a living as well as Chinese, Japanese, or even the white men. D 16 Game Warden's Report. 1906\nThey have the best of the land and do not pay any taxes. What will they do when the game\nis all gone, as it soon must be, at the present rate of slaughter 1 The trapping, too, will be a\nthing of the past. Now, I claim that it is better for the Indians themselves if they are made\nto understand that, under the present condition of affairs, the game cannot last long, and\nthat they had better make up their minds to make their living in the same manner as anybody else, and hunt only in the open season, as otherwise there will soon be no game for them\nto hunt at all.\nEnforcement of the Laws.\nIndians.\nThe Stoney Indians from the North-West Territory received a good deal of attention.\nThree expeditions were organised to put a stop to their coming into this Province. From\nWindermere seventeen lodges of Indians, consisting of about seventy-five persons, with their\nhorses, numbering 100 head, were escorted back to their own reserve. From Fernie an expedition, which was assisted by the R. N. W. M. P., took charge of fifteen lodges of Indians with\n300 head of horses.\nA second expedition from Fernie followed a small band of Indians for several days, but\nfailed to locate them, owing to the fact that they took alarm and returned to the Territories.\nA couple of constables from the R. N. W. M. P. were sent to assist, but did not arrive till the\nexpedition had left.\nA man was also sent from Fernie on another occasion to inquire into the rumour that a\nnumber of lodges of these Indians were shooting on the upper waters of the Elk River. He\nreturned with the report that the Indians were so close to the boundary line that nothing\ncould be done. This was the last report received about these Indians, and it was the intention\nthat, if they returned, some of their chiefs should, if possible, be seized and severely punished.\nIt is to be regretted that the reports of the depredations of the Chilcotin Indians in the\nLillooet country were not received sooner, as a special constable was on patrol for a month in\nthat district, with the intention of making an example of some of them, but by the time he\nwas sent out most of the Indians had left, and, though he found numerous evidences of great\nslaughter of game, he was unable to catch any of them in the act.\nCold Storage.\nAll cold storage plants have been frequently searched for game.\nIllegal Sale of Game.\nRestaurants, hotels, stores, etc., have been subjected to frequent visits from Deputy\nGame Wardens and police, so much so that the amount of game unlawfully sold has been\ngreatly restricted.\nIllegal Shooting of Pheasants.\nA regular patrol was made by Deputy Game Wardens, assisted by the Provincial Police,\nand trains, cars, stages and steamboats were watched and all suspected persons searched.\nSale and Export of Heads of Big Game.\nThis matter has been given some attention, and though, so far, no convictions have been\nobtained, the evil has to a great extent been done away with.\nPayment of Licence by Non-Residents.\nThe collection of licence fees from non-residents has been closely attended to, with the\nresult that the revenue therefrom has considerably increased this year. The difficulty in the\ncollection of these fees has been increased by the fact that some people evade payment under\nthe plea of being only bear hunters. 6 Ed. 7 Game Warden's Report. D 17\nBag Limit.\nThis matter has also received some attention, but owing to the difficulty in obtaining\nsufficient evidence to secure a conviction, but little has been accomplished. If the system of\nselling a limited number of tags were adopted, it would greatly facilitate the enforcement of\nthis law, at any rate in the case of the market hunter.\nTrout Laws.\nNumerous complaints have been received from all parts of the country, but, owing to the\nconflict between the Provincial and Dominion laws on the subject, it has not been deemed\nadvisable to take any action on the matter till the laws are on a better footing.\nRecommendations.\nGame Wardens.\nIt would be of the utmost benefit for the protection of game if there could be salaried\nGame Wardens in Bridge River, Chilcotin and in East Kootenay, for the greater part of the\nyear. From May to the end of December, and more especially in June, July and August, an\nimmense destruction of game occurs every year in the Bridge River and Chilcotin countries,\nand while it cannot be entirely blamed on the Chilcotin Indians, there is no doubt they are in\na great measure responsible for it. Every year these Indians set out in bands of from 10 to\n50, and make a regular hunt before the game season opens; it is not as if they just killed the\ndeer for food alone, but they start fires to drive the game, then a large number of them on\nhorseback drive everything before them into some canyon, where they ruthlessly slaughter\ndoes, fawns, ewes, etc., as long as there is anything left. Not only do they kill more than\nthey can possibly use, even if they dry all they can, but they do not even trouble to hunt up\nthe animals they wound. It is commonly known that these Indians kill as many as 50 or 60\nanimals in one drive, and it is hard to estimate how many wounded die afterwards. At the\ntime of year this goes on the does and ewes have fawns and lambs, and quantities of these are\nslaughtered, too. At one time the Lillooet and Shuswap Indians vied with the Chilcotin\nin seeing who could slaughter most game at a drive, but it is to the former's credit that\nthey saw the folly of it, and they are now signally in favour of protection, and are loud in\ntheir complaints against the Chilcotins ; so bitter, in fact, is the feeling, that actual hostilities\nare liable to occur over it.\nThis season 16 non-residents took out licences at Lillooet, and I do not think there is\nmuch doubt that this number would have been greatly exceeded but for the fact of the\ndepredations of these Indians being generally known, not only in the United States, but in\nEngland too. There is very little doubt that these 16 people left at least $20,000 in the\ncountry, apart from the $800 they paid as licence fees. After making careful inquiries, I find\nthat these 16 people took out of the country 26 mountain sheep heads, which would bring the\ncost of each head to over $800. The complaints about the Indians were numerous; these\npeople stated they could see it was a splendid game country, that they paid the $50 licence\nwillingly, but that after they had done so they just had to take what the Indians had left,\nand that, if that sort of thing continued, they would not only keep away themselves, but warn\ntheir friends to do likewise.\nNow the Lillooet and Shuswap Indians are perfectly satisfied with the Game Laws, and\nin most cases respect them; they see the value of the game, and can make a living without\nslaughtering it. There is no doubt the Chilcotin Indians can do the same. When there are\nnot salmon there are trout and berries, and all sorts of roots. Moreover, there are hundreds D 18 Game Warden's Report. 1906\nof wild horses on which they could live, and of which it would be a great blessing to be rid,\nand there is no reason why they should not kill an occasional deer; but if the slaughter that\nhas been going on for the last few years continues for a few more, there will not only bo no\ngame for the tourists and the white people of the country, but the Indians will then be in a\nworse position than they will be now if they are made to respect the law. In Lillooet and\nChilcotin Districts the prospector is not dependent upon his rifle for food, and should not be\nallowed to kill game indiscriminately, or, at any rate, not mountain sheep, as I think I have\nshown that this animal is too valuable to be killed simply and solely because a man wants\nfresh meat.\nWith regard to East Kootenay, much the same conditions occur, only there the case is\neven worse. The Indians who commit the principal depredations are Stoney Indians from the\nNorth-West Territories; they are not even our own Indians ; they come in bigger bands, often\nas many as 100 in a baud, and defy all our local authorities. They have even threatened the\nlives of our police, have driven our trappers out of the country, and have quantities of dogs to\nhelp in their drives. Wherever the Stoneys have been, large quantities of timber are always\ndestroyed by fire. East Kootenay was a magnificent elk country. They are now absolutely\nprotected for the next two years, and this is giving the Stoneys the benefit of them, as they\nnever let an elk escape, be it bull, cow or calf. These Indians have a standing order with the\ntaxidermists of the North-West Territories for mountain sheep heads, which they kill in British\nColumbia and take back with them. There are even a few moose left in East Kootenay; but\nthese animals must soon fall a prey to the Stoneys, unless strenuous measures be taken for\ntheir protection. I most strongly advise that Deputy Wardens be appointed to watch the\nvarious passes over which these Indians come, and that their chiefs be arrested and severely\npunished every time they come into the country.\nProspectors.\nAs the law now stands, a man while actually engaged in placer mining or prospecting is\nallowed to kill game at any time of year for his own use. There is no doubt that this has been\na great deal the cause of the scarcity of game in many districts. For example, in the Okanagan and Boundary Districts, before the mining excitement that took place about 1896 and\nsubsequent years, there were deer by the thousand, and in some parts of those districts caribou\nand sheep abounded. At the time of the excitement it was a common sight to see deer lying\ndead all over the country, some with just a small piece of meat cut off them, and some not even\ntouched, as they had probably run a short way after being shot, and the man who fired had\nnot even taken the trouble to follow them up, knowing that he would be sure to see more a\nlittle further on, which he might get without any difficulty. Such facts as these are not mere\nreports, but came under my own immediate observation, as I was in those parts at the time.\nThe same thing occurred in previous years during the Granite Creek excitement, and in later\nyears, to a greater or less extent, in the northern parts of British Columbia.\nThe scarcity of game in the Atlin District has been the cause of much complaint from\ntourists and residents. I have received numerous letters from people complaining of finding\nthe remains of animals all over the country, and in most cases the Indians get all the blame,\nwhich, probably, they to a great extent deserve; but there is no doubt that the irresponsible\nprospector, and there are a good many of them, has a lot to do with it. Of course, I do not\nwish to make a sweeping condemnation of all prospectors, as there are a great number of them\nwho are either too good sportsmen or have too much principle to do such things; but the fact\nremains that these things have been and still are going on in the country, and the Province is\nsuffering in consequence. 6 Ed. 7 Game Warden's Report. D 19\nLicences for Trappers.\n\u00E2\u0080\u00A2\nIn the northern part of the Province a number of Americans and other non-residents\ntake out a miner's licence as an excuse to trap. I recommend that, in future, all non-resident\ntrappers, whether they have a miner's licence or not, be compelled to pay the same fee as for\nhunting. I consider this very necessary, as at the present time the trapping grounds of\nBritish Columbia are becoming very limited, and it can only be a few years before fur-bearing\nanimals are a thing of the past. Now, the greater part of the trappers in this country are\nAmericans, who come here simply to trap, market their skins on the American side, and this\ncountry is none the better for it.\nFishing Licences.\nThere should be a $10 fishing licence imposed on all non-residents, for both trout and\nsalmon, whether it be rod or hand-line, except in the case of a person who has taken out a\n$50 hunting licence. A number of persons have been in British Columbia this year on purpose\nto fish, some for salmon and some for trout. It is more than likely that the number will\nincrease every year, especially when the magnificent spring-salmon fishing on the Coast becomes\nbetter known.\nNaval and Military Officers.\nI recommend that section 14 of the Act be amended to make it plain that officers of His\nMajesty's Navy and Army must be on actual service in the Province to be exempt from the\nlicence fee; it should also be stated what length of time is necessary to qualify as a \"resident\"\n\u00E2\u0080\u0094three months, at least, in my opinion. There has been a good deal of discussion over this\nsection, and in a great many instances a wrong meaning has been taken.\nPit-lamping.\nThe practice of using pit-lamps should be stopped at all costs. There is a tremendous lot\nof it done on Vancouver Island and all along the Coast. It has not only been the cause of a\ngreat many cattle being killed, numbers of deer wounded to get away and die a lingering\ndeath, does and fawns being indiscriminately shot, but it has also led to loss of human life.\nThe Game Warden or Constable who, in pursuit of his duty, goes out to prevent this practice\nruns serious risk of his life, as it is absolutely necessary to follow the man till he shoots at or\nkills a deer. If his presence is known, his time is wasted ; and if it is not known, he stands\na good chance of getting shot by mistake. Then, if he does, after taking his life in his hand,\nobtain a conviction, the chances are the man convicted gets off with a light fine. There is\none, and only one, way of putting a stop to pit-lamping, and that is by making the act of\nusing a pit-lamp a felony, punisheble by one or two years' imprisonment.\nProtection of Moose.\nI recommend that moose be absolutely protected in British Columbia, south of the Canadian Pacific Railway, for the next five years, and that an increased penalty be imposed for\nkilling them. At the present time there are still a few moose left in East Kootenay, and they\nshould be allowed to increase.\nProtection of Elk on Vancouver Island.\nI recommend that an Order in Council be passed to stop the shooting of wapiti on Vancouver Island after the season of 1906. I think it advisable to give sufficient notice that\nthese animals are going to be protected, as lately the Game Book has been advertising the\nsport of this country, and people should have time to know they cannot kill wapiti. D 20 Game Warden's Report. 1906\nProtection of Bear.\nAt the present time non-residents are not compelled to take out a licence for hunting bear.\nThis fact has been the means of considerable loss to the Province, as from 10 to 15 nonresidents were in the country last spring and summer for the sole purpose of hunting bear.\nBears are getting very scarce all over the southern part of this continent, and the grizzly\nespecially so, and more and more people are looking for new hunting grounds for them, and\nthere is no reason why bear should not be as valuable an asset to the Province as any other\nkind of game. Another reason why bear should be placed on the protected list is that they,\nat present, afford non-residents an excuse for not taking out a hunting licence. They can say\nthey are only going to hunt bear, and may in reality be after moose or any other kind of big\ngame. If they kill their moose, they may or may not pay their fee, according to where they\nare and what are the chances of avoiding doing so. This makes a lot of work watching that\nthese so-called bear hunters do not kill any other kind of game. It is a known fact that several\npeople have evaded the licence under this excuse.\nExportation of Game Trophies.\nWith regard to the exportation of trophies from the Province by non-residents who have\ntaken out a hunting licence, there has been a good deal of trouble in determining whether the\nshipper has obtained a licence or not. To do away with this difficulty and make it easier to\nprevent the illegal exportation of the heads of game animals, I recommend that a new form of\nlicence be issued, with tags attached for each different kind of game, and that it be necessary\nto have one of these tags attached to each head before it can be shipped, and that all heads be\nshipped in open crates, so that the tags can be got at. Under the present condition of the law,\nit is hard to tell whether it is lawful or not for a head to be shipped, till exhaustive inquiries\nhave been made as to whether the shipper has a licence or not. As a general thing, the owner\ndoes not accompany his trophies, as they have generally to be prepared for shipment, and to\nhold the head till these inquiries were made would cause considerable annoyance, or might\nresult in the head being spoilt. This tag system is now in use in Ontario and other places, and\nhas been found to work satisfactorily.\nBlack Game and Capercailzie.\nAs there is a strong probability of some of these birds being imported into the Province\nduring the coming year, it will be necessary to put them on the protected list.\nvictoria, b. c. :\nPrinted by Richard Wolfknden, V.D., I.S.O., Printer to the King's Most Excellent Majesty.\n1906."@en . "Legislative proceedings"@en . "J110.L5 S7"@en . "1906_05_D1_D20"@en . "10.14288/1.0064280"@en . "English"@en . "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en . "Victoria, BC : Government Printer"@en . "Images provided for research and reference use only. For permission to publish, copy or otherwise distribute these images please contact the Legislative Library of British Columbia"@en . "Original Format: Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Library. Sessional Papers of the Province of British Columbia"@en . "FIRST REPORT OF THE PROVINCIAL GAME AND FOREST WARDEN OF THE PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. 1905."@en . "Text"@en . ""@en .