Changes are coming to Alberta’s hunting rules, but Lloydminster gun shops say hunters don’t have to be worried.
The Government of Alberta is updating hunting regulations to get rid of reckless behaviour when it comes to killing big game animals. The new rules specify that spears and spear-throwing tools such as atlatls will not be allowed come the beginning of the 2018 hunting season.
The change in laws are to protect animals from unnecessary suffering. Magnum Gun Outfitters and Prophet River Holdings both say they don’t sell any spears so the new changes in equipment will not affect their businesses.
Kevin Lindskog from Magnum Gun Outfitters says there’s good and bad in everything, but for the most part hunters are respectful.
“Hunter are pretty ethical. They’ll make sure they have a pretty good kill shot before they pull the trigger.”
Part of the change is to set new standards for ammunition that will require shotgun pellets to be larger in diameter. The rule says that hunter must use a .24 caliber buckshot when hunting large animals.
Owner of Prophet River Holdings Clayton Smiley says that guns for big game hunting start at .243 or for hunting smaller animals they got from .22 or smaller.
“The regulation was always to keep .22 out of big game hunting so they made the limit at .23. Well going to .24 doesn’t really change anything because there is no .23.”
People who use weapons not allowed in the Wildlife Act can receive fines up to $50,000.