Are you as excited as Mark about hunting wild turkey? They are an amazing animal, with a rich natural history- and that’s what makes them challenging and engaging to hunt! They provide beautiful, free-range meat, and will leave you with incredible memories that keeps you coming back for more. This course is specific to hunting Merriam’s Wild Turkey in British Columbia. Key topics that will be covered include finding wild turkeys, calling, decoy set up as well as hunting strategies & tactics.

Trout feed on a wide variety of aquatic food sources including insects and other invertebrates. Being able to identify what the trout are feeding on is the first step in matching the hatch. Understanding where in the lake each food source is most concentrated helps to narrow down fishing locations.

Having the right gear from fly rods to fly lines to proper boat and anchor setups allows you to present flies in the right depth zone and maintain control over retrieves. This will go a long way towards having an enjoyable and successful day on the water.

Are you curious if Black Bear hunting is for you? Dylan Eyers from EatWild will lead a conversation on breaking down the barriers and stigmas associated with bear hunting. Next, Dylan will share the potential opportunities and values of Black Bear hunting. Lastly, Dylan will introduce a step-by-step guide for how to hunt Black Bears in BC.

Bear hunting is an excellent way to source organic meat for the freezer. If you are starting your hunting journey or are well along the way, black bear hunting offers a relatively low barrier and highly accessible hunt for folks. The presentation will provide an overview of the tactics, timing and strategies for the spring bear hunting season.

As a hunting community, we must recognize that there is stigma and many misconceptions about the values associated with bear hunting. Many see bears differently than other game species we hunt. So it can be a complex journey to feel comfortable hunting bears. I know because I have been on the journey too. So let's talk about it!

Chironomids are the most prolific and prolonged insect hatch found on productive trout lakes. Mastering this hatch is an extremely rewarding and lifelong endeavor. This is not a complicated hatch to figure out but attention to detail is essential to having a great day on the water.

Freelance Outdoor Writer Danny Coyne, an avid angler since childhood, loves to share his passion for fishing with others. In his presentation, he will discuss the biology of kokanee, their habitat, where to locate them, what gear to use, and what fishing methods will target kokanee throughout the year.

For TJ Schwanky the hunt is as much about the adventure as it is about the pursuit of game and he has hunted around the globe. TJ has a passion for big game hunting and has hunted on six continents, but his real love is hunting sheep, elk, moose and deer in North America. He has taken a grand slam of North American sheep and has several animals in the record books with rifle and muzzleloader. TJ is a well known conservationist, outdoor writer, and co-host of Canada’s longest running hunting show – Outdoor Quest.

Conservation Officer Jeremy Pauls will discuss common violations observed in the field and provide some tips on how to avoid common mistakes. This presentation will discuss Firearms Safety, Hunting on Private Property, Common Hunting License Violations, and Compulsory Inspections in British Columbia.

Mayflies and Damselflies are both seasonally important aquatic insect hatches that trout and other fish species target. This lesson will introduce their respective live cycles and cover effective fishing strategies.

Caddisfly emergences offer the best “dry fly” fishing of the season. Dragonfly nymphs are one of the largest aquatic insects and trout search them out both as juvenile nymphs and as migrating mature nymphs. Understanding both caddisfly and dragonfly life cycles will help you catch more fish.

Freshwater shrimp or scuds are the “bread & butter” food source of trout in productive still waters. The presence of shrimp in a lake indicates nutrient rich water and the potential for growing large fish. Leeches are an opportunistic food source that fish will eat in both juvenile and adult life stages. These aquatic segmented worms are highly sought out by trout at all times of the open water season but are particularly important food sources in the early spring and late fall periods.

Mike Gass from the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC will join us to discuss their stocking program and how your licence dollars are allocated.  The session will include information on the various species and strains that are stocked to achieve various fisheries management objectives.  As well as how anglers can use stocking reports to their advantage when planning a fishing trip.

Beverly Rice and Sarah Bellows present “Learn to Fish: An Introduction for Women Anglers”

Presented by Travis and Tiffany Bader of Silvercore

Presented by Travis and Tiffany Bader of Silvercore