As far as hunting goes, British Columbia is divided into eight different regions. Each region is further divided into management units, with unique seasons applying to each MU according to species count in the area. The Okanagan region is the mildest of the regions of British Columbia, as it is nestled in a comfortable valley between the Rockies to the East and the Coastal Mountains to the West. In this position, it has relatively low elevations and is, for the most part, free of the rain shadow effect that causes a lot of dry weather in neighboring regions such as the Thompson. This weather effect, along with the diverse geography of the region, makes it the best region in British Columbia for bird hunters both in terms of diversity and in numbers.

Located in the Southern Interior of British Columbia is the city of Kamloops, the 37^th largest city in Canada. The geography surrounding Kamloops is incredibly varied, depending on how far out one drives. The immediate surroundings are dominated by semi-desert conditions which are enhanced by the dry weather the area sees both in winter and summer every year.

In such conditions, it might come as a surprise that Kamloops has some of the best fly fishing opportunities anywhere in the world, but this is nevertheless true. There are over 100 lakes within an hour’s drive of the city, as well as several river and stream systems which feed the lakes from the surrounding mountains. All of these bodies of water offer great natural fishing situations, with some having their own supply of fish and others begin stocked each year for the season.

In March of 2006, the government of Alberta imposed a ban on the hunting of grizzly bears for sport. The move showed a considerable lack of reaction when compared to a similar ban by British Columbia in 2001, and indeed a comparison of the actions in the two provinces sheds a lot of light on the ridiculousness of the whole scenario surrounding the decision in British Columbia.

The moratorium on grizzly bears in Alberta was not spearheaded by a coalition of environmental groups who believe in preservation at all costs. On the contrary, it seems as if some of the more famous, if less reputable, groups such as the World Wildlife Fund were totally in the dark about the decision. As late as October of 2006, the WWF was sponsoring update shows on many stations wherein Kelsey Grammar called the policy regarding the grizzly bear hunt in Alberta into question. It looks like the WWF missed the bulletin about the new policy.