Guide Outfitting
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Horses Crossing the Muskwa River
Horse and Guide
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Importance
Guide outfitting is historically a profession with a direct connection to wilderness and to the land, serving as a way of life for many of the people who work in the industry. While many guide outfitting areas have been passed down through generations, today the industry is moving away from this tradition as outfitting territories shift into a more commercial era. As well, businesses are diversifying, for example developing spas and other leisure and recreational activities.
Guide outfitting in north-eastern British Columbia is especially important in generating revenue to local communities as people pass through the area and to the Province through tenures, hunting and fishing licences and hunting tags. Click to the 2005-2006 Interagency Management Committee map that outlines M-KMA guide outfitting tenures (1.2MB PDF download).
Resources
Wildlife is the main resource for guide outfitting, coupled with the wilderness experience and angling resources. Main wildlife of interest for hunting are large mammals such as Stone's Sheep, Elk, Moose, Mountain Goat, Caribou, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, and Black and Grizzly Bear.
Practices
In the Guide outfitting business, guides lead hunters through a territory that is leased and permitted by the BC government, with the Ministry of Environment acting as the regulatory agency. Guides are required to follow the hunting and fishing regulations set by government.
Guide Outfitters Associate of BC (GOABC) plays an important role in conservation through its contributions to many programs and initiatives. A good example is in the donation of processed, packaged wild game meat to the Salvation Army.
For more information, please visit the GOABC website, which provides an overview of guide outfitting, economic, conservation and wilderness information as well as ethical standards for guide outfitting.
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Sooke Davidson Plaque
Photo: K. Oneill
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Skook Davidson
Guide outfitting in north-eastern British Columbia took on an active role in the early 1930's, with a pioneer Guide Outfitter by the name of Skook Davidson. As Leo Rutledge noted in his book, "That Some May Follow," Skook Davidson had been working with a survey crew when he became enamoured with the Rocky Mountain Trench and Kechika River valley and subsequently became a permanent resident and guide outfitter in 1939. He set up at Terminus Mountain and named his place Diamond J. Ranch. A plaque has been placed at a location within the M-KMA to commemorate Skook Davidson.
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