Nicola Valley Fishing and Gaming sees rise in membership through pandemic – Merritt Herald

As people look to enjoy the great outdoors, eschewing their usual activities for those that are COVID safe and socially distanced, the Nicola Valley Fish and Game Club (NVFGC) welcomes new members and is carrying on with business as usual, for the most part.

President of the Club, BJ Moore, spoke with the Herald about the Club’s role in the community, and how they are perfectly positioned to handle the pandemic.

“We are a non-profit organization that’s been in Merritt for many, many years,” said Moore.

“We promote hunting and fishing and outdoor education in Merritt, the Nicola Valley and surrounding area.”

The club hosts everything from archery shoots to precision rifle, and shotgun shoots for members, as well as several popular fishing events such as the Mamette Lake ice fishing derby and the Father’s Day Family Fishing Weekend. During the Family Fishing event, fishing gear is handed out to families who don’t have any of their own, and education is provided on fishing techniques, types of fish, and how to clean your catch.

Although several events have been postponed until next year due to COVID-19, Moore notes that membership has been growing.

“There’s an upswing in our membership,” said Moore, explaining that there are several reasons for this.

“I know some people go to Kamloops or Kelowna to do a big Costco shop and things like that, but they’re not doing that now. People want to get out and harvest their own food, there is, I think, a lot more interest in that right now. Knowing where it comes from, the price and then you’re not dealing with large crowds in bigger centres.”

Fish and Game Clubs in busier centres, such as communities in the Lower Mainland, are having to restrict the number of members present at any one time due to social distancing regulations, leading some to seek membership in smaller clubs like NVFGC.

“The clubs at the coast might have a limited capacity for social distancing for the amount of people that can go to that range,” said Moore.

“Or some of them have gone to (having you set) up an appointment… so you sign in, you’ve got your bay, you’ve got your time, and that’s restrictive for some of them for the amount of members they have.”

In the lead up to hunting season, and now that hunting season has started, many hunters want to sight in their rifles and to ensure their equipment is in good working condition. Moore and others at the Fish and Game Club have welcomed outdoor sportsman from other communities who purchase a membership and use the range.

“We’re seeing a lot of people coming from Vancouver up here, because we don’t have the same population base, so we don’t have the same density of people wanting to use the range,” said Moore.

In addition to the accessibility of the range, those interested in multiple disciplines of shooting may elsewhere have to join several different clubs: one for their shotgun, one for their big bore rifle, and one for their handgun, whereas at the Nicola Valley range they can do everything in one place.

“We have the room for it and it’s already developed,” said Moore.

“We’ve got our trap and skeet range, a 500-metre big bore range, we have a 100-metre .22 range, a handgun range and our archery range as well. It’s an established range where they can do all the shooting disciplines, and our nearest neighbour is a mine, so they’re not complaining.”

But the Club is about more than shooting and fishing. Two of the key focal points of the Club and its members are conservation and education. There are instructors at the range that periodically hold Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education (CORE) and Possession and Acquisition (PAL) courses.

Moore himself has taught archery and the ethics of hunting and outdoor recreation at each of Merritt’s schools, at several businesses in town, at Coldwater, Nooaitch, Upper Nicola Band, Kamloops Indian Band and Ashcroft.

“Upper Nicola Band put on a hunting camp for their youth and I’ve taught archery for them but from a bowhunting perspective, not just a classic standing in a gym on a line with the whistles and everything, but teaching the hunting and the ethical part of it,” said Moore.

“Talking about care of your equipment, the animal, post-harvest, things like that.”

The Club’s own archery program has become quite popular recently.

“In our archery program we see a lot of interest from younger families right now,” said Moore.

“It’s a great event that young families can get into very easily. They can come up to our practices when they’re available and running, we supply all of the gear so they can come out and try archery. If they want to try a longbow, or a recurve or a compound bow, the parents don’t have to go out and buy all the equipment to find out their children or child doesn’t like it.”

Although many of the Club’s members are retirees who have held off on meetings while the pandemic is ongoing, they often volunteer their time for conservation efforts.

“We donate our time and help out with different things with the Ministry of Environment,” said Moore.

“Sheep counts in the winter, deer counts. If Fisheries and Oceans are doing anything, they know they can come to us for help. We’ve helped by way of applying for grants for different things, like the dock out at Nicola Lake at the rest stop, we were a funding partner in that.”

A NVFGC membership costs $100 per year for an individual, or $120 for a family, which includes parents and children under the age of 18.

“There’s so much we can do as families or individually within BC that gets you out and lets you enjoy the fresh air,” said Moore.

“If you want to get out and just want to do nature photography, if you want to get out and do fly fishing catch and release, we’ve got more than enough people with the ability to teach you, talk about it, take you out or point you in the right direction of good areas to go check out.”

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