This article was first published on APTN News.
A First Nation in Manitoba, Canada says non-Indigenous people looking to hunt moose in their traditional territory will be barred from entering.
Bloodvein River First Nation (BFN) says the decision comes after years of overhunting by big game enthusiasts, leaving little chance for local hunters to sustain their food security.
“We are concerned that the government of Manitoba has issued hundreds of moose tags this year without consulting with us, much less seeking our consent,” says BFN Chief Lisa Young, “For these reasons, we have implemented a moose hunting ban.”
Young says in 2024, the community, located about 300 kilometres north of Winnipeg, was able to harvest only one moose to share amongst its few hundred residents. The community has an on-reserve population of about 1,200.
A 2024 aerial survey by the Manitoba government around the Game Hunting Areas (GH) of concern shows the moose population is critically low in GH21 and GH21A, but stable in GH17A.
Young is asking the province to stop issuing moose licenses for those zones, of which she says 175 were made available this year.
BFN Elder William Young says the issue is only made worse by some harmful hunting practices.
“We’ve had issues with poaching, sport hunting and moose being killed just for the antlers,” said the Elder.
Until then, check stops originally erected around the community to search for drugs from entering will now serve as turn away points for non-Indigenous hunters.
But some hunting organisations in the province aren’t happy with BFN restricting access to hunting grounds.
They are calling for intervention before the areas’ hunting season starts Sept. 15.
In a letter to RCMP, the Manitoba Wildlife Federation (MFW) urged the removal of what they call an “illegal barrier” blocking access to an “undefined area of provincial crown land”.
In a statement on their website, MFW said while they acknowledge “… BFN’s jurisdiction over its designated reserve land of approximately 1,600 ha, this blockade affects a much larger area of provincial Crown Land that is legally open to all Manitobans.”
In a public statement, the Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association echoed the need for access to the area and urged the Manitoba Government to resolve “the blockade.”
Their executive director Don Lamont said “[t]his isn’t the first threat of this kind coming from [I]ndigenous communities in recent months. We’re concerned that this kind of action could happen elsewhere.”
When asked for an interview, Lamont said he had no more to add.
APTN News did not hear back from the MFW about an interview before time of publishing.
In an emailed statement, Minister of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Ian Bushie said he understands the importance of ensuring a stable moose population.
He said his department has repeatedly met with both sides and commits “to continue working in partnership with Indigenous communities and hunters to support the long-term sustainability of moose, ensure safe and respectful hunting practices and make sure that hunting, fishing and trapping can continue for generations to come.”
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said people don’t automatically have a right to hunt on a community’s territory.
“When we think about the province or any organiorganisationsation that believes that they have the right to speak on our nations – you do not,” she said. “You do not have the right to speak on our nations, you do not have the right to issue licences to hunt in our ancestral lands and territories.”
Elders in the community fear what the decline might mean for future generations.
“It’s just not like what it was anymore. It’s dead,” says BFN Elder Frank Young.
By Sav Jonsa of APTN News.
