Recent announcements around big game draws have drawn the attention of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation.
In Big Game Hunting zones 9A, 10, 15, and 15A, Moose tags have been reduced by 75% for people seeking to bag a moose this year
Chris Heald, senior policy advisor with the Manitoba Wildlife Federation says there's concern held by licensed hunters in northern Manitoba.
"The problem is that these communities, Thompson and into the Northernaire Lake, a lot of these are the residents of these communities. The Thompson residents are going to take the hardest hit here. It's disheartening that We weren't involved in any of the conversations about this, there was zero communication from the province."
Heald also suggests that this decision was not backed by significant evidence.
"The only data they have for those areas is licensed hunter-harvest reporting. First Nations and metis do not report harvest, so they don't have the data to do this measure here."
Moving forward, Heald states he'd like to see more open conversation and evidence-based decisions, something he thinks is lacking in this situation.
The affected Big Game hunting zones include Big Game Hunting zones 9A, 10, 15, and 15A.
