Brandon Sun By: Michele LeTourneau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Posted:
A cow moose and two calves dine in a marsh in Riding Mountain National Park in July. The Manitoba Metis Federation announced this week it had successfully completed a sustainable and limited moose hunt Jan. 15. (File)
The Manitoba Metis Federation announced this week it had successfully completed a sustainable and limited moose hunt Jan. 15.
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The Manitoba Metis Federation announced this week it had successfully completed a sustainable and limited moose hunt Jan. 15. Despite the scare tactics used by the Government of Manitoba in an attempt to frighten or discourage Métis harvesters, our people’s response to our sustainable moose hunting initiative has been very positive, MMF president David Chartrand stated in a news release.
The hunts took place despite the province’s objections. In October, after the federation announced its plan to allow for 24 tags for bulls to teams, who would also provide meat to elders and others in their communities, Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development Blaine Pedersen stated in an email to The Brandon Sun that the province did not support the plan. For Leah LaPlante, the minister responsible for that portfolio with the federation, she recalls childhood memories of her father having to sneak out in the night in order to feed the family. Because of harassment by overly zealous conservation officers, our parents were forced to hunt after dark, cutting up the meat in a panic and hiding our food, she stated in the news release.