Bear shootings a shame Posted by WpgJim on Friday, June 05, 2009 (17:45:21) (5 reads)
Re: Bear cubs taken, euthanized (May 30).
The shooting of mother bears happens every year during our annual spring bear hunt. I do not have the exact numbers, but the Manitoba government estimates that the numbers are greater than 50 and less than 100 cubs that are orphaned ever year. Americans come up here to hunt bears and spend thousands of dollars to kill a Manitoba bear. That is because several U.S. states have banned the spring bear hunt to prevent the orphaning of bears. Hunts take place in the fall when the cubs are a bit older and have a better chance of survival on their own.
Manitoba also allows bear baiting. Food is left in a clearing and the hunter hides in a tree or blind and, when a bear comes to feed, they shoot. How anybody can tell if the unsuspecting bear is male or female from a perch in a tree is beyond me. How does shooting a sitting target qualify as a hunt? Given the bond between man and natures as was clearly shown by the media coverage of these two unfortunate cubs, I believe it is time to reconsider the spring bear hunt and bear baiting in Manitoba. Change the hunt to the fall so the Manitoba guides won't be able to argue a loss of income from U.S. "hunters."
Leslie Yeoman
Animal Advocacy Committee
Winnipeg Humane Society
�ñº
I just read about the orphaned bears. I am so angered and upset right now. I have left everything I own to the wildlife association in my will, but that is going to change. I called there last week about a problem with a mother and baby raccoons in our area. They said yes, they could come, but when they come they would be killing these animals. I was outraged, said this was cruel and hung up. Something should be done about this. They have gotten out of hand and nothing is being investigated. That bear could have gone to the zoo here in Winnipeg. It could have been our new mascot Winnie the Pooh. These actions of Manitoba wildlife are so barbaric.
DEBBIE CHALUS
Winnipeg
�ñº
It is very sad that those precious cubs had to die. I don't believe that the conservation officers looked very hard for a placement for them. In the age of the Internet, they would have found that there are bear sanctuaries, some as close as Minnesota and Michigan.
My family and I had one of the most amazing experiences visiting a bear sanctuary in Michigan, the Oswald Bear Ranch. We enjoyed watching the cubs play in the pond and the other numerous adult black bears. There may have been 20 to 30 bears, all either had been injured or orphaned. The amazing part was to watch the owner walk into the fenced area to feed the bears buckets of slops donated by surrounding restaurants. He would carry five-gallon pails of this strange mixture within head patting distance and he would spill the contents out of the bucket and safely leave them to eat.
There was a trust and a bond which I have never seen in a wild animal before. It saddens me to see that these creatures were compromised when they could have been saved.
Hunting in West St. Paul? Posted by WpgJim on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 (18:58:54) (3 reads)
Conservation suggests lifting weapon bylaw to combat wildlife problem
By Hayley Brigg
The province is willing to take aim, but West St. Paul council won’t pull the trigger.
Representitives of Manitoba Conservation met with council this spring to discuss the problem of coyotes in the RM and were told that hunting was not the way council wanted to deal with coyotes.
Manitoba Conservation has expressed interest in working with the RM of West St. Paul to make amendments to their current firearm bylaw, in an effort to solve current wildlife issues within the municipality.
Winnipeg wildlife allocations manager Brian Hagglund and Gimli regional wildlife manager Brian Joynt attended a council meeting to discuss the municipality’s ongoing wildlife issues.
The RM has been battling a pesky coyote problem for many months.
During their presentation Hagglund and Joynt provided an overview of wildlife issues in and near urban areas such as West St. Paul, and were looking to team up with the municipality to come up with a solution to the ongoing problem.
“Hunting is a big part of our game species management,” said Hagglund.
“If there is no hunting within the municipality, it allows species to grow and become a nuisance very much the way it has become here in West St. Paul.”
During the discussions, Hagglund and Joynt hinted towards hunting in the RM as a possible resolution to the problem, but were met with roadblocks from the RM.
The current West St. Paul firearm bylaw prohibits the use of any weapon within the municipality, making hunting illegal.
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Though Hagglund and Joynt cited hunting as being a valuable tool to help regulate wildlife populations in urban areas, Mayor Cliff Dearman and council saw more negatives than positives in the suggestion.
“Our municipality is too small, and our houses are too close that I don’t think we want to take chances in allowing hunting within the area,” said Dearman.
“It’s just not the right place for it.”
Though Conservation agreed the use of firearms within the more urban areas of the municipality would be a safety issue, they suggested the RM look into amending the bylaw to allow hunting in more rural areas.
“We understand that the RMs have to balance the desires of their ratepayers,” said Hagglund. “If they don’t want hunting here, we can’t force them to do anything.”
However, Hagglund pointed out that by taking hunting off the table, the municipality might run into problems later on.
“The municipality has to be prepared to deal with the complaints that are associated with wildlife nuisances,” said Hagglund. “If there are no hunting seasons in the RM and we aren’t allowed to use firearms, it sort of handcuffs us for what we’re able to do to solve the problem.”
Dearman says although he recognizes there has been a wildlife problem he doesn’t feel the situation requires any additional attention.
“This is a semi-rural are so there is always going to be wildlife. Their presence here isn’t going to stop and we don’t want it to stop either, it’s one of the features of our municipality,” said Dearman. “We don’t want to go about creating new bylaws for a problem that is already being handled.”
Dearman explains the municipality relies on the services of Manitoba Conservation, bringing in skilled trappers to capture problem animals and release them into the wild.
Though trapping is a viable option, Hagglund says that some trappers aim to kill rather than capture.
“The thing with some trapping is that it’s an offense to waste the meat,” said Hagglund. “At least with hunting you have hunters that are out there for a purpose and not being wasteful.”
“I think if we brought hunting into the mix it would just do more bad than good,” said Dearman.
“If there is a problem I think we’d like to leave it to the professionals rather then allowing residents to deal with the problem themselves.”
Though the municipality seems firm in its position regarding hunting, Hagglund says the offer to re-work the bylaw will continue to be on the table.
“If and when the RM wants to look at redeveloping a new bylaw, we’re happy to go out there and work with them,” said Hagglund.
Bear spray and bear attack Posted by steve on Monday, June 01, 2009 (03:05:34) (3 reads)
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Want to be an outdoor writer? Want to see your picture in a magazine? Posted by steve on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 (03:17:20) (3 reads)
Have you ever felt like you had it in you to write a good outdoor story? Whether it be about hunting, camping, fishing or anything related to the outdoors? Want to see it published in a local outdoor magazine? Well, now is your chance!
We are in the process of creating Manitoba's first member driven magazine. What does that mean? It means that all of the content is going to be based on members stories and photos from this website.
So if anyone wants to see their story in the magazine (or kids photos) please send them to magazine@manitobahunters.com if you want to keep anonymous that is fine as well, please just say so when you send in you story.
Try to keep articles anywhere between 300-700 words. Also, please try to include any photos that you have to go with it.
All articles that are used will be given a prize (not sure what yet, maybe a shirt or something?)
If you would like an idea to write about simply email us and we will give you a few to choose from.
Thanks
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Not-so-great outdoors - Free entry to parks means you'll get what you pay for Posted by steve on Monday, May 11, 2009 (16:38:05) (2 reads)
THE oldest cliché in the political phrasebook is "there's no such thing as a free lunch." But some of the people you've elected think you love nothing more than soup and sandwiches on the house.
Back in late March, when the Doer government announced its spending plans for 2009, the provincial budget included a warm-and-fuzzy user-fee cut that sounded like a great deal, on the surface.
Over the next two years, anyone who visits a Manitoba provincial park won't have to pay the regular entrance fee, which was $7 for a three-day pass or $25 for an annual pass last year. Until May 1, 2011, you can just roll up to the gate and slide on through.
"In tough economic times, families may look for recreation closer to home, so we would like to encourage all Manitobans and visitors to Manitoba to enjoy and explore our provincial parks," Manitoba Conservation says on its website.
Personally, I believe the gesture is counterproductive. While there's no question a $7 entry fee might dissuade some people from visiting parks, this temporary suspension of a user fee seems like an odd financial move to make when all government departments are starving for revenue.
Obviously, the populist gesture is an attempt to maintain some voter loyalty between provincial elections. But it's also irresponsible, given the fact provincial parks in Manitoba desperately need an infusion of more cash.
Manitoba's parks are beautiful, popular places, but their infrastructure is crumbling and out of date. Trail systems, roads, townsite amenities, back-country campsites and marketing programs are all in desperate need of a 21st-century upgrade to bring them up to speed with state and provincial parks in other jurisdictions, where political leaders understand the tourism potential of better services.
In 2008, park admission fees generated about $2.5 million for Manitoba Conservation, which could have represented a big chunk of the $40 million the province will spend on Parks and Open Spaces this year.
While cutting off a revenue source may not negatively impact parks -- Manitoba Conservation insists services won't be affected -- it's precisely the wrong message to send when wilderness advocates have actually been clamouring for more user fees.
As any avid canoeist or backpacker will tell you, the number of back-country campsites in Manitoba parks is disappointingly small, which is annoying because back-country travellers are not allowed to bed down anywhere in most provincial parks.
In the past, Manitoba Conservation has said they can't expand the number of back-country sites because the ministry does not have the resources to protect people in wilderness areas or conduct more enforcement of wildlife and environmental regulations.
But this is circular reasoning, because Manitoba doesn't charge back-country camping fees, which other jurisdictions levy to cover the costs of running a park.
To camp in northwestern Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park, one of the most popular canoeing destinations in North America, back-country paddlers pay anywhere from $4.50 to $20 a day, depending on the season and the access point. The fees help pay for park rangers, emergency services and fire prevention and essentially sustain the eco-tourism within the park. Even driving a vehicle into Quetico will also set you back $10 to $18 a day, which is considerably higher than the $2.33 you would have paid in Manitoba last year.
At a national level, Parks Canada charges even higher entrance and back-country camping fees. At Riding Mountain, Manitoba's only accessible national park, every adult pays $7.80 a day to merely enter the gates, plus $9.80 a night to use one of 19 back-country campsites.
In the United States, national park fees vary according to the number of visitors a given park receives. But even seldom-visited parks like North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park charge $10 for seven-day access, or $20 for an annual pass.
In 2007, a Theodore Roosevelt superintendent told me she'd like to see the fees rise so rangers could better patrol the stunning North Dakota badlands. Park maintenance and enforcement is an issue everywhere in North America, it seems.
As public interest in wilderness travel explodes, Manitoba could capitalize, as paddlers, hikers, cyclists and wildlife-watchers grow tired of crowded destinations in better-known Canadian tourism destinations such as the Rockies or the Maritimes. But in order for Manitoba to compete, we need better amenities in our parks, which haven't been upgraded significantly since the 1970s.
Only Whiteshell provincial park has a significant number of back-country campsites, mainly because the wilderness zone was established decades ago. There are a handful of back-country sites at Turtle Mountain, Spruce Woods, Grass River and Paint Lake provincial parks, but Duck Mountain and Hecla/Grindstone are underdeveloped.
Manitoba Conservation can't build on this network without more funds, but no more tourism dollars are going to roll in unless the province spends even more than the $17 million it intends to spend on capital projects inside parks this year.
That's why suspending admission fees sounds like a foolhardy plan. Manitoba Conservation should be charging more and offering more, not offering up parks on the cheap for whomever happens to roll through the gates.
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