Sask. hunting license sales decline for first time in 12 years
After years of consecutive growth, Saskatchewan saw a decrease in the number of residential hunters for the first time in over a decade.
According to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF), there was a roughly 15 per cent reduction in the number of hunting licenses purchased this past fall.
Executive director Darrell Crabbe said the reduction is largely driven by fewer people seeking "over the counter" licenses as opposed to the draw system licenses for bigger game tags.
"We had had a steady increase every year in resident hunting numbers across the board, that was, of course until 2022,"/ Crabbe said.
A survey distributed by the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation has yielded "a huge number" of responses, with one main reason attributed to the lack of hunting activity.
The province's new trespassing legislation -- The Trespass to Property Amendment Act, 2019, and The Trespass to Property Consequential Amendments Act, 2019 -- require permission from landowners to access land for recreational use.
The legislation came into effect on Jan. 1, 2022, making this the first proper hunting season it was implemented, and Crabbe says many are opting to see how the new legislation works before buying a license.
"There is a great deal of difficulty trying to ascertain when you're hunting a specific area. Who owns the land? And secondly, how do you contact them and get that much-needed permission to pursue that activity?" Crabbe said.
Kevin Kopp at North Pro Sports in Saskatoon says sales have remained steady thanks to gun enthusiasts, but there's no doubt hunting traditions are changing in Saskatchewan.
"If you have a relationship and connections with landowners, you're OK. If you do not, it's a work in progress for you," Kopp said.
Kopp said a number of his customers are prepared hunters who spend hours researching, scouting and planning their hunting trips. Hunters fitting that description typically have permission to hunt, but the "over the counter" hunters who typically would have gone to a familiar area unannounced are choosing to stay home this winter.
"The old tradition of just going out on a Saturday morning is a lot different than it was years ago," Kopp said.
Crabbe said the SWF is approaching landowner groups and other stakeholders to determine a better system where landowners and hunters are more easily able to connect.
While many hunters are taking a year off to wait and see, the cost of fuel and other goods needed for hunting, as well as the increased prevalence of chronic wasting disease is also driving more people away.
"A number of areas in Saskatchewan, (chronic wasting disease) is pushing at 80 per cent rates, which make it very difficult to be able to justify going in harvesting an animal and of those areas," Crabbe said.
Hunters are left with no choice if a chronic wasting disease, a neurological disease found in some species of deer, elk and moose, test comes back positive. Although there are no known cases of CWD affecting any humans, the only advice is to throw the meat away.
As all these issues affect hunting activity in the province, Crabbe is growing concerned that people turning away from the sport isn't just a one-off, but part of a larger trend.
"That's always in the back of your mind. And, that would be the thought that's driving us, and it's right driving us right now," he said.
"A lot of individuals just stepped back for one year and are waiting to see what might develop further down the road."
His concern is not only with the sport and the role it plays in managing wildlife populations, but the overall economy as well.
Hunting, trapping and fishing contribute anywhere from $650 million to $700 million to the provincial economy every year, and it's one of the few activities that moves money from urban centres to rural areas.
"You look at every other type of activity that generates that type of financial benefit, it's almost all moving from rural areas into the larger centers," he said.
Thirty per cent of all licensed hunting, angling and trapping license sales contribute to the wildlife development fund, which not only helps fund the provincial hatchery but also funds research and educational ventures.
Crabbe worries if this one-year reduction becomes part of a longer trend, it could affect Saskatchewan's environment overall.
"We certainly don't want to see any drop in the funding available there because those dollars are more needed now than they ever have been," Crabbe said.
As both Crabbe and Kopp see a transition in hunting behaviours, both have an eye on the future to see what's in store moving forward.
"There's pros and cons to all of these new laws, and this definitely one con would be maybe it decreases hunting numbers," Kopp said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.