Anyone having trouble getting into lodges early? Looks like new rules will be in place for 2012 and no reviews expected by MRNF before 2013 season.
Here's a dump of the ruling if anyone is interested and has not seen it - Mirage is fairly loaded for the first few winter hunts - we are planning 01 DEC - 04 DEC: (As a note - the Geo Biologist @ K381 told us on 05 DEC 11 the exact opposite concerning the state of the herd - politics at it's worse)
Migratory caribou hunting in Northern Québec - Minister Simard announces new measures for the upcoming season
Québec, December 21, 2011 – The Minister for Natural Resources and Wildlife, Serge Simard, has announced the new measures he intends to implement for the 2012-2013 migratory caribou hunting season in Northern Québec.
"The biological data for 2011 show that the Rivière aux Feuilles herd is, like the George River herd, decreasing, leading us to introduce stricter hunting rules to preserve this popular species for hunters," said Minister Simard.
For the George River herd, it has been decided that sports hunting will be closed in zones 23 East, 23 South and 24, for the 2012-2013 season. Sports hunting will remain closes as long as biological data do not indicate the herd is recovering.
For the Rivière aux Feuilles herd, the rules for the current hunting season will be extended into 2012-2013. However, the following changes regarding the hunting periods will apply:
Zone 22A
- Issue of 500 licences;
- Allocate those licences through a draw;
- No obligation to retain the services of an outfitter.
Zone 22B
- Reduce by 25% in the number of licences sold by outfitters (2009 being the year of reference).
Zones 22A and B
- Hunting season beginning on December 1 and ending on January 30;
- Prohibit the killing of caribou with antlers shorter than than 15cm.
Zone 23 West
- Reduce by 25% the numbers of licences sold by outfitters (2009 being the year of reference );
- Hunting season beginning on August 25 and ending on October 7.
All zones
- Maintain the limit of two caribou per hunter;
- Provincial bag-limit of two caribou per hunter, per year. A hunter may not hunt in more than one zone.
In addition to these measures, the Cree, Inuit and Naskapi nations have made a commitment to monitor their harvests beginning in 2012. Communities will also be encouraged to set themselves objectives and management measures. These actions are essential to collect the data needed to ensure proper management of the herds over the coming years.
The measures for the 2013-2014 season will be established alongside the management plans for migratory caribou, in collaboration with all the partners concerned. In addition, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador will be asked to take part in the discussions to ensure better coordination and more complementary actions with regard to the George River herd.
"We are all concerned about the decline of the two caribou herds in Northern Québec. They are important for Native people, a source of economic growth in the region, and a symbol of Québec's wildlife heritage. For all these reasons, we must work together to ensure their long-term survival," concluded Minister Simard.