FYI....The Saskatchewan 05' Biggame Resident Draw online Apps is suppose to be up and running by April 22nd.
Deadline for the applications is Midnight May 31st!!
[link]https://secure.se.gov.sk.ca/biggame/default.asp[/link]

Best of luck to all who apply!!

For those interested in the 05' Regs, paper copies of the Hunting & Trapping Guide are now available at SERM offices and most license vendors. The PDF form of these regs has been available for a few weeks on the SERM website: [link]http://www.se.gov.sk.ca/fishwild/[/link]

Change of note: Regular elk season (rifle) is back to bulls only!

This makes us boys up in 48 sad sad sad. Not running that cow season second week is really going to come back and haunt us farmers in the area. Elk are our thicker than hair on a dog right now. No matter what time of day i drive to town there is a good dozen lurkin out in the fields. We had a meeting with serm 2 years ago and managed to get the season opened up that second week good grand wonderful but keep it opened up for a few years. You ain't going to thin the herds out in one year, more like 4 or 5. This makes no sense to me at all and I am really lookin forward to donating 30 acres of canola to the brown girls again this year.

Hia, they did up the anterless draw in both 48 and 49 zones to 600 in 05'. Last fall it was 150 and years prior the 300 range if i recall correctly(not 100% sure). I stopped in at SERM on the campus and end up chatting with a CO he said it was to control the amount of anterless as last falls season didn't work out as planned..he did not elborate any further. Heard rumors from hunters complaining about to many hunting the second week making it counter productive vs spreading them out (which is bogus cuz we saw more hunter last year in the first week than previous and none when we went back at the end of the second), also heard too many animals being shot and not enough guys still holding out for bone! I'd bet it was a combination no control on the part of SERM over the harvest, something they do not like.

They fly by the seat of their pants and must guess while appeasing several parties. Look at the change to last falls moose season - bulls only regular. That doesn't even make sense and the dates could have been hazardous as the first few days could easily see bulls coming in to the call for a last chance effort. The only saving grace was the snow and crappy weather...made out like bandits as very few bulls were taken! However they kept her the same this year and if it is anywhere close to normal or worse a warm fall prolonging the rut...look out!

They just don't want to step on anybodies toes and their are too many toes to worry about, so management is a game of chests for SERM as very few will practice it on their own.