Criticism mounts over Sask. hunt of potentially pregnant elk, while RM officials celebrate

WATCH: Dwayne Kitzan, RM councillor in Isinger, lauds the environment minister for allowing an unusual spring elk hunt, which comes on the verge of calving season.

More groups are calling out the province for issuing nearly 200 licences to hunt elk this month, on the cusp of calving season.

But in a bear pit session at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) on Wednesday, some officials offered their thanks.

The Ministry of Environment says it authorized the rare late-season elk hunt in three zones of the province from March 10 to 31 due to concerns about property damage from the animals, and in order to conduct testing for bovine tuberculosis.

The province has issued 175 licences for the late-season hunt:

• 125 in Zone 39, just west of Yorkton running as far north as Kelvington and east to about Foam Lake
• 25 in the RM of Leask, situated between Blaine Lake and Shellbrook
• 25 in the RM of Stanley, northeast of Fort Qu’Appelle and west of Melville.

In a news release on Thursday, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) called it an irresponsible way to manage a wildlife population.

“We never kill pregnant animals as they are a sacred animal. All of our animals are sacred but to kill them during calving season is highly unethical and immoral,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said in the release.

The FSIN, an organization that represents 74 First Nations in the province, says traditional knowledge systems emphasize responsible stewardship, “taking only what is needed, when it is appropriate.”

“This hunt contradicts those principles that we strive to pass down to future generations,” the organization said.

On Wednesday, a lawyer for the legal advocacy group Animal Justice sent a letter to Environment Minister Travis Keisig, urging him to cancel all licences and explore “alternate, non-lethal wildlife management methods to prevent property damage.”

“Allowing hunters to kill elk in the following weeks is unethical and will result in the killing of pregnant elk who are just weeks away from giving birth,” said Alexandra Pester, staff lawyer with Animal Justice.

The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation also expressed ethical concerns over the issue, announcing last week that it would not open its trust lands for the hunt.

Animal Justice argues it may even violate portions of the province’s Animal Protection Act, which prohibits causing an animal to be in distress.

Hunting is usually included in a narrow list of exceptions to the rule, if carried on in accordance with “reasonable and generally accepted practices,” according to Animal Justice.

“This hunt is clearly not in accordance with reasonable and generally accepted practices,” Pester writes.

“As the ministry has acknowledged, it is an exceptional move and even the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, which is an advocate for hunters in the province, has voiced its opposition.”

In a statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Environment acknowledged it received the letter and said it would respond to Animal Justice “in due time.”

In the statement, the ministry reiterated that it was committed to protecting the health of the province’s wildlife populations, saying the decision was “not made lightly.”

Despite the opposition from civil society, at the SARM meetings in Saskatoon this week the environment minister was lauded for his efforts.

For many rural property owners, herds of elk and deer are a nuisance that damage property and eat forage meant for their livestock.

“We’re having an elk problem, and I mean, this has been going on for years,” said Dwayne Kitzan, councillor with RM of Insinger, during a SARM bear pit session on Wednesday morning.

Kitzan’s RM is located about a 30-minute drive northwest of Yorkton, Sask. and situated inside Zone 39, where the bulk of the licences were issued.

“You had mentioned something about it being the people’s elk. The people own it, but then I told you to tell the people to get them off our property.”

Gesturing toward the stage where the environment minister stood, Kitzan made his own proposal to deal with animals.

“I look at the front row here, and I figured, ‘do we ever have a good group of people here to chase the elk off our property,’ and I’ll even offer a barbecue.”

Keisig — whose constituency of Last Mountain-Touchwood lies just south of Zone 39 — joked that if the snow weren’t melting so rapidly, he would “rip over” on his snowmobile to help Kitzan and “give them a good run.”