Opt-in deadline for the spring bear hunt looming

Photo courtesy of Randy Therrien.

Although 8 wildlife management units (WMUs) have been identified by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) as candidates for a limited spring bear hunt, it’s not a done deal.

Municipalities in each of the targeted WMUs — 13, 14, 29, 30, 39, 41 and 42 — have been asked to pass a resolution by Jan. 15, 2014 to opt-in to the program.

According to Andrew Donnachie, press secretary/issues manager in the minister of natural resources office, the MNR will use consensus to determine if a hunt will go ahead in a specific WMU.

So, if only some municipalities in a given WMU opt-in by the deadline, but none strongly oppose the initiative, the pilot program will move forward in that area.

The program, announced on Nov.14, will allow for a limited spring bear hunt to take place from May 1 to June 15 in 2014 and 2015 in the selected WMUs.

Here is a map of the municipalities lying within the 8 WMUs, listing which ones have passed resolutions (as of Dec.18).

If your community has opted-in and hasn’t been included, leave a comment and we will add it to the map.