‘Turns my stomach’: Foam Lake man limits late-season elk hunting his land

The choice to extend antlerless elk hunting in some areas of the province has opened up a pit in one hunter’s stomach.

Lionel Willen, from Foam Lake, was disturbed that the provincial government would issue late-season hunting tags while the elk are weeks away from calving.

“I believe that it’s not an ethical thing to do,” he said. “I don’t know anybody that could stomach field dressing a cow elk, and have a live calf come out, and then having to euthanize the calf and just throw it away.”

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In a message to hunters from the province, it said it made the decision to extend the late-season hunting licenses to collect bovine tuberculosis samples and reported wildlife damage.

Starting on Monday, hunters could purchase a license to hunt elk in Zone 39, the RM of Stanley and the RM of Leask. Hunters must submit their heads for bovine TB testing when the hunting period ends on the last day of the month.

Willen’s land is located in Zone 39 where 125 licenses were made available for this hunting period, but he won’t be letting hunters access his land this time around.

“I feel it’s a cruel and mean thing to be shooting and killing animals that are heavy in calf like this,” he said.

While Willen himself won’t be participating in the late-season hunt, he said the large populations of elk are a concern for the area.

A farmer near Plunkett has said the deer and elk herds are “out of control” in his area.

Willen said the area has needed a fall open season for the past two years due to overflowing elk populations.

Drone footage shows how elk have shredded Scott Martin’s silage. (Scott Martin/ Submitted)

Five years ago, Willen said he would see herds of up to 30 elk at a time walking through his fields. Now, he’ll see herds of up to 70.

He does not blame his neighbours for being concerned about the spread of diseases – like bovine TB and Chronic Wasting Disease – but wants to see the hunt take place at a different time of year.

“It just kind of turns my stomach,” Willen said. “I wouldn’t be able to do it myself.”

When Willen used to farm, he said he also experienced crop damages that resulted in insurance payouts due to elk trampling his fields. He said better help should be coming from the province to help farmers build fences around their feedstock.

It is Willen’s hope that the provincial government calls off the hunt until a later date, and hunters are refunded their money for their licenses.

“They should cut this off for now and rethink this situation,” he said.

Sask. Wildlife Federation calls timing of hunt “very unfortunate”

Amid different ethical concerns surrounding the late-season hunt, the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Board of Directors have decided that its Habitat Trust Lands will not be open to hunters.

Darrell Crabbe, the federation’s executive director, said he still supports crop insurance coverage for producers affected by wildlife damage, but he calls the timing of the hunting licenses being issued “very unfortunate.”

“The ethical concerns here are about harvesting the female elk, the cows that are presently very far along with their calves, and should be having their calves in the next few weeks,” Crabbe said. “We find the ethics of that to be questionable.”

Crabbe said he does share concerns about diseases – like bovine TB – spreading to the cattle industry, and does stress the importance of samples being collected, but believes more hunting licenses should be allocated for the fall hunting season, instead of the spring.

“I’m just not sure about the science behind harvesting a bunch of animals right now, or how many animals have to be harvested to determine prevalence,” he said.

A total of 175 licenses were issued for spring antlerless elk hunting in three areas around the province. (Courtesy Ministry of Environment)

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations also opposes the late-season hunt calling the move “culturally insensitive.”

“We never kill pregnant animals as they are a sacred animal,” said FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron.

“All of our animals are sacred but to kill them during calving season is highly unethical and immoral. There are other ethical ways to address this matter, there are many First Nations who are more than willing and happy to help this cause but definitely not during calving season.”

Two new strains of bovine TB found during investigation in Sask.

In a statement from the Ministry of Environment, it said it committed to protecting the health of Saskatchewan’s wildlife populations.

“Late season hunts are rare, as most population management can be accomplished through existing hunting seasons,” the ministry wrote. “The decision to allow additional hunting opportunities is not made lightly and is influenced by a variety of factors.”

Some areas were issued hunting licenses because of above-average damage claims from producers, it said.

In other areas, hunting licenses were issued to reduce the potential risk of bovine TB – a disease that can infect cattle and some species of wildlife.

According to the Ministry of Environment, two strains of bovine tuberculosis that have not previously been found in the country were found in the province.

It came after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) launched an investigation into a single cow in a cattle herd in southeastern Saskatchewan. Only two cases of bovine TB have been found in the province since 2023.

In order to prevent the disease from spilling over into Sask.’s wildlife population, the ministry said those participating in the late-season hunt will be required to submit their head for bovine TB testing.

“While bovine TB has never been detected in wildlife in Saskatchewan, wildlife surveillance is a component of every bovine tuberculosis investigation, as it is important to ensure that the disease has not spilled over into surrounding populations of susceptible wildlife,” said the ministry.

The Ministry of Environment has teamed up with the CFIA and other Sask. ministries to “prevent the transmission of bovine TB between livestock, wildlife and humans.”

“Hunters are important stewards of wildlife in our province – they are always encouraged to use ethical hunting practices to ensure undue stress is not placed on an animal prior to being harvested,” the ministry wrote.