Hunters, advocacy groups raise concerns about hunting pregnant elk as Sask. extends season

Saskatchewan hunters and advocacy groups are speaking out after the Saskatchewan government extended the elk hunting season into March for three areas of the province. 

In a rare extension of the traditional hunting season, the provincial government is offering licences for elk hunting from March 10 to 31. The licences are limited to hunting within WMZ 39, west of Yorkton, the RM of Stanley, northeast of Fort Qu'Appelle, and the RM of Leask, north of Saskatoon. 

The government says the extended hunting is permitted due to wildlife damage on farms, and to collect samples of bovine tuberculosis in WMZ 39 and RM of Stanley. 

The announcement was met by opposition from animal rights and Indigenous groups, who say the hunt is unethical and breaks Indigenous cultural norms. Offering licences in March will mean the vast majority of the female elk hunted will be several months pregnant.

On March 12, legal advocacy group Animal Justice sent a letter to Saskatchewan's Minister of the Environment Travis Keisig, arguing the move was contrary to Saskatchewan's Animal Protection Act.

Animal Justice claimed that hunting pregnant elk during this time of year contravenes the Act's prohibition on causing undue distress for animals whilst hunting. The Act does stipulate exceptions to that rule, as long as they fall within "reasonable and generally accepted practices" of hunting.

According to Kaitlyn Mitchell, the group's Director of Legal Advocacy, that exception has not been met. 

"It really runs in the face of the rule of law to expand the goalposts," she said. "Just because some folks want to shoot elk in the spring, suddenly we're going to consider that to also be reasonable, generally accepted. It's just not."

"We are talking about sentient, social, intelligent animals who deserve our compassion and respect."

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), which represents 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan, has also called on the government to halt the licensing process. It says the decision goes against its cultural values on the hunting of pregnant elk, and was done without its consultation.

"It's hard to put into words, but you just don't do that. You don't go and kill babies that are in the tummies of sacred animals such as the elk," said FSIN chief Bobby Cameron. "There are other methods, other means, other ways of addressing the older population."

"We'll say this to all the land owners, farm farmers out there. If you're running into this problem, phone us."

For some hunters, the ethics of hunting pregnant elk come down to a definition of what constitutes a pregnancy. 

In Saskatchewan the typical elk hunting season runs between September and late December, usually for short windows of a few weeks. Preventing hunting outside of these areas is meant to allow elk populations to bear calves in the summer. Female elk — known as cows — mate in the fall and are pregnant for about 250 days, meaning many are already pregnant during the official hunting season.