Canadian Outfitters’ Hunting Proposal Not the Answer
by Rob Olson Delta Waterfowl President
I suppose it was inevitable that, in spite of the apparent vastness of the Canadian prairie, duck hunters here would eventually start bumping into each other. As it turns out, the number of outstanding hunting areas is not endless, and recent years have seen increasing conflict between hunters vying for the best fields and potholes.
Last year the Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba outfitter’s associations put forth proposals to provincial governments that would mandate all U.S. residents to hunt with a licensed Canadian outfitter as a way of managing hunting pressure.
Competition for access to waterfowling hotspots isn’t a new phenomenon. Most U.S. waterfowlers have had to compete for hunting access for a very long time. In places like California, Arkansas, Maryland’s eastern shore and countless other locales, outfitters and hobby hunters have had to pay to chase ducks, or get in line for public hunting opportunities of variable quality.
In Canada, hunters can still walk up to the farm door and gain access to the “pond out back” for nothing more than a handshake and a smile. Folks tell me you could do the same in Stuttgart 25 years ago. Will Canada go the way of Stuttgart? Is keeping open access for all in Canada desirable or achievable?
The initial proposal by the outfitter associations is not the best long-term solution to the conflict, and Delta Waterfowl does not support it. We have made our position clear to all parties in Canada. Thousands of U.S. waterfowlers have invested literally hundreds of millions of dollars in prairie Canada for waterfowl conservation since the 1930s. We believe they’ve earned the privilege of freelance waterfowling in Canada.
On the other hand, outfitters provide an important service—access—to hunters who simply can’t effectively freelance hunt in Canada on their own. Moreover, outfitting provides jobs and economic opportunity in rural areas where other options to earn a living are often limited.
But what about the 120,000 remaining Canadian freelancing waterfowlers? There were 500,000 of us back in the 1970s when I started hunting. Most resident duck hunters are not as aggressive or professional about their duck hunting as either outfitters or U.S. hunters. We tend to be more laid back, less likely to want to pay for access, and less willing to put on the thousands of miles that outfitters or U.S. hunters log to scout for shoots.
To provide a quality experience for U.S. clients, outfitters must control large areas that hold huntable numbers of ducks and geese. Usually, these areas are off limits to local Canadian hunters. Likewise, some U.S. freelance hunters tie up significant areas for their own hunting on either a short or longer term basis, again, excluding Canadian hunters.
Conflicts over access are occurring against a backdrop of an increasingly urbanized Canadian landscape where support for hunting is fading nationally. All parties vying for access to Canadian waterfowling must remember that without a critical mass of Canadian duck hunters, waterfowling cannot be defended effectively.
U.S. residents can’t vote in Canada and therefore have little pull with the politicians and the non-hunting public. The economic impact of outfitting is important to rural areas, but politicians serving the urban majority probably don’t care about economic impact on the prairies.
Surely there is enough room for everybody. However, it looks like there will be a need to manage hunter numbers and access for all parties in Canada.
Provincial game and fish associations are rightfully looking out for Canadian hunters on this issue, and outfitter associations are representing themselves in this conflict. We believe Delta Waterfowl is uniquely positioned to mediate for the best solution for all sides because our duck hunter constituent includes freelancing U.S. hunters, Canadian resident waterfowlers and outfitters.
And Delta is the only national or international hunter-based group engaged on this issue. We have been attending meetings and consulting with all sides to come up with a solution that is more equitable for all parties than the outfitter’s initial proposal, which has currently stalled.
I suspect that no party will get everything they want on this issue. Delta will be vigilant to ensure that access is dealt with fairly for all parties. We will keep you posted on this important issue.
