I was at CFB Suffield this past Monday. As I have mentioned in a previous post, yes there were FN hunters on the base taking bulls and some of them were nice bulls. But, there were plenty of FN hunters taking smaller immature bulls. In my mind, taking immature bulls is definitely a sign of Sustenance Hunting.
To say that the natives are just hunting for antlers is wrong. Yes, some of them are, but not all. Just like in all parts of society, there will be people taking advantage of situations that suit them, but others choose not to behave that way. This is just human behavior. Natives are no difference from the rest of society! Some bad apples should not cast the whole lot of them in the same light. I met some very helpful FN hunters on the base that pointed me to a cow that was in a herd of bulls. They even drove down the road to help me find that herd. Now I was not able to take that cow, but I was successful in getting a different cow elk, filling my freezer, and feeding my family.
Now I will say that I do not enjoy the different rules being applied to FN Hunters as opposed to non-FN Hunters. This does not apply just to the situation in Suffield, but all over the province. I do think that there should be a commonality to all hunters.
But I am a realist and have learned over the years that LIFE IS NOT FAIR.
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