Just a few points then I'm stepping quietly out of this thread
The Metis subsistence is to be just that, subsistence hunting. Metis are not supposed to be out trophy hunting under the guise of subsistence and if anyone sees them doing it, they should call and report them immediately.
I, as a Metis, believe that a different system should have been put in place, tags given during regular season so kills can be tracked. That being said, the majority of Metis hunters are respectful of the environment and resources and there aren't a lot that shoot out of season or any ole place they feel like it or trophy hunt. There will always be bad apples but please don't stereotype the whole for the few.
To the person that stated that Metis receive all kinds of hand outs, we don't. The only "hand out" or special privileges we have received has been the hunting. We work, pay taxes, pay our own health care, GST, etc such as everyone else does.
People should read and learn about Metis settlements. The settlements and Metis (as a whole) are two different breeds. Not all Metis can go live on a settlement any time they want to. They are very proprietary and quite often they are settled by certain families and have a council to which someone has to apply to live there and most often those applications are denied. The settlements were only created in the 1930's by certain people lobbying the government. Metis were living all over Alberta long before the settlements went into effect. Living on a settlement does not make someone more Metis than those that don't and not living on one doesn't negate the subsistence hunting given to "all" Metis.
Lastly, I have never used my Metisness to hunt. I have always bought my tags, I have never trophy hunted, I only shot 1 moose per season as that is the only wild game that I eat. Because of this agreement, I quit hunting as on my last trip, another group that my husband and I encountered found out I was Metis, because I look Native and one of them actually had the nerve to ask my husband to see my tags. I will no longer go out as I'm now receiving extra attention to the already extra attention I had already had because of my race.
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