May 1, 2025
Manitoba Government Expands Moose Hunting Licences
The Manitoba government is making available 350 moose hunting licences for the 2025 season, 250 more than in 2024, while also meeting the long-standing obligation of the 1977 Northern Flood Agreement to prioritize Indigenous harvest in the Cross Lake trapline section in the traditional territory of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Minister Ian Bushie announced today.
“These are important measures our government is taking while we improve the way moose are counted in Manitoba,” said Bushie. “These changes were needed in order to respect the hunting rights of Manitobans while we increase our efforts to improve data collection. As Manitobans, we all share an interest in conserving and enhancing our province’s moose population.”
Aerial surveys with a focus on moose were conducted in the winter of 2024-25, which provide additional data on game hunting areas (GHAs) 9A and 10. The Manitoba government has designated fifteen per cent of GHA 9A and twelve per cent of GHA 10 as areas exclusive to Indigenous hunters, while a total of 350 licences will be granted for the remaining areas of GHA 9A, 10, 15 and 15A.
As a next step, the province will work with Pimicikamak Cree Nation to establish a wildlife advisory and planning board. This new board will have a strong impact on shared wildlife-related decisions going forward, noted the minister. The wildlife advisory and planning board will help manage resources, bring people together under different settlement agreements and allow for discussion leading to shared land and natural resource management planning.
“Striking a balance means ensuring moose hunting can continue to thrive in Manitoba, while protecting the species in a manner that will preserve the tradition of hunting in our province,” added Bushie.
Budget 2025 increases funding for aerial surveys and other methods to gather more data that will help the Manitoba government in making science-based decisions on hunting that will address sustainability and Indigenous rights.
For more information on the new regulatory changes on bag limits, visit: https://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/regs/annual/2025/030.php.
For more information regarding general hunting in Manitoba, visit www.gov.mb.ca/nrnd/fish-wildlife/pubs/fish_wildlife/huntingguide.pdf.
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