The leader of a Manitoba First Nation is urging all moose hunters to stop hunting in the community’s traditional territory due to fears that a provincial tag allocation threatens to wipe out a vulnerable bull moose population. Misipawistik Cree Nation Chief Heidi Cook declared a “voluntary closure of moose hunt” in a game hunting area within the community’s traditional territory, located along the northwestern shores of Lake Winnipeg. Cook is asking every moose hunter, Misipawistik members included, to hold off on harvesting in the area starting Monday, when the season opens, citing the risk of the population collapsing. According to the First Nation, the province issued 62 bull moose tags for Game Hunting Area (GHA) 10 this year, even though a 2025 provincial aerial survey estimated the area’s bull moose population at just 64 animals, with total moose population estimated at 281. Cook said the move “makes no sense,” saying the tags authorize the harvest of 97 per cent of the estimated bull moose population. “It’s just an absolutely unsustainable number, and we feel that we need to appeal to hunters directly to say the moose are in trouble.” That number also doesn’t account for community hunters who hold treaty rights to hunt on their traditional territory and don’t require government-issued licences or tags, she said. Cook said the First Nation has observed a decline in the moose population over the last two decades and has been raising those concerns with the provincial government “and not seeing the kind of responses that we feel are necessary.” “They’re gambling with our moose population, and they’re counting on unsuccessful harvest to cover” for the number of tags issued, Cook said, adding that relying on hunters coming up empty-handed “is not a responsible way to be managing a moose population.” The First Nation has told the province it requires 17 to 19 moose annually to meet its community needs, based on historical harvest figures, Cook said. She said the province’s sustainable harvest calculations should account for those treaty rights — and if they did, the number of tags issued would be zero. A provincial spokesperson said the province’s most recent survey found the moose population in GHA 10 has remained stable since the last count. While 62 tags were made available for the current season, fewer hunters applied than expected, and only 37 tags were allocated — “leading to a projected harvest of nine bull moose this year,” the spokesperson said. Cook said the community’s bull harvest last year was zero, adding that members have had to travel to Saskatchewan to obtain a moose for gatherings or ceremonies. In 2018, Misipawistik developed a Land Guardian program to monitor and record moose activity in the area, Cook said. The initiative has helped reduce moose mortalities from poaching and vehicle collisions and tracks self-reported harvest numbers from both community members and licensed hunters. The First Nation does not intend to set up a blockade or checkpoint, Cook said, adding it will not stop anyone from accessing the land. Cook said Misipawistik has raised its concerns with the province for years and received “expressions of goodwill” but has not seen the action needed to protect the moose population. A statement from Ian Bushie, minister of natural resources and Indigenous futures, said the province will continue to work with Indigenous governments, stakeholders and hunters “to support healthy moose populations and sustainable harvesting opportunities for current and future generations.” “For anybody who loves moose, and I believe that all Manitobans have an interest in having a healthy moose population ... more action is needed,” Cook said. “Moose is a really important cultural species for us. Beyond just being a food source, the act of going out in the fall, having a moose camp, the teachings that are surrounding that ... are really all important aspects of the culture that are being put at risk.” She said the community’s annual youth moose camp has not had a successful harvest since 2017, making those teachings abstract in the absence of moose to hunt.
