Uncertainty swirls around Cape Breton moose hunt

Word that the fall moose hunt in the Cape Breton Highlands may be cancelled this year has been a hot topic among hunters, including longtime moose hunting guide Dennis Day.

"I think it should be (cancelled). It should have been last year,” Day told CTV Atlantic on Friday.

Day, who lives in Cape North, N.S., said herd numbers in the Highlands are simply too low.

He noted calls in previous years to stop the annual cull so the population could bounce back should have been heeded and this spring's bear hunt – which was called off – should have gone ahead.

"The moose just aren't there anymore,” Day said. “The cull should never have been done. Mother Nature has taken her course. We've had harsh winters, we lost a lot of moose in the harsh winters. We've lost a lot of moose to the bears."

A published report cites a leaked document from the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs saying there will be no Cape Breton moose hunt this year.

However, Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources and Renewables isn't saying anything.

They declined an interview on Friday, saying they couldn't provide any information at this time.

The Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources also wouldn't comment, saying they planned to respond formally in collaboration with the province.

The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs declined to comment, but they did share the results of a population survey done by helicopter in February and March.

The numbers show a sharp population decline in the Greater Highlands Ecosystem from more than 4,700 moose in 2015 to just 835 this year.

"It's important that we honour that resource first and foremost,” said Jeff Ward, the new manager of Communities, Culture and Heritage for Wagmatcook First Nation.

Ward said although the Mi'kmaq have an inherent right to hunt, under circumstances like the current one, conservation should come first.

"And if our elders decide, 'No, we're going to respect that’, our people listen,” Ward said.

"I'd like to see nobody hunt,” Day said.

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