A Manitoba elk grower charged under Manitoba’s Wildlife Act says the province has no business telling elk producers what they can or can’t do with animals grown on their farms.
Chris Switzer, who raises elk near Swan River, Man., was charged by the province after one of his employees took two men on a guided hunt for a bull elk.
The hunt took place last fall on Switzer’s farm.
The two men, who presented themselves as sport hunters, were given tranquilizer guns for the hunt rather than high-powered rifles.
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The intent, said Switzer, was for the men to shoot the bull elk with a tranquilizer.
The visiting hunters could then have their picture taken with the elk and have the antlers removed for a trophy before the effects of the tranquilizer wore off.
But soon after the elk was struck by a tranquilizer dart, more than two dozen staff from the department of natural resources converged on the farm, Switzer said.
Hunting of farmed elk is not allowed in Manitoba.
Manitoba Conservation would not comment on Switzer’s case other than to confirm charges had been laid.
Switzer, who describes himself as a victim of entrapment, said the carefully orchestrated sting resulted in charges against him and the employee.
He says the province shouldn’t have any say in what producers do with their farmed elk.
Switzer went public with his charges to draw attention to the issue.
He is one of several growers in Manitoba who believe hunting of farmed elk should be legalized in the province.
Ed Harms, president of the Manitoba Elk Growers Association, also wants the hunts allowed.
Legalization would mean added revenue for elk growers and the provincial economy, he said.
Harms says the provincial government is being swayed by the opinion of urban dwellers opposed to hunt farms.
“We want to go ahead and flourish, but we’re being held back by the urban view of what we’re trying to do.”
Switzer also owns a Saskatchewan elk farm a short drive from his Manitoba home. He hosts hunts with rifles and tranquilizer guns on his Saskatchewan land and gets paid $3,000 (U.S.) for each tranquilizer hunt.
Existing rules prohibit the movement of farmed elk between Manitoba and Saskatchewan. That prevents producers from using Manitoba elk to stock Saskatchewan hunt farms.
Switzer said he will fight the charges against him. He claims the department of natural resources should have no jurisdiction since the bull elk is part of a domesticated herd.
“There should be a point where when you buy an animal that should be your animal.Unless you’re doing something inhumane, it’s nobody’s damned business what you do with it.”
