Natives in Manitoba will soon capture elk for the provincial government and for their own use under the terms of a recent initiative between the government and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
Under the agreement, First Nations people will capture up to 450 elk, a maximum of 150 per year for three years. They will be allowed to keep up to 250 of the catch for farming, and the remaining 200 will be sold in government auctions.
The agreement is a win-win situation, said Stan Bear, economic development adviser for the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
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“The First Nations will have to build infrastructure on their respective reserves, and the cost is $150,000 to $200,000. And they will buy all their materials from non-aboriginals.”
For Manitoba’s natives, the deal generates more economic activity on reserves that have relatively non-arable land, best suited to raising bison or elk as opposed to conventional grain farming and cattle, Bear said.
Bob Carmichael, of Manitoba Natural Resources, said the deal is a chance to acquire enough animals to get the province’s elk industry going and provide a boost for aboriginals wanting to get into the business.
Some growers upset
But some elk growers in the province aren’t happy.
“The animals that they catch they’ll be able to get for nothing, where anyone who gets his name in the draw will be paying whatever price the government puts on them,” said Roblin elk rancher Ron Landry. Elk are sold to non-aboriginal producers through a lottery system.
Average prices for elk range from $16,000 to $20,000 for adult females, while males sell for around $4,000 for a velvet bull and up to $100,000 for a breeding bull, Landry said.
Elk kept by the First Nations will be owned by an elk and bison council, said Bear. The calves from the herd will be sold to aboriginals interested in elk ranching who live on the 30 Manitoba reserves that have elk habitat.
The Manitoba government has undertaken similar animal acquisitions with non-natives in the past. Landry said the deal was much different then.
“The people that captured them last winter got 10 percent of the catch,” he said. If First Nations people capture the 450 elk that they are allowed, the 250 head they keep will represent a 56 percent share.
But Bear said the economic situation has to be taken into consideration.
“The average income for an average Manitoban is $21,100 and the average income for a First Nations individual is $13,100. So there’s a big gap there.”
