BISON Draw-Tags

[BlackHeart]

Hmmmm.

So for the 2018-19 season there is no draw or tags.
BUT......why are outfitters still selling hunts???....in fact for an extra $3500 you can take a second bison.

Seems fair....doesn't it???.....Albertan's get zero tags and a non-resident can actually get two tags. WTXXXX!!!!

[Drewski Canuck]

Perhaps a different area?

The Rainbow Lake - Zama herd has no tags. There is a herd at Paul Lake by Fort Chip that is also now protected.

In between is a lot of country where Bison are NOT protected.

You have to remember that the whole point of allowing un restricted hunting of Bison in Northern Alberta AROUND Wood Buffalo National Park is that the hybrid Plains Bison herd in the park is known to carry TB, Anthrax, and Brucellosis.

There is an area in Wood Buffalo National Park where the natural cliffs did not let the hybrid bison taken from the Wainwright Area to mix with pure bred, disease free, WOOD BISON.

The Zama herd is Wood Bison and disease free. It was only established for the eventual re stocking of Wood Buffalo National park once the hybrid diseased bison were culled.

To this day, and about 25 years after the idea was hatched, the Feds continue to put Alberta Beef farmers at Risk by failing to do what they said they would do, and cull the hybrid herd.

To stop the movement out of the park, of the hybrid diseased herd, you could go without a tag and hunt a bison, outside of the Park boundaries.

Remember, if TB, or Brucelloisis gets into the BEEF CATTLE Herd, Alberta will lose billions because of quarantine. There is a lot of farming within 150 km in the Fort Vermillion area, and this is a real threat.

So, if an outfitter is offering a hunt, check the area. It usually is a hunt on the "out of the park bison". This is usually done December - March, is very remote, and is often very cold.

Drewski

[The moose]

^ excellent post. Thank you,I enjoyed reading it.

[Esox]

There is also an area south of the Chinchaga river where you can legally hunt bison anytime of the year without a tag. I don't believe there is many animals in that area and its extremely difficult to access.

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by The moose

^ excellent post. Thank you,I enjoyed reading it.

Enjoy but don't take everything as a hard and complete fact, as applies to my post.


His explanation of the outfitted hunts is correct. That should sedate the OP's concern.

The "hybrid" and disease issue is more complicated and likely much less of an issue than proffered.

There is still a valid debate as to whether Plains and Woods Bison should be considered subspecies, or simply ecotypes. This is a decision likely to be made by consensus, not by any indisputable certainty. Application of management decisions in either direction (hybrid or not) does not really matter.

The disease issue is an economic, human and wildlife health concern that requires a deep understanding of history and future qualifications. On the economic angle, Billions of dollars are NOT at risk. If this was the case, how did the Alberta Beef industry survive the Suffield TB outbreak without such catastrophic losses?

Human health and wildlife disease is a concern that must always be addressed in conjunction with education, be it TB or CWD. It would be "nice" if wildlife was always free of cross species transmissible disease, yet I doubt such a world will ever exist.

A very important aspect of TB in these Bison that must be considered is the original source of the disease. It was Cattle that infected these Bison in the first place. I believe that science still suggests that TB is Not Indigenous to North America. As "Outdoorsmen" shouldn't we advocate for Wildlife to be protected from Domestic livestock diseases? Should we accept that Wildlife is disposable for the purposes of agriculture?


I question the legitimacy of the reasoning behind the claim that these bison are being hunted as a tool for disease control. The reason we can hunt these bison is a decision to NOT classify them as Wildlife. This was done when game farming was illegal. By excluding Bison from a legal classification of wildlife, this allowed people to keep them domestically, and as a by-product, allowed for this hunt to occur. Yet again Agriculture interests were put ahead of Wildlife.

[st99]

Originally Posted by walking buffalo

I question the legitimacy of the reasoning behind the claim that these bison are being hunted as a tool for disease control. The reason we can hunt these bison is a decision to NOT classify them as Wildlife. This was done when game farming was illegal. By excluding Bison from a legal classification of wildlife, this allowed people to keep them domestically, and as a by-product, allowed for this hunt to occur. Yet again Agriculture interests were put ahead of Wildlife.

If this is true, why can't we hunt feral horse?

My understanding is, we can't hunt them cause they have the livestock status.

[Chuck_Wagon]

Bison hunting
Alberta Game warden magazine Spring 2007

Wood bison are not classed as wildlife except in the northwest portion of Alberta.

Q: I am looking for some information on hunting wood bison in Alberta. Are there any open seasons? Do I need a licence? Can I hire a guide? Are hunt farms for bison legal?

A: Wood bison (bison) are not categorized in the same manner as other large animals such as deer, elk and moose. With one exception, they are not actually classified as "wildlife" in Alberta, nor are they controlled animals under the Wildlife Act, an Act that governs hunting in Alberta. The exception is they are classified as an endangered species if they exist in the northwest portion of the province within a rather large geographical area that is basically west of Highway 35 and north of the Chinchaga River. So, except for those bison that are endangered and currently protected in northwest Alberta, they can be hunted year round without licenses on unoccupied crown lands. Of course, hunting for bison is unlawful in national or provincial parks, including many Wildland Provincial Parks. For further information on hunting opportunities in Wildland Provincial Parks contact Alberta Parks and Protected Areas Division, Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture toll free at 1-866-427-3582.

A person may hire a guide and pay fees for guiding services for hunting bison. In fact, this commonly occurs through contracted hunts with licensed outfitter/guides, particularly in areas near Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Alberta. However, as bison are not classified as wildlife, a person need not be a licensed outfitter/guide to charge for guiding services, as would be the case when pursuing wildlife animals such as deer, elk or moose. For more information on professional outfitting services, contact the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) at 780-414-0249.

As you are likely aware, bison are also privately owned as livestock by individuals throughout Alberta. Hunters of bison should be mindful of that fact, as a person could potentially be held civilly liable if a privately owned animal is hunted, even if on crown land. Regarding hunt farms, the paid hunting of privately owned bison on privately owned land or leased land is in itself lawful, again, because they are not classed as wildlife. Under those circumstances, the head and cape from the bison may be transported away by the hunter for mounting purposes, however, meat inspection laws do not allow for the carcass of the livestock animal to be removed for consumption purposes. For more information regarding these matters please contact Alberta Agriculture and Food toll free at 1-866-882-7677

[IR_mike]

Originally Posted by st99

If this is true, why can't we hunt feral horse?

My understanding is, we can't hunt them cause they have the livestock status.

No some folk who like to whine for the sake of whining consider them "noble" and "majestic".

[BorealBucks]

whats the reason for no bison hunt in the zama area this year?

I would beware of hunting bison in the unprotected zones because the keepers of the land will most likely mess with your stuff if they come across it.

[West O'5]

Originally Posted by BorealBucks

whats the reason for no bison hunt in the zama area this year?

I would beware of hunting bison in the unprotected zones because the keepers of the land will most likely mess with your stuff if they come across it.

No worries,just park >200m off-road from Hwy35 they'll never find it.

[Drewski Canuck]

Since you asked,

After the Mexican rodeo bulls brought TB into Alberta,

about 10K head of cattle were slated for destruction.

Any farm that had TB cattle could not have cattle at least for the time being.

Their whole herds were destroyed.

TB can live in the soil you see.

So as for your question, that is how serious this outbreak was. Lots of disease free cattle killed just to make sure we got them all.

Quarantined ranches that cannot have cattle at all. Who knows when the farmer can raise cattle again.

Crops are even being tested right now from these farms.

Same plan for Wood Buffalo, if the Feds ever take it seriously.

Drewski