As another hunting season opens, government is taking steps to enhance hunting opportunities for Islanders. This includes ensuring public lands remain accessible, extending the season for Hungarian (grey) partridge, and working with the Canadian Wildlife Service to look at future changes to the migratory bird seasons, said Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry George Webster.
Over the past year, the Province has been increasing its efforts to promote public lands. A public land atlas was released last winter, and last month Minister Webster unveiled a new signage program to identify public lands and encourage greater use of these properties. Government’s next step is to ensure public lands leased to the private sector remain accessible. The department has asked that new and renewed leases include a clause maintaining public access for fishing, hunting and trapping.
“Although some government lands may be leased for agriculture or other uses, these areas remain in public ownership, and public access for a variety of non-intrusive recreational uses should be maintained,” said Minister Webster. “These would be ideal areas for special mentored hunts to get youth and novice hunters involved in the sport.”
Each spring, representatives of hunting groups meet with the minister and staff of the Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry to recommend regulatory changes to seasons and bag limits. One of this year’s recommendations was a one-week extension of the season for Hungarian (grey) partridge. Government biologists agreed that partridge populations could support this. As a result, the 2007 season will run from October 15 to November 10. As in previous years, this season will only include the central part of the province; there will be no season on Hungarian partridge in Lots 1 to 10 and Lots 43 to 47, inclusive.
The groups also recommended changes to the migratory bird season. Minister Webster said this is a federal jurisdiction, but the Canadian Wildlife Service has implemented some changes for this season which opened October 1. This includes the removal of the previous bag and possession limits on mallard ducks. Island hunters will now be allowed to shoot six mallards daily and have 12 mallards in possession. In other changes, for conservation purposes the daily limit for barrow’s goldeneye will be one bird, with a possession limit of two.
“The Island’s hunting community made additional recommendations at the spring meeting which also have merit, and our department is working with the Canadian Wildlife Service to determine whether some or all can be implemented for 2008,” said Minister Webster.
For more information on PEI’s hunting seasons and regulations, visit www.gov.pe.ca/go/hunting. The Public Land Atlas is available online at www.gov.pe.ca/gis.