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The Yukon government has authorized an initial harvest of 200 wood bison for this winter as part of a new adaptive management approach which is consistent with the population level prescribed by the Bison Management Plan, Environment Minister Elaine Taylor announced.
The new process, developed in consultation with the Yukon Wood Bison Technical Team, comprising of the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, affected Renewable Resources Councils and First Nations, means there will not be a permit draw this year and hunters who successfully harvested a bison in the last five years will also be able to hunt this winter.
The Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board recommended that the government adopt the approach on a five-year trial basis following a public review of the proposal and noted that the majority of the public were in favour of the proposed regulation change.
This winter's bison hunt season will run from December 1, 2008 to February 28, 2009. If necessary, a registration hunt will be put in place for March to limit the number of hunters who might be in the field at any given time.
Bison hunt permits will be available to any eligible Yukon resident hunters who have completed the mandatory bison hunt workshop. Hunters must complete the course before they can obtain a permit and bison seal.
All hunters will be required to report their successful hunt within 72 hours of the kill. The hunt will be declared closed once the harvest limit has been reached.
All other Wildlife Act regulations will apply - biological submission, game management subzones, rifle type and caliber, seal fees, and the limit of one permit and one bison per licensed hunter. This information is set out in detail in the Hunting Regulations Summary 2008 09 booklet available at Environment Yukon offices and on the Environment Yukon website, http://www.gov.yk.ca/.
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