Feeling A Little Annoyed.

[silver69]

Except for they people they wiped out when they moved in, eh? We won't mention them.

^^^^say what you may about being wiped out. But there were it's of settlers that were wiped out as well. Good thing we all learned to get along eh!?

Also don't forget that many of the nations decided to pick sides, no doubt with the thought that life will be different but accepting it as a move to the future. It was logical at the time. Now, those same nations that chose this sides forget about those alliances and it's all about payouts, payoff's and greater rights based on things that happened hundreds of years ago. All these extra privileges and a LOT of cash have been doled out to our native people still continue to be amongst our most socially dependant groups in our country. How does this happen?

 

[Ol' Smokey]

Nothing should trump conservation, nothing.

Treaty rights should operate within the conservation scheme, not outside of it.

Free licenses, preference in draws, etc are all acceptable, but a free fire zone for shooting every animal out of an area is not. From what I recall, moose populations aren't in great shape. That is the overriding concern.

 

[silverfoxdj]

The real world in a nutshell! Burn the treaties and treat everyone as equals.

^^^^ It's not right no matter who you are

 

[lalunette]

He told me of one group who hunted in the Honey Harbour area that was successful. A small group, all members of the same family who's name I know but will not say, who had killed a cow and calf at the beginning of the week. Then later in the week word got around that a bull and a cow were sighted in a specific area so they went out and killed them both - four moose in total. They had no adult tags or tags of any kind for that matter - with Métis status it's not required. Doesn't seem right.

Not cool and not ethical.

This has nothing to do with Métis status and everything to do with being a$$holes.

Even Métis hunters have limits so obviously these people have no regard for rules... which is the case for a certain percentage of people accross all ethnicities.

 

[Brian46]

So you think it's ok to not have to follow any laws regards to conservation? No limits to how many animals or how many fish can be taken? Hunt and fish untill there is nothing left to hunt and fish?

Is this not why the treaties were written, so they could continue their nomadic lifestyle where they moved whenever they ran out/went low on a food source.?

 

[mrgoat]

It is one thing to sustenance hunt to feed ones family and make ends meet. That is a right that should not be just limited to native folks. The vast majority of the Metis I have as friends refuse to participate in the freebees that are available to them. They have researched there ancestors, are proud of it, but it ends there. The issues arise with those Metis/Native folks who do not need to take game to survive, but do it just because they can, and abuse the privilege while doing so. I know several of this type as well, and it hard at times to keep ones mouth shut. Those of us who have spent our lives living with and amongst Natives, Metis and the French know what actually goes on and it is far different than what they portray on the six o'clock news.
We can thank the Federal and Provincial governments for this mess by not having the intestinal fortitude and common sense to deal with the native issue in any sort of logical manner. It is very obvious to all that our present system of giving vast tracts of land and throwing billions of dollars at the problem has not worked and never will. Native people are that just that, people, who buy nature are opportunistic, if you give them land, money and special status they are going to accept it, use it and abuse it to there advantage. They are no different than us or any other race on the planet and should be treated as such. If supposedly we are all equal then the government has to start by treating us as such.

 

[Brian46]

I hunted last week for moose with the same group as previous years - we were not successful. We had adult activity with three good sightings but none of us had drawn an adult tag so with only calf tags, of course the two bulls and one cow went merrily on their way. It had been disappointing when again this year none of the dozen members of our group drew an adult tag (no minimum group size in our wmu). But that's the luck of the draw - maybe next year. It was still a good "hunt". The camaraderie, the good weather, experiencing the wildlife, just being in the woods and the anticipation still makes it all worthwhile, right? However, today I became annoyed - maybe pissed off is more accurate. I was talking with a friend who had unsuccessfully hunted in the Honey Harbour area last week. He had not been successful in the draw either. He told me of one group who hunted in the Honey Harbour area that was successful. A small group, all members of the same family who's name I know but will not say, who had killed a cow and calf at the beginning of the week. Then later in the week word got around that a bull and a cow were sighted in a specific area so they went out and killed them both - four moose in total. They had no adult tags or tags of any kind for that matter - with Métis status it's not required. Doesn't seem right.

why does ontario have different rights? I thought any treaty was federal not provincial?. I have a Metis friend here in BC and they have no special rights when it comes to hunting in this province.

 

[TrevorJ]

Is this not why the treaties were written, so they could continue their nomadic lifestyle where they moved whenever they ran out/went low on a food source.?

That was the reason why they were written, at least in part. The trouble is, we (as a nation) then confined them to reserves, eliminating their ability to continue their nomadic lifestyle.

 

[Brian46]

That was the reason why they were written, at least in part. The trouble is, we (as a nation) then confined them to reserves, eliminating their ability to continue their nomadic lifestyle.

thats fine, but still does not explain what appears to be different rights for the same indians living in different provinces.

regardless of the reserve they reside on they are free to travel for hunting, fishing, etc.

 

[LawrenceN]

It's always been a thorny issue, the whole thing about "aboriginal rights" and hunting. IF (and that's a big if!) they are truly hunting for sustenance, fine. A lot of bands signed away traditional rights as part of the treaty AND WERE PAID TO DO SO. They agreed to abide by the provincial hunting laws that governed the rest of us. Some bands, not all, are over hunting and over fishing and selling the harvested game for money. I don't recall if it was Lake Huron or Lake Erie, but it became physical between aboriginals and licensed fishermen when the native-Canadians were ignoring limits and undercutting the market price, but the local fishermen took the law into their own hands and the problem was resolved, unlike Caledonia. Ever since the standoff in Quebec when they called in the military the law enforcement in this country is paralyzed when it comes to enforcing the legal statutes if aboriginals are involved. Where some buddies used to hunt near Thessalon, they were totally skunked for moose in a normally good area. One of the local guys drove by and saw them and asked if they'd seen any moose. The old local laughed when they told him they'd been skunked and told them to hang out at the local watering hole. It seems that 3 pickups loaded with native hunters had gone through the area the week before and shot every moose they saw. Sure enough, on the second evening in the bar a local aboriginal approached them and started talking about hunting. When he found out that they'd not seen any game he basically said that for $50. per tag, he'd get moose for them. So much for sustenance hunting! The whole topic really burns my butt!

 

[lalunette]

The issues arise with those Metis/Native folks who do not need to take game to survive, but do it just because they can, and abuse the privilege while doing so.

I agree with you there 100 %

Those of us who have spent our lives living with and amongst Natives, Metis and the French know what actually goes on and it is far different than what they portray on the six o'clock news.

Care to elaborate?

 

[bearkilr]

why does ontario have different rights? I thought any treaty was federal not provincial?. I have a Metis friend here in BC and they have no special rights when it comes to hunting in this province.

Different bands across Canada signed different treaties depending which province they were in but they're still all wards of the government and as such they're the feds responsibility for the most part. The Metis were traditionally not in BC, hence no special rights.....yet.