Moose hunt marred by dispute
Provincewide hunters’ federation calling on Nova Scotia government to resolve conflict between hunters and guides, citing fears of potential violence
An ongoing dispute between a group of northern Cape Breton hunting guides and the province’s largest hunters’ association could lead to tragedy if the conflict is not resolved, says a spokesperson with the latter organization.
“It has all the potential for a disaster,” said Mike Pollard, a Dartmouth-based member of the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters (NSFAH).
He said the organization, which claims to represent the majority of mainstream hunters in the province, opted to weigh in on the issue after hearing about an alleged confrontation involving a group of four mainland hunters who claim that three men approached them on allterrain vehicles (ATVs) and threatened them with trouble, specifically damage to their parked vehicles, if they didn’t hire the services of a local guide.
“Once this incident took place, we decided the situation should come to light and government be forced to do something about it,” said Pollard.
“You take a situation where a group of people come upon another and everyone has loaded weapons, well, this could become volatile, it could become a serious, dangerous situation in a heartbeat.”
The early morning Oct. 15 incident is said to have occurred as the hunters was entering Zone 5 (comprised of the Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area), the most contentious of the province’s five Cape Breton moose management areas because of its ban on the use of motorized vehicles.
Cpl. Jennifer Clarke confirmed that the RCMP responded to a call in Bay St. Lawrence at 9:30 a.m. the day of the alleged incident.
“The initial information that was received indicated a verbal altercation had taken place between two groups of hunters. The complainants did not want to pursue the matter any further. The investigation is ongoing,” Clarke stated in an email response to a Cape Breton Post inquiry on the matter.
Six days after the alleged incident, a north Cape Breton guiding company issued a statement on social media in response to a number of accusations it said were aimed at its operation.
“I would like to set the record straight, first of all, these accusations are unfounded and I in no way condone any such actions of that sort,” said the post on the Facebook page of Meat Cove Outfitters, a firm started by brothers Hector, Harold and Melvin Hines in 1987.
“At no given time have I told my guides to stop hunters from entering Zone 5 — we know what it is like to wait a lifetime to get picked for a moose license, and in no way would we try to interfere with anyone’s hunt.”
The post garnered dozens of comments and shares with people taking the opportunity to state their opinion on the situation. Some offered their continued support to the outfitting company, while others questioned the sincerity of the Facebook post. Others expressed fears over the consequence of hunting in Zone 5.
“It’s well known that if you don’t use the guide in meat cove your tires will get slashed or you will be harassed or driven outta zone 5. I’ve heard this for years,” stated one post.
The NSFAH’s Mike Pollard said the dispute appears to stem from the province’s decision to ban motorized vehicles in Zone 5. He acknowledged that in doing so hunters now face greater challenges in transporting the spoils of the hunt out of an area that Nova Scotia Lands and Forestry describes as extremely challenging terrain consisting of a variety of landforms, including soaring headlands, forested canyons and highland barrens.
“The bottom line here is that the guides feel like they
have been promised something by government, so they are holding the government to those things,” said Pollard.
“But, meanwhile, the government is trying to deal with those things on the side and give them a lot of those things, but we’re finding out and saying it is unfair and a total misrepresentation of all the rights of the rest of the hunters in Nova Scotia.”
Just happens that a post on that very matter surfaced on the Facebook page of the Meat Cove Outfitters back in June. However, it was attributed to the Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Moose Hunting Association.
In part it read: “We were told (in 2008) that if we worked with them and did not protest the loss of ATV access they would ensure that the hunt was viable for us. At this meeting the local guides were extremely vocal over their concerns with the loss of the ATVs. The government officials reassured the guides that were present at this meeting over and over again that they would do whatever it takes to make sure this hunt was viable for them.”
It further stated that a number of north Cape Breton guides invested heavily into horses, barns, outfitter camps, pack saddles and other gear in anticipation of the motorized vehicle ban that came into effect in 2012.
In June, that hunters’ association announced it planned to protest the 2018 moose hunt because the government had failed to address the promises it made to the group.
“Over the last four to five years we have met with numerous politicians, ministers, other government officials, and knocked on numerous doors with no movement on their part with regards to making this hunt viable for the guides,” continued the association’s June 20 post.
In August, the association opted not to go ahead with the protest after it held conversations with the province’s departments of environment and natural resources.
For its part, the NSFAH believes the province should focus instead on the bigger picture.
“We believe, and the Mi’kmaq believe, that it should be equal access for everybody up on that plateau and that the government needs to stop dealing with very small splinter groups without doing the regular negotiations that they are responsible to do for all hunters in Nova Scotia,” stated Pollard.
He added that it’s unfortunate that moose hunting is getting such a black eye, given the popularity of the activity,” said Pollard, who in 31 years of trying has yet to be awarded with a moose tag.
“Once you’re picked this becomes an adventure in that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so people that hunt take this extremely seriously and to go down there and be turned away by a group of individuals who are acting in a renegade manner is just so depressing.”
More than 11,000 people applied for a moose hunting tag this year in Nova Scotia, but only 345 were handed out in the annual lottery.