Anybody Here Hunt Manitoba? You Might Be Screwed.

I hunted as a non-resident Canadian this month with an outfitter in Manitoba. This topic came up one night. One issue that doesn't seem to have been mentioned in this thread is American guides/outfitters coming to Manitoba and guiding illegally while posing as freelancers. This really ticks off the local guides and is one reason why I think the restrictions are being proposed. There is also a perception that American hunters are coming up in their self-contained RV's and spending little locally - this may not be fair but I heard it. G

I understand genuine freelancers from the US may not like what is being proposed and there are plenty of other jurisdictions that restrict hunting access for non residents as already mentioned in this thread. I can also think of Maryland's restrictions on who can have a waterfront blind. I guess it just reminds me that all politics is local and non-residents don't have a vote.
 
Kim

Thanks for that input. The link I posted at the start of this thread does mention the issue of unlicensed outfitters leasing grounds. That being so I question the proposed restrictions as a good means to combat that problem. A lot of people that have nothing to do with that practice are being locked out. You are absolutely correct when you say policy and laws are made by residents and not non-residents. I think the age of when states/provinces treat their waterfowl populations like property and manage for the exclusive benefit of its own citizens with little regard to non-residents is here and growing. Yes, you can still freelance, just not here or there, or there or there, would you like to book a guide?

Eric
 
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Does Manitoba license guides? That would be an effective way to deal with informal (illegal?) guiding by non-residents. But that requires an infrastructure and standards for licensing, and resources dedicated to enforcement of whatever the guiding rules are.

Maine has licensed guides for over a century. Non-residents can be licensed, but the bar to licensing is pretty high. You need to pass a written exam and sit for an oral exam that is administered by a board that includes existing guides and wardens. There is a Maine Guide's Association that, along with the state DIFW, oversees the licensing process. There are also requirements for insurance, modest application and license fees, and a criminal background check.

It works pretty well. In a rural state, if somebody is guiding illegally, the word gets out. Penalties are high enough that it's very rare to hear about hear about anyone doing it.
 
Then they have an enforcement with illegal guiding, and should address that. Unless that's just a pretext.

Maine has a pretty strong prejudice against those "from away", but it does not extend to things that might undercut an economy heavily dependent on tourism.
 
Thanks for sharing that link Eric.
It underscores the comments from the local guides who took the licensing process seriously and saw it as a challenge.
 
Hi Eric,

Thanks for sharing this. We were just in Manitoba the first week of October. I have been going to MB since 2007 minus 3 years because of COVID. I freelance and use a guide. Last time we were there, the land access was definitely becoming an issue. Private lands that were once easy to gain access have all been locked up by leasing. The outfitter that I use has lost a very large portion of his farms to others leasing land up and outbidding anyone.
It will be interesting to see what happens.

Steve
 
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