SNC Promotes Safe, Responsible Hunting as the 2021 Season Gets Underway
As the hot, humid days give way to cool, crisp mornings, the transition from summer to fall signals the start of an exciting time of year for more than 425,000 Ontario residents - hunting season!
South Nation Conservation (SNC), which owns and manages over 13,000 acres of community forests, wetlands, and grasslands across its 4,441 square-kilometre watershed jurisdiction in Eastern Ontario, recognizes that hunting is a time-honoured tradition for many local residents and is pleased to offer over 8,500 acres of accessible land for hunting with permission from SNC.
SNC Lands are sustainably managed, restored, and maintained for recreational use and the natural heritage protection. Some of these protected areas offer a range of hunting opportunities for species such as deer, moose, waterfowl, upland game, and rabbit. Permit fees support land management activities and SNC’s Youth Hunt Apprenticeship Program.
The cost for a permit to hunt on select SNC properties is $100 for watershed residents, paid to the Conservation Authority. Hunters must obey all Conservation Authority rules, Provincial Regulations, Municipal bylaws (e.g. Sunday gun hunting), and general good hunting practices.
It is illegal to hunt on SNC Lands without a permit from the Conservation Authority. Hunters must keep their SNC hunting license on them at all times, as well as valid Provincial and/or Federal hunting licence(s) and stamps and/or tags. They’re also required to provide proof of liability insurance to SNC. Check the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary and the Migratory Birds Hunting Regulations Summaries for seasons and limits.
First Nations community members do not require permission from SNC to hunt for food, social, or ceremonial purposes within their traditional or treaty territory.
Hunters should always exercise caution and wear high visibility clothing when accessing SNC Lands as they may be sharing the forest with other hunters, as well as hikers or birdwatchers. Trail users may wear a hunter orange vest or jacket and hat. If walking with a dog, it’s encouraged to dress them in a brightly coloured blanket or T-shirt.
Hunting is not permitted in SNC’s public Conservation Areas with managed trail systems. Residents can access SNC’s online mapping tool at www.nation.on.ca to find out which of the Conservation Authority’s properties are permittable for hunting.
To report poaching and other hunting or natural resource violations, please call the Provincial tip line at 1-877-847-7667. For more information and to access SNC’s permit application form please call 1-877-984-2947 or visit: www.nation.on.ca/recreation/hunting-and-trapping.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Shannon Gutoskie, Communications Specialist, 1-877-984-2948, sgutoskie@nation.on.ca.