First Nation requests voluntary halt to moose hunting in its territory

A northern Manitoba First Nation is calling for a voluntary closure of moose hunting in its traditional territory to protect a declining population of local animals.

On Friday morning, Misipawistik Cree Nation issued a plea urging hunters to abstain from harvesting moose in provincial Game Hunting Area 10 — a 10,000-square-kilometre region of boreal forest north of Grand Rapids, Man. The request applies during this year’s moose-hunting seasons, which open Monday.

According to the province’s 2025 aerial big game survey, an estimated 281 moose reside in the game area, roughly 60 of which are bull moose. The area contained an estimated 346 moose in 2013. 

This year, 124 licences and 62 bull moose tags were made available in the region during the province’s annual hunting draw.

“That is putting the entire population at risk of a collapse,” Misipawistik Chief Heidi Cook said in an interview with The Narwhal and Winnipeg Free Press ahead of the announcement. “There may be no moose next year. This is an emergency. We have to do something now to make sure that the population can recover.”