Barrier Lake Barriers

The Algonquins of Barriere Lake are again this year preventing non-natives from hunting moose on their territory. That territory covers Rapid Lake, Quebec, where the majority of Barriere Lake members live.

This is Barriere Lake Chief Casey Ratt on the hunting tags that have been allotted:

“In previous years it was at 200, 225 then 250, that was the normal for this area, but in the past few years they’ve been raising the limits from 225 to 250, this year they lowered it to 175. Again, without our input they lowered the tags, it could have been 100 tags, but they kept it at 175, (but) opening up all the zones, we have approximately – I believe, what they call zones in our area – there’s over 60 zones and all of them are open including the ones that were closed last year.”

In a written response to K1037 News, Simon Boivin, Sépaq’s Media Relations Coordinator stated that the conservation and the protection of the moose population is taken very seriously by Sépaq and the reason they took their decision was to reduce the number of groups of sportive hunters allowed in the réserve faunique La Vérendrye this season by 30%.

The tags offered may be less, but Chief Ratt says it’s deceptive as more areas to hunt moose have been made available by Sépaq:

“What they’re doing is that, sure they’re going to lower the tags, but all those places that were closed last years, certain zones are now opening up.”

The Algonquins have set up checkpoints at 4 entrances to the park and are turning hunters away. Sépaq, the provincial government agency that manages the wildlife reserve has reduced sports hunting permits by 30 per cent this year after a slight decline in the Moose population.