Steven Sukkau
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Sun
Hunting, fishing, and access to Crown land have been part of everyday life in rural Manitoba. Now, the Manitoba Wildlife Federation says those traditions are facing the most serious threat it has ever seen.
In its newly released 2025 Year in Review, the federation describes what it calls an “unprecedented attack” on licensed hunting, fishing and public access to land, one that has forced the organization into costly court battles, province-wide town halls and an all-out advocacy campaign simply to keep long-standing rights intact.
“This has been one of the most challenging years in our history,” MWF says, warning that without intervention, licensed hunters and anglers could be quietly pushed out of large parts of Manitoba.
Blockades and Big Game Cuts
At the centre of the controversy are multiple legal and political battles playing out across the province.
Last fall, Bloodvein First Nation erected what MWF calls an illegal blockade on a provincial highway east of Lake Winnipeg, preventing licensed hunters from accessing Game Hunting Areas. The federation went to court for an injunction and under questioning from a judge, Bloodvein committed to allowing hunters through once the season resumed.
MWF says without that legal action, moose hunting in the area could have been shut down entirely.
“It was a clear example of what happens when no one steps in,” the federation states. “If MWF doesn’t challenge these actions, no one else will.”
The organization is also appealing a court decision tied to a 75% reduction in moose tags across four Game Hunting Areas after the province halted the big game draw at the request of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak. Another First Nation, Pimicikamak Cree Nation, pushed for a full 100% cut.
Meanwhile, Misipawistik Cree Nation has launched its own court claim seeking to end licensed moose hunting in multiple northern GHAs altogether, a case MWF is fighting to join to represent the interests of non-Indigenous hunters.
Access to Public Land at Stake
Beyond individual cases, MWF says a much larger issue is unfolding: escalating claims that could permanently restrict access to public land.
The federation points to efforts by several First Nations to exclude non-Indigenous hunters from traditional territories, proposed Indigenous Conservation Areas in northern Manitoba and the Interlake, and land claims stretching from the Seal River watershed to the Turtle Mountains, even including The Forks in downtown Winnipeg.
MWF stresses it supports Treaty Land Entitlement and greater Indigenous involvement in resource management, but warns these claims go far beyond treaties and risk locking Manitobans out of land they collectively own.
“These resources belong to all Manitobans,” the federation says. “Decisions of this magnitude must be transparent, fair and include everyone.”
Rural Manitoba Responds
To raise awareness, MWF launched its “Access for All” campaign and hit the road.
Over the past year, the federation hosted 21 town hall meetings in rural and northern communities, drawing more than 3,400 Manitobans, and briefed 32 municipal councils on the implications of restricted land access.
The response was loud enough that the Association of Manitoba Municipalities passed a resolution demanding local consultation before any further limits are placed on public land use.
Firearms, Enforcement and Conservation
MWF also continues to push back against federal firearms policies it calls expensive and ineffective, arguing law-abiding rural hunters are being targeted while organized crime goes untouched. The federation has formally opposed Ottawa’s firearms buyback program and Winnipeg’s decision to participate in it.
On the conservation front, MWF documented what it describes as the “wanton killing” of barren-ground caribou near Nueltin Lake Provincial Park, footage that drew national attention and prompted Premier Wab Kinew to promise accountability.
The federation is also urging the province to re-impose full conservation closures in Duck Mountain and Porcupine Forest after new survey data showed moose populations more than 36% below recovery thresholds, and is calling for a province-wide ban on harvesting cows and calves.
Still Teaching the Next Generation
Despite the legal and political battles, MWF continues to deliver outdoor education programs across Manitoba, from hunter education and mentored hunts to women-focused outdoor training, family programs and school archery initiatives.
With fewer young people growing up hunting and fishing, the federation says recruitment and education have never mattered more.
“These programs aren’t just about recreation,” MWF says. “They’re about conservation, responsibility and keeping rural traditions alive.”
A Defining Moment
As the year closes, the Manitoba Wildlife Federation is blunt in its message: the future of hunting, fishing and access to public land in Manitoba is being decided right now.
“This is a defining moment,” the federation says. “If Manitobans don’t pay attention, we could lose access to the land and traditions that define rural life, not through public debate, but through silence.”
The full MWF 2025 Year in Review is available through the federation’s website and social channels.
