More than 100,000 Ontario moose hunters may all be out of luck this year when it comes to the annual moose tag allocation draw.
As the disagreement between the provincial government and its employees wears on, the date of the 2002 draw may be postponed or, possibly, even cancelled. The current deadline for moose tag applications is May 15.
While licenses may be available in stores, there is no staff available to process the applications or to conduct the lottery.
As matters stand, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) will not likely meet the publication deadline for the 2002 hunting regulations, a compendium of information on moose seasons, tag quotas and guaranteed group sizes.
“In a worst case scenario, there will be no draw but everyone will be entitled to hunt calves,” said MNR staff person Marilyn Casey. “According to current regulations, if the draw is cancelled, everyone applying in 2002 will be considered as having missed an application year and be relegated to pool “2” for tags in 2003.”
Concerned hunters are advised contact their local MNR office for clarification.
