Bloodvein First Nation's moose 'derby' draws criticism

A Manitoba First Nation has attracted controversy and the attention of the provincial government for offeringcash prizes in a moose hunting "derby."

Organizers of the Bloodvein First Nation moose derby, scheduled for Sept. 27 to Oct. 4, are offering prizes of between $500 and $5,000.

Bloodvein Chief Roland Hamilton says his community has been holding the traditional hunt for years.

While Hamilton said the event was mistakenly advertised as a "derby" this year, he defended the practice of offering financial incentives to attract participants.

"Not everybody hunts, you know. That's why we kind of put this offer to pay them to go out hunting. Not very many people do it anymore," he told CBC News.

"To help out moose hunters that have to go out a long ways, it gets very expensive for them to go out and kill the moose and bring it back to the community," he added.

But Vince Crichton, a wildlife biologist in Manitoba, says he takes issue with the event and the big cash prizes being offered to hunters.

"It concerns me that First Nation peoples who are supposed to be conservationists are going out and offering derbies for, you know, fairly substantial sums of money," he said.

"It's not a traditional hunt. It's a derby where money is being exchanged for the largest animal."

Crichton said Manitoba's moose population is dwindling and more needs to be done to track down how many animals are being harvested each year.

The provincial government says it has ordered officials in Bloodvein to ensure no more than three male moose are harvested.

As well, conservation officials will oversee the event to make sure it conforms to traditional hunting practices.