Manitoba is Going to Lottery System for Americans in 2023?

[Feathers]

I suspect it won’t be that difficult to secure a license once the lottery goes into effect. Why? I believe far fewer people will opt into a June drawing when the hunting season is still three to four months away.

I never buy a license until the day before a DIY Canada trip. This is because I’m always checking on the migration and weather, and then opportunities stateside before pulling the trigger on Canada.

I usually go to Manitoba twice a year. Now it will be once a year … or not at all. I’m not amped up for Manitoba when I’m required to have fixed dates for which I can’t play the migration and weather patterns. Heck, I don’t even go to my own camp in a southern state unless the conditions are perfect. I suspect there are a lot of other hunters just like me.

I was thinking the same thing when this first came out. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have less applications and licenses sold this year than last. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t even sell their total allotment of NR licenses in the 2024 season.

I guess that’ll be a win for the greedy residents that pushed for this. The guys that complain about duck hunting success…in Canada of all places….

 

[Old Critter]

I suspect outfitted hunters will book and purchase their licenses sufficiently ahead of a scheduled trip. But DIY hunters like me, who live a 1/2 day drive from Manitoba, never make plans (and purchase licenses) until shortly before we go.

There are many hunters who live close to the border and routinely hunt Manitoba. It’s an easy drive and the shooting is good. However, many of us may
second-guess Manitoba because the new regs reduce our flexibility.

The Dakotas are equally close and we often weigh one destination against the other depending on migration and weather patterns. Also hunting can be good in our home state too.

That’s why I believe the number of hunters going into the lottery may be far fewer than what Manitoba anticipates. Speaking for myself and other I know, none of us are interested in buying a license three to four months in advance. Anymore it’s difficult to get a party of four to six to commit to a trip, enter the lottery and buy a license months before a trip.

Also, the new regs will preclude a person from joining a trip after the lottery has closed. Similarly, a person who backs out probably can’t get his license money back. And there’s no way to fill that guy’s spot.

Sure, some groups are tight and will enter the lottery. But there may be a significant number of others who will avoid Manitoba altogether because there is little flexibility in the new program.

 

[Feathers]

Totally agree Old Critter. I think this could be an epic failure for the MB government and businesses. They act like MB is some hot bed for NR hunters when in reality they sell less than 4,000 licenses a year which is not a lot for how much hunting room there is up there. I am sure SK and AB each sell far more.

Hopefully if it flops they will sell excess NR licenses over the counter and people will still be able to head up whenever they want. Then scrap the entire lottery process and just limit people to 7-14 days. That’s really all they should have done in the first place.

In the end the whiny hunters will get what they want which is less freelancers and sending more people to outfitters.

 

[Old Critter]

I agree that a 7-14 day license probably would have been sufficient to address their concerns. I’ve been a regular for many years. Not sure that will continue once the lottery begins.

 

[icallemin]

The interesting thing is this sudden mindset change in MB’s resources department has also spread to fishing with progressively more restrictive limits. Now you cannot keep trophy sized fish at all of certain species (the ones most people would travel to Manitoba to catch the ‘fish of a lifetime’).

https://globalnews.ca/news/9683174/new-manitoba-fishing-limits-concern-tournament-anglers/amp/

Kinda funny it’s mentioned in the article the loss of local revenue when talking about losing 15-20 boats for a fishing tournament. A few Canadians here scoffed at the notion of the loss of local revenue American hunters represent over a much longer span of time than a fishing tournament.

Seems whoever is in charge there does not care much about the revenue across the board the province stands to lose.

 

[bill cooksey]

The interesting thing is this sudden mindset change in MB’s resources department has also spread to fishing with progressively more restrictive limits. Now you cannot keep trophy sized fish at all of certain species (the ones most people would travel to Manitoba to catch the ‘fish of a lifetime’).

https://globalnews.ca/news/9683174/new-manitoba-fishing-limits-concern-tournament-anglers/amp/

Kinda funny it’s mentioned in the article the loss of local revenue when talking about losing 15-20 boats for a fishing tournament. A few Canadians here scoffed at the notion of the loss of local revenue American hunters represent over a much longer span of time than a fishing tournament.

Seems whoever is in charge there does not care much about the revenue across the board the province stands to lose.

Sounds like Manitoba’s fish and wildlife folks take the opinions of residents seriously. Manitoba sportsmen want less competition from nonresidents, and they’re getting it on all fronts. My hat is tipped as I never even thought about looking for creative ways to limit nonresident fishing tournament competitors.

 

[mister gadwall]

Friend who is a US citizen has a small cabin on some duck water in the middle of nowhere in Manitoba. He has gone there and owned it maybe 50 years. Are typically has a single guest with him when he goes north to hunt there. Cabin only sleeps three people.

As he understand the new regs, he can keep the cabin and get a liscence for his lifetime, outside the draw. And he gets three future perpetual permits annually. Those three permit exemptions must be named within this year.

BUT he can only leave/sell the cabin (and hunting draw exception for a single permit annually) to one of the original three designated permits . If any of those three die they cannot be replaced with a new designee.

So he is late 70s. Son is 50. Brother is late 70s. Wife is late 70s. If he designates his son now and also leaves cabin to son, and son dies, his brother or wife cannot go in the future . Some really harsh penalties here.

Basically the Manitoba government has condemned his property .

 

[bill cooksey]

Friend who is a US citizen has a small cabin on some duck water in the middle of nowhere in Manitoba. He has gone there and owned it maybe 50 years. Are typically has a single guest with him when he goes north to hunt there. Cabin only sleeps three people.

As he understand the new regs, he can keep the cabin and get a liscence for his lifetime, outside the draw. And he gets three future perpetual permits annually. Those three permit exemptions must be named within this year.

BUT he can only leave/sell the cabin (and hunting draw exception for a single permit annually) to one of the original three designated permits . If any of those three die they cannot be replaced with a new designee.

So he is late 70s. Son is 50. Brother is late 70s. Wife is late 70s. If he designates his son now and also leaves cabin to son, and son dies, his brother or wife cannot go in the future . Some really harsh penalties here.

Basically the Manitoba government has condemned his property .

Serves that alien right.

 

[Old Critter]

Given the continuing restrictions being imposed on nonresident hunters everywhere it’s risky to own hunting property in a foreign state or Canada.

 

[Northhunter]

The interesting thing is this sudden mindset change in MB’s resources department has also spread to fishing with progressively more restrictive limits. Now you cannot keep trophy sized fish at all of certain species (the ones most people would travel to Manitoba to catch the ‘fish of a lifetime’).

That's not specific to MB. They've started doing the same thing here.
Some 8yr old can catch a trophy and it can't be kept legally