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The province is hoping a new Big Game Management Extended Hunt program will help agricultural producers who have been dealing with an abnormally high volume of damage from wildlife.

Saskatchewan is implementing the new pilot program to help producers deal with abnormally high wildlife damage to agricultural products.

The Ministry of Environment and the SCIC receive requests from producers on a regular basis for wildlife damage compensation caused by deer and elk ruining their feedstock and products.

Environment Minister Christine Tell says regardless of population status, deer and elk are attracted to and may congregate in areas with easy access to unprotected agricultural products, especially during severe winters.

The Big Game Management Extended Hunt pilot program is designed to mitigate damage, while also ensuring their populations remain sustainable into the future.

This year’s pilot program will include five RMs - Livingstone, Hazel Dell, Kelvington, Bjorkdale, and Leask - which have been identified for an extended hunting season from November 1-10, 2024.

Each RM will be allocated 50 antlerless elk licences on top of what was available in the Big Game Draw.

A Big Game Management Extended Hunt is implemented if criteria are met, including:

  • Damage by game species (mule deer, white-tailed deer, or elk) to agricultural products has been reported to Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) through wildlife damage claims; and 
  • Producers in the RM have exhausted all other preventative measures or agree to implement preventative measures.

Licences will only be available to Saskatchewan residents through the online Hunting, Angling and Trapping licensing system.

Tell says the program is also intended to encourage more landowners to implement preventative measures that reduce future conflicts.

Agriculture Minister David Marit says the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program is available for producers who experience wildlife damage in crops and forages.

"The team at SCIC can help in finding available options for compensation and effective wildlife damage prevention strategies."