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Hunters have needed to ask for permission to hunt on farmer's lands since January 1, 2022.
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Hunters have had to ask farmers for permission to hunt on their land ever since the province put that into law on January 1, 2022.

That changed the previous rule and after a couple of hunting seasons have passed both parties have settled into the new status quo.

Bill Huber, the acting president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) and a farmer, talks about his reaction to the last couple of years after the change.

"It's a legislation change that we needed. It's unfortunate that you get just one or two people out of hundreds and that some damage occurs on property that's unnecessary and it's spoils it for everyone. So SARM supported the legislation on the Trespass Act."

Huber says that on his farm they've had hosted hunters and have been able to help them when they get that advance notice.

"We have hunters every fall that come and ask for permission and it's good to know who's there and where they want to go. That way we can make them aware of any hazards that they might come upon like a ditch or something that they might drive through or a fence somewhere, or a dugout or something like that. So it's always good to know who's there and who wants to be there."

While the policy has been good for farmers Huber says he is sympathetic to the hunters whose seasons are a bit more complicated.

"I feel sorry for the hunters in a way, it's a little more cumbersome for them to try and get support or permission from landowners. It means basically going to farmyards and asking for that permission and SARM, we worked with some different folks trying to develop an app that would make it accessible online, but some of that stuff is still in the works and it's not 100 per cent."

Huber says they hope to get that app online in the future to help out hunters who want to take their hunts to Saskatchewan's fields.

"I guess the only thing that we sure would support would be some kind of an app, an online access to get permission, because it's a fairly vast province and land owners are identified by our maps. But sometimes it's a numbered company or unoccupied land and the residents live out of the province. So sometimes it's difficult for the hunters to access that permission."

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