Rondeau Provincial Park will be closed to the public November 14, 16, 19, 21 and 23, 2017 for a First Nation deer hunt.
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNR) officials say this will be the first year since 2014 that a First Nation deer hunt will be conducted within Rondeau Provincial Park.
In 2015, a Deer Herd Reduction was conducted in Rondeau.
MNR officials say the hunt will begin one half-hour before sunrise and end one half-hour after sunset on all scheduled hunt dates.
“Ontario honours the traditional activities of First Nation communities to conduct a deer hunt in Rondeau Provincial Park,” MNR officials stated in a press release.
First Nation hunters will use scoped rifles and follow mandatory safety protocols, MNR officials say.
Ministry staff will be monitoring access points to make the public aware that the park is closed for public safety.
For more information about the hunt call Brad Connor, Park Superintendent at 519-674-1760 or Jason Ecker, Assistant Park Superintendent at 519-674-1759.
More details from the MNR:
– Rondeau Provincial Park is located southeast of Blenheim, Ontario.
– For many First Nation communities in Ontario, hunting is a traditional activity that is fundamental to the distinctive cultures of Canada’s Indigenous people. The hunted deer will be used by the local First Nation communities.
– Deer hunts by First Nations communities have been conducted in the past at Pinery, Clear Creek Forest and Short Hills Provincial Parks.
