Rondeau Provincial Park will be closed to the public starting next week for a First Nation deer hunt.
The park will be closed November 14, 16, 19, 21 and 23 to reduce the high deer population, which is a major pressure on the park’s ecological integrity.
The hunt will begin one half-hour before sunrise and end one half-hour after sunset on all scheduled hunt dates. The Ministry of Natural Resources says First Nation hunters will use scoped rifles and follow mandatory safety protocols. The hunted deer will be used by local First Nation communities.
Ministry staff will be monitoring access points to make the public aware that the park is closed for public safety.
The last First Nation deer hunt conducted at Rondeau Provincial Park was in 2014. A deer herd reduction was conducted at Rondeau in 2015. Past deer hunts by First Nation communities have been conducted at Pinery, Clear Creek Forest and Short Hills Provincial Parks.