A group in Western Manitoba feels it is making progress as it tries to get the Province of Manitoba to ban night hunting.

For more than a year the group representing municipalities from across Southwestern Manitoba has been urging the government to end night hunting because of safety concerns.

“We want night hunting banned, a program brought in for moose management and the hiring of more conservation officers to carry out enforcement of the rule” said RM of Sifton Councillor Scott Phillips.

The group had an update from the province while all members were in Brandon for the Association of Manitoba Municipalities annual convention.

“It was a good meeting and about thirty of us attended and we had representatives all the way from Swan River down to the U-S border and that proves it isn’t a regional issue it is a province wide issue.”

Phillips says the province can’t promise anything right now because they don’t want planning to back track but plans are falling into place to have something done in the new year.

“Goal number one is to ban night hunting in Manitoba and we want new conservation officers hired and not just a reallocation of the existing staff numbers.”

The group members say night hunting is a thing of the past.

“It’s not the moonlight, candles and bow and arrows it’s high powered rifles and powerful lights and it’s a big safety factor” said Phillips.

While the AMM convention was on a farmer was hauling bales and when he came back out to the next morning there was a bullet hole in his tractor.

“We are going to keep on the government and plan to give them a week as more meetings continue. So we will sit tight until after Christmas."