Trappers and hunters of nuisance beavers, coyotes and wolves may be about to get a raise in Grey County.
At its meeting on Jan. 9, Grey County council voted in favour of a staff report that recommended the county’s nuisance beaver and coyote/wolf bylaws be reviewed and updated.
In October, county council requested a staff report on the matter after receiving a letter outlining concerns that the bounties the county pays are too low and the paperwork required is overly complicated and unnecessary.
Currently the county pays a $25 bounty for a nuisance beaver and a $50 bounty for a coyote/wolf. The bounties can only be paid to hunters and trappers who are residents of Grey County. On the coyote/wolf bounties – a confirmed kill of agricultural livestock by an evaluator is required before a bounty can be paid.
For many years, the county has budgeted $10,000 a year for nuisance beaver bounties and $10,000 a year for coyote/wolf bounties. In recent years, the amount the county has been paying out has been rising. On beaver bounties, the total pay out has exceeded $10,000 three of the past four years with a high of more than $15,000.
In the recently approved 2025 budget, county council approved hiking both bounty budgets to $15,000.
County staff said the beaver bylaw has been in place since 1983 and the coyote/wolf bylaw was adopted in the early 1990s.
Staff recommended the county do a complete review of the bylaws including consultation with the public and the hunting and trapping community.
Members of county council were anxious to see the amount paid for bounties increased and the requirement that hunters and trappers be from Grey County eliminated.
“It’s getting harder and harder to find local trappers,” said West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles, who noted that the county is not allowed to put out a tender document that requires a bidder to be from the county and he said the same should apply for hunters and trappers. “I’d like to see that eliminated going forward.”
Staff explained that there is an exemption process a hunter/trapper from outside the county can use to collect the bounties, but agreed that it was time to look at the policy.
“It’s something we’d really like to revisit,” said Scott Taylor, director of planning.
Owen Sound Deputy Mayor Scott Greig encouraged an increase to the bounty rate.
“I think the compensation certainly needs to be evaluated after so many years,” said Greig.
