WINNIPEG – The province and the Manitoba Metis Federation signed an agreement Saturday that gives Metis people the same hunting rights as aboriginals.

The agreement ends years of conflict between the MMF and the Manitoba government over the issue.

It will allow Metis people to hunt and fish without having to acquire a licence from the provincial government, but only in agreed-upon regions of the province.

New provincial regulations governing Metis hunting will be based on Metis practices.

"The conservation principles of the Metis Laws of the Hunt are similar to those for licensed hunters and anglers," Reid Woods, president of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, said in a joint media release issued by the MMF and the province of Manitoba on Saturday.

Metis hunters can carry MMF harvester cards to identify themselves.

It's expected the regulations will be finalized later this fall.