Rabbit hunting suddenly closed in Northern/Central Ontario.

JohnC

JohnC

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Just got this from the OFAH:

To all small game hunters in WMUs 1-50, and 53-59:

EFFECTIVE APRIL 1st, 2017 the small game hunting season for snowshoe hares, cottontail rabbits, and European Hares is closed as per MNRF’s decision Friday March 31, 2017.

This regulatory change is NOT reflected in the 2016 Hunting Regulations Summary and, at the time of writing, is not yet reflected on the E-laws website. The OFAH will share any additional information as we receive it.

Please share this information with fellow hunters.

Thank you.

Anybody know why?
 
Apparently to streamline reg's rather than for biology reasons.
PROPOSED Changes to Small Game and
Furbearer Hunting Season and Limits
Proposed small game and furbearer regulatory amendments under the Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 will streamline the regulatory framework by reducing
the number of seasons, ensuring consistent season dates and limits across broader
areas and eliminating unique regulations that are no longer relevant.

They also wanted to restrict harvest of snapping turtles and frogs. Personally wish the harvest of snapping turtles was eliminated entirely as that species is doomed across most of the range where they encounter humans and traffic.
http://apps.mnr.gov.on.ca/public/files/er/proposed-sgfb-regulations.pdf
 
Phew at least we won't see the continuous fall of the rabbit population. With a few years of breeding maybe the numbers will get back up, then we can have rabbits everywhere, kind of like Tribbles
 
Seems odd, I'm in an area where we could traditionally hunt bunnies until June 15, and this is the first I have heard of it. I will have to take a trip to the MNR office on Monday.
 
Londonshooter said:
Apparently to streamline reg's rather than for biology reasons.
PROPOSED Changes to Small Game and
Furbearer Hunting Season and Limits
Proposed small game and furbearer regulatory amendments under the Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 will streamline the regulatory framework by reducing
the number of seasons, ensuring consistent season dates and limits across broader
areas and eliminating unique regulations that are no longer relevant.

They also wanted to restrict harvest of snapping turtles and frogs. Personally wish the harvest of snapping turtles was eliminated entirely as that species is doomed across most of the range where they encounter humans and traffic.
http://apps.mnr.gov.on.ca/public/files/er/proposed-sgfb-regulations.pdf
Click to expand...

Could it possibly be a backdoor method to remove one of the last remaining ways to legally carry a tourist-scaring firearm in the bush over the summer months? "Streamlining" is often something done for administrative convenience by government people who have forgotten who they are supposed to serve.
 
How could they possibly change the regulations the day before the new date, and not have it made public other than an OFAH email circulating?
 
2tall2 said:
How could they possibly change the regulations the day before the new date, and not have it made public other than an OFAH email circulating?
Click to expand...

Here it is. Bunny season still says June 15, but I think that was the point of the ofah e-mail, to give the members a heads up it was coming.
http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-Ex...ticeId=MTMxMDUy&statusId=MjAwNjQw&language=en

A decision was made to proceed with the proposal as described, subject to the following changes:
• No open season for Snapping Turtle across all of Ontario.
• Ruffed Grouse daily bag and possession limits are 5 and 15 respectively for Wildlife Management Units 68, 73 to 76, 82 to 84.
• Ring-necked Pheasant daily bag and possession limits are 3 and 10 respectively for Wildlife Management Units 68, 69A, 70 to 94.
• An amendment to O. Reg. 666/98 will allow possession of an Otter pelt that is incidentally trapped (outside the open season for otter) during the open season for Beaver, without obtaining a licence to possess a pelt. Amended in response to comments received on the proposed (different) seasons for Otter and Beaver
• A consequential amendment to O. Reg. 667/98 was required to reflect the modernized approach of describing areas where furbearing mammals may be trapped in Ontario using existing Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) boundaries.
 
crash277 said:
Tomorrow afternoon we will get an email saying April fools.
Click to expand...

There's been talk of changes to small game regulations since January. I didn't see the updated regulations, but if you follow the link below you'll see that the proposed season for rabbit and hare does close March 31. Published proposal + OFAH email = odds are it's true...

http://apps.mnr.gov.on.ca/public/files/er/proposed-sgfb-regulations.pdf



If they did follow the proposal it looks like cottontail will be open here about 1 month earlier with the limit reduced from 6 to 5. I hope the new regulations are published in a similar fashion to the proposal as it's much easier to read the proposal and the color coding with the map would be a huge improvement.
 
I think we have varying hares in north western Ontario so i don't know what this reg change means . I'm mostly in area 13 .
 
atr said:
I think we have varying hares in north western Ontario so i don't know what this reg change means . I'm mostly in area 13 .
Click to expand...

same as a snowshoe. So it means your hunting season is over.
Does not appear to be a joke, just typical inefficient gov't putting a notice out (sorta), the day before it comes into effect.
 
FishHog said:
same as a snowshoe. So it means your hunting season is over.
Does not appear to be a joke, just typical inefficient gov't putting a notice out (sorta), the day before it comes into effect.
Click to expand...

Has Any more info come to light today about all this? I can't help but think there must be dozens if not hundreds of people who are going to be bunny hunting this weekend with zero knowledge of the changes...
 
Again with stupid reg changes. Here in NW Ontario you can't really hunt rabbits until it gets milder and the snow goes down a bit. That time is now. (Fall portion of the season excepted) Now that fun is gone. Got to love the Ontario MNR.

Darryl
 
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