For the second year in a row, my buddy and I were both skunked for an antlerless tag for WMU 56. That both of us should be unsuccessful is most odd, given the number of does my buddy has seen all year. I tried to find out how many doe tags are allotted for 56, and though I couldn't find the data for 2018, I did find the data for this year and for 2017. In both years, the number of allotted tags is the same. Hmmmm! I'm curious as to when the last deer population census was conducted. As you may, or may not know, Wynne's Liberals gutted the MNR budget (I heard 80 mil.) taken out of the ministry and put into general revenues to offset their idiotic spending spree. If true, that may account for a lack of resources and staff to conduct an accurate census. It just seems odd that the number is unchanged when not only my buddy, but locals who live there year round all state the there are lots of does. According to the lady who runs the sporting goods store in Haliburton, very few of the locals got doe tags, so it's not just my buddy and I. It may well be that it was just luck or fate that we were unsuccessful, or it may be that the MNR doesn't have accurate information as to deer numbers. It makes you think! However it goes, I wish my fellow hunters joy and success in the upcoming deer season.
Doe tags!
- Thread starter LawrenceN
- Start date
Londonshooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Lawrence, my son and I had a 4 year skunked record for doe tags in 47 and then 48. Now this year finally successful. I agree MNRF has been underfunded and tag allocations seem to have been based on best guesses tempered with caution. The new mandatory reporting will hopefully give them some real numbers to work with - for sure on the harvest side and by extension the deer numbers.
I was unsuccessful in both the deer and moose draws in WMU 56 this year as well.
To be honest the only deer I saw last year were 2 does at night while out on an ATV. With very little sign of deer otherwise. Moose however I saw at least 4 different animals, with a few seen a couple of times. This includes one bull that walked past our cabin between it and the outhouse while we had the stereo at full blast and were sitting on the back porch BBQ'ing and talking. The bull moose walked by about 20 ft from us, stopped and had a look at us then sauntered on. Calf tags of course.
Good point!
