New deer hunter

C

Cwebber

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Location
Newmarket (GTA), ON
Good evening everyone, I am just looking for some information. I've duck and grouse hunt for a few years now and I don't understand how the tags work for deer. I get that you need to join the anterless lottery, but How about antlered deer? Do I just go buy a tag like a small game tag? Or is that a lottery too?

Forgot to mention I am in Ontario. Sorry for the silly question.

Thank you,

Chris
 
I think you need to get hold of a copy (on line?) of ALL the Ontario hunting regulations and read them cover to cover a couple of times. You will get some good help here from Ontario hunters (and I'm not one) but sooner or later you will HAVE to get a copy, and you will HAVE to read it all. I would start there.
 
rral22 said:
I think you need to get hold of a copy (on line?) of ALL the Ontario hunting regulations and read them cover to cover a couple of times. You will get some good help here from Ontario hunters (and I'm not one) but sooner or later you will HAVE to get a copy, and you will HAVE to read it all. I would start there.
Click to expand...

I'm not a dense fella, and I've read it back and forth. I just feel like I'm missing something. It gives a cost to buying a tag, but I can't for the life of me find something saying there is no lottery. I do appreciate the thought though. I often feel like people don't go out of their way to find their own answer. It's just one of those times I need a second set of eyes to help me out. I unfortunately don't have any hunting friends or family outside of my wife's uncle who has just as much experience as me.
 
Hopefully I am not giving false info but this is what I understand of it.
(I am mainly a bird / fowl hunter)

A buck tag can be gotten just as any tag, good to hunt a buck in any WMU (Ontario)
An antlerless tag is a lottery, and when applying you must state which WMU you plan to harvest an antlerless deer in. If you win the draw you can only harvest antlerless in that specific WMU

Like I said, not 100% sure, so if anybody can either confirm or shut me down that would be great. I'd wait for another, more experienced member to chime in.
 
Largely correct. In much of Southern Ontario there is no rifle season only Shotgun (including muzzle loader) seasons. In those cases you must apply to the Controlled hunt draw stating which WMU you wish to hunt in. In most of these WMUs there are two Controlled hunts (one in November and one in December), you can only hunt in one or the other not both. If you draw a doe tag you can hunt either Buck or Doe. The Controlled hunts are one week long whereas the rifle hunt WMUs further north are typically two weeks long
 
TimKruitbosch said:
Hopefully I am not giving false info but this is what I understand of it.
(I am mainly a bird / fowl hunter)

A buck tag can be gotten just as any tag, good to hunt a buck in any WMU (Ontario)
An antlerless tag is a lottery, and when applying you must state which WMU you plan to harvest an antlerless deer in. If you win the draw you can only harvest antlerless in that specific WMU

Like I said, not 100% sure, so if anybody can either confirm or shut me down that would be great. I'd wait for another, more experienced member to chime in.
Click to expand...
What he said! You can apply for an antlerless tag either in person where they sell deer licenses or by phone. I always put mine in by phone. You must apply before the end of July and you're usually given a 1st. and 2nd. choice of WMU's in which you wish to harvest deer. If you get an antlerless validation, you can shoot anything. If you just get a buck only tag, you can shoot any buck with antlers over 4" long and it's good anywhere in Ontario, so you're not restricted to a particular WMU. The only thing you must be aware of is any restrictions in your chosen area. For instance, is it muzzle loader or shotgun only? If you bow hunt, your season is usually much longer than the 2 weeks of rifle season. In the Ontario hunting regulations it will give you all the particulars of any specific WMU in which you wish to hunt. If you want, send me a PM and I'll send you my phone number. I'd be happy to share any knowledge that you may find useful. Welcome to the fraternity!
 
In Ontario the deer tag you purchase over the counter will be a buck tag. You can then mail in for the antlerles deer draw before the June 30 deadline.

Or you can apply for you tag online or by telephone ( before June 30th) to enter the antlerless draw. If you are successful in the draw your tag will be mailed to you in September and will state that it is valid for antlerless deer in the WMU you specified.

If you are not successful in the draw they will still mail you tag but it will not has the antlerless deer validation printed on the tag.

Some places in Ontario they have controlled gun hunting seasons you must apply to another draw if the WMU is controlled hunter numbers. You don't have to purchase the tag. You can apply as an individual or as a group. I would suggest you read all the regs. On the controlled hunt application process.

Here in an example of my process. I bow hunt and shotgun hunt and if Time hunt the controlled hunt in an area close to home.
step One. I call in my tag to enter the antlerless draw for the area I shotgun hunt. If I am successfull I can still bow hunt close to home but for a buck only. if I take a deer I would have to burn my antlerless tag on an antler deer. Sucks but hey I got a buck.

As you can party hunt in Ontario for deer I can still gun hunt but only as long as members of the group agree to hunt as a party.
Example: 5 hunter in a group have 4 tags to fill, one hunter can fill all 4 tags if they are able to.
(Side note: the group politics can be troublesome so make sure everyone is on the same page with tag sharing)

Now if I have applied for the controlled hunt and was successful I get another tag to fill with my shotgun. In a controlled hunt it is generally just a deer tag, there generally is not antler / antlerless designation and they generally just want a specific number of animals reduced in that particular area.

So all said and done if I have been really lucky I could have harvested 3-6 deer in one season
1 bow hunted buck
Up to 4 deer during the shotgun hunt. ( tags indicate antlered/antlerless)
1 deer during the controlled hunt (unless I was in a group then possibly more)

Welcome to the confusing world of deer hunt regulations in Ontario.

Note: this is just my process others may be different depending on the regulations in the WMUs they hunt In and how they hunt ie) bow, rifle etc.....
 
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One other thing. Newmarket is in WMU 78C. There is no rifle or Shotgun season in 78C just Bows. You will have to apply for a little further North (for example Holland Landing in 78B) to get a Controlled hunt tag.
 
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