New regulation calf hunting ontario wtf 2 weeks only starting oct 22

well the moose and deer seem to get along very well in the park ,we are seeing more moose every year at deer camp ,,,how can anybody think thy can grow a herd by shooting cows and calfs ,,just ask any farmer even thy can set the MNR straight on this basic system of life ,,it is not rocket science to see that cows and calfs are what grow the herd ,so if the moose are in as big a trouble as thy want us to believe then shut down the cow and calf hunt for a few years ,,,again not rocket science ...Dutch ps bring back the spring bear hunt and open the wolf season around the park ,,,,,
 
This ^ is the explanation in a nutshell. The government would ideally like to sell an infinite number of tags and have none actually filled. The next best thing is to sell as many tags as possible with little regard for the number of animals killed, and this is what they do. They speak of the culture and the tradition of moose-hunting, which in Ontario translates into every hunter expecting a moose...any moose, bull, cow, calf, whatever..."I need to kill a moose!" Apologies to the Ontario hunters who don't fall into this mold, but after hunting in Ontario for most of my life, the impression I had was that most of them do.

The other excuse often quoted is that since there's about a 50% mortality rate among calves during their first winter, shooting 100 calves in the fall is actually the same thing as shooting 50, since half of them are doomed anyways. Now there's logic.

I can only imagine the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth in Ontario if the MNR stopped all shooting of calves and cows for a few years, and restricted the bull tags using something like their current lottery system. Heaven forbid that they attempt to manage a diminishing resource the same way that many other jurisdictions do...the general run of hunters would bemoan the infringement of their rights (to shoot a moose every year) and the MNR would bemoan the loss of revenues.

Nailed it. Unfortunately, the majority of moose hunters would exhibit this exact behavior and it'll be impossible to convince them that adult moose don't appear out of the sky at the flip of a switch. I really believe some don't understand the whole "mommy moose gives birth to baby moose and one day baby moose will be a big moose" concept.
 
The MNR has to do some rethinking on this whole moose hunt ,,,we have more then one problem with the moose numbers in the north of Ontario ,,the first part is the unregulated harvest ,we are not going to get into that right now ,second any farmer grows there herd by having young every year then thy sell of the young males to feed lots as thy are the surplus ,the cows and calves are the base of the herd ..any one that thinks thy can grow the herd by shooting cows and calves is out to lunch ,,,the surplus animals young males and really old males are the ones that get removed from the herd every year .So why does the MNR not stop all cow and calves hunting for a few years and see what happens ,,This idea of shooting cows and leaving the calves is just plain dumb ,,,,,the third problem with the moose is the predators bears and wolfs ,,,kind of funny how thy stop the spring bear hunt and stop the hunting of wolfs around the park and the moose numbers drop ....go figure..Dutch

Well said Dutch
 
Have to agree with Dutch as well.
I hunt moose in WMU41 which has less than 3% chance at an adult tag yet we see lots of moose all year. The numbers are not in danger around my camp but i bet only 1 in 4 moose shot around here is taken on a tag - thats the problem that needs fixing
 
We have always seen lots and lots of moose at our camp every year. Then a few years ago the unregulated harvest would start happening a few weeks before the season opened. It wasn't a secret, it was right out in the open and there were lots of moose taken. Within a couple of years the population dropped and we saw very few moose.
Without dealing with this it doesn't matter what they do with the seasons, the moose population can't recover.
 
What is this unregulated harvest that has been mentioned ?

I am not in the know, so please help to enlighten myself and any others like me...

Thanks
 
Nailed it. Unfortunately, the majority of moose hunters would exhibit this exact behavior and it'll be impossible to convince them that adult moose don't appear out of the sky at the flip of a switch. I really believe some don't understand the whole "mommy moose gives birth to baby moose and one day baby moose will be a big moose" concept.

Are you sure they aren't made in moose factory? I've heard if you set up just outside of town you can take your pick. They're all wobbly, just learning to walk...

But I agree, there need to be significant changes made. A careful population count and tags for every moose shot in the province to start. There are only so many moose in the bush. It's not reasonable to allow anyone to harvest in unlimited quantities.
 
One of my customers told me that he'd shot 159 moose so far. That was in 2007. His numbers must be well over 200 by now. Needless to say, he's a Native Indian. They piss their pants laughing at our lottery system.
 
Last edited:
Hi , I am new to this site so go easy on me! I understand everyone has there own beliefs on the problem here as do I . I don't live close to any city , more in the middle of no where . The biggest problem I see is the out of control number of bears and the wolves. Something needs to be done to control the predators.
 
^^^^^^^
Your new to the site but you said a mouth full of truth. But the un regulated slaughter..... Oops harvest is a concern.
I'm a farm boy and you don't build a herd shooting cows and calfs.
Plus shooting a cow and not shooting the calf is a death sentence for the calf anyway to predators or winter.

Rules made by people that have never been off of pavement in their life.
 
I have to agree with you on the new changes to our calf season opening after the adult season , it is one of the stupidest thing to date!! I am a owner of a bait block ( minnows) so I am out in the bush all spring , summer, fall and I get to witness how over populated we are with wolves and Bears . For every set of moose tracks I see , I'll see 5 to 7 sets of wolf tracks. I also can go for a short truck ride 16 kms and see 10 to 12 bears on the road . Also the Bears have all been having 2-3 Cubs , and we all know how many pups a timber wolf can produce. They have taken away the spring bear hunt , they make us buy wolf tags and only two a year , and now they change our moose season !!
 
The Calf tag was put in place to give the average Ontario hunter the illusion of hunting Moose. The problem is after 20+ years of the average hunter not receiving an adult tag, we actually got good at hunting calf moose. Throw in the fact that predator populations have been on the rise for years. Very little or no regulations regarding "traditonal rights" for hunting and the Government made it easier for people to get "Status" means more unregulated harvests.

Are these the only problems, most definately not. Clear cutting within meters of our major highways cause countless moose fatilities across the province yearly. I look at the WMU's I use to hunt or currently do now and see less than 50 adult tags combines awarded then listen to a friends father talk about plans to harvest over 60 moose for their tribe . . . . I have serious issues with how our government agencies perform their operations. Then they introduce a $2.26 surplus fee on every license, I get the feeling they just do not want Ontario residents to hunt in Ontario, there's not enough money in it!
 
^^^^^^^
Your new to the site but you said a mouth full of truth. But the un regulated slaughter..... Oops harvest is a concern.
I'm a farm boy and you don't build a herd shooting cows and calfs.
Plus shooting a cow and not shooting the calf is a death sentence for the calf anyway to predators or winter.

Rules made by people that have never been off of pavement in their life.

X2,,this,,if we want to keep moose hunting in the future,,
 
I just have to ask , why people are so sure it is the unregulated hunting? Myself I don't see it, I live In between two reserves and know most of them . I can tell you out of about 1500 natives only 5 like hunting . Most of them don't like wild meat and would rather eat KFC . So I look at the problem as for every 5 natives that go out hunting a few days of the year there are thousands of wolves out there hunting everyday . Then do the same with the Bears .. In the 3 wildlife management areas I hunt it is the predators that are the concern more than the people.
 
Watched a great Nature of Things last week on Moose in Jasper National Park. The Filmographer started following a calf and cow and ended up encountering a second pair. There was nothing political about the documentary. The statement was made that Moose are on the decline in NA, and more calves are killed by bears in than any other single thing. Pretty simple solution really.....

I wasn't able to Moose hunt this year do to logistics and cost (first ever Moose hunt last year), but being a new hunter, I hope they do away with calf tags. I was raised in the city, but I have found the country, and it doesn't take a farmer to realize your herd health is dependent on the calf/cow.

I will forever deny this statement if challenged, but I believe QC might have the right system in place (albeit calves should be off the table....pun intended!) :)
 
Back
Top Bottom