Damn & blast! I didn't get an antlerless validation for my hunting area so I hope my hunting buddy did. The crazy thing is that the Haliburton/Minden area is overrun with young does and they're getting everywhere. I was told that back when we had the Liberals in control, the MNR budget was pillaged by the libs to offset their moronic fiscal policies and out-of-control spending. Anyone who knows wildlife management knows that you need money to conduct wildlife census surveys and hire conservation officers so we've come to this. The locals are mad as hell about the lack of doe tags and who can blame 'em.
Skunked in WMU56
- Thread starter LawrenceN
- Start date
UPDATE! My buddy was also unsuccessful in getting an antlerless validation. WTF! Normally at least one of us will get lucky in the draw. When the 2024 summary is available, I'm going to be curious as to see how many applicants there were vs. how many tags were allocated. Was it truly just bad luck or governmental incompetence?
It's all over. 84 and 82A lost all their additional tags and regular doe tags have been cut way back. I'm in my 50's and this is the first time i haven't drawn a doe tag in 84. Always 100% or near to it. 82A was giving out over 6000 antlerless and I'm hearing it's half this year. Talked to one guy there and their group of 9 got 4 doe tags. I haven't heard from everyone in my group yet but so far I'm the only one that hasn't drawn one.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
Keep in mind that additional tags are a management tool used to bring down the population in WMUs with too many deer. It’s a good thing (for the herd anyways) that additional tags are no longer available.
When we had up to 5 or 6 tags additional tags available years back there was simply too many deer. Crops destroyed, many hits by vehicles, and tons of coyotes. The additional tags over a few years did their job by restoring the balance.
They haven't had additional rifle tags for quite a few years. I don't think a couple hundred bow tags would do for a whole lot in management control where half at most are filled. Myself I have seen the decline over the last 7 or 8 years just going by the numbers I've counted during the hunting season. Always between 15-25 deer seen through the rifle week. For the last 4 or 5 years that number was in single digits with the exception of last year that had a bump up again. If it is a management strategy wouldn't it make sense to gradually cut tags back as the numbers are trending downward instead of waiting until an area bottoms out and cut out additional tags plus half the doe tags all at once? It's no skin off my ass, I rarely will shoot a doe anyhow and if I need one I can take one in the controlled area I hunt, provided they weren't cut back as well and I miss out on that one to.
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