License Sales Down

Over harvest, winter and winter.... Less game . Last year I had a better spot and the owners changed their mind.. This year my spot was quite difficult to even see a deer and I only bought one tag...Bad winters and I decided to limit they amount of tags I purchased... I filled my turkey and deer tag and did not punch my bear tag... Last year I filled a turkey tag, 3 deer tags and a bear tag...if I get access to better properties I will buy more tags... Access to great spots is 99 percent of the game in Ontario. Friend of my party hunted and shot 4 deer with a bow....if you have access to great spots there is still plenty of turkey and deer.

Wow, over a 100,000 moose hunters....never dreamed there where that many. Any idea what the numbers were in the 80's? Sure makes you think........
Numbers being down now because Duck Dynasty isn't all that popular anymore :)

I can't believe that it was only a 5k drop in moose hunters last year. .. figured ALOT less people would be going

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Originally Posted by fratri

Wow, over a 100,000 moose hunters....never dreamed there where that many. Any idea what the numbers were in the 80's? Sure makes you think........
Numbers being down now because Duck Dynasty isn't all that popular anymore :)

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The drastic drop in moose hunters (licenses) applying could have something to do with restrictions implemented to the tag transfer process as well. There were stories of groups applying with numbers to get by the min requirements stacking up P1 applicants only to transfer a tag to someone who was actually going hunting. Wives, girlfriends, guys who stopped but still put their license in for the draw benefitting a group guaranteed tag.

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Originally Posted by robster

The drastic drop in moose hunters (licenses) applying could have something to do with restrictions implemented to the tag transfer process as well. There were stories of groups applying with numbers to get by the min requirements stacking up P1 applicants only to transfer a tag to someone who was actually going hunting. Wives, girlfriends, guys who stopped but still put their license in for the draw benefitting a group guaranteed tag.

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There's that,of course,but,mostly I think it's the economy. Hunting isn't cheap anymore and there's a lot more unemployed or under-employed people who simply can't afford to go,a lot more than is being reported and recorded by the main stream media and politicians. Equipment costs,lodging and license costs have gone stratospheric. A lot of folks are being left behind. Another indicator is the exponential rise in poaching,regulatory tinkering and lack of enforcement. Most people know that I've always been a "glass half full" kind of guy,but,over the last two years since I've been retired and able to get out a lot more,it's been a real eye opener.

Moose: (residents)

2013...112,754
2014...106,901
2015...95,023

Deer (residents)

2013...183,701
2014...186,357
2015...181,495

From pure statistical point of view it is clear the moose and the Non resident hunter numbers are down , but can not help but NOT see a decline in deer hunters.183-186-181 ,so we are down from both previous years,but there is no trend. As we see-2014 even produced Increase in numbers. No decline-at least YET. Would need 1-2 more years of going down(or see backwards several years, not just 2) to see a trend. Moose-down since the opportunities are much lower then used to be, and likely will keep going down even more........deer, will see in few years. Just my 2 cents.

I am not challenging though neither the OP nor anyone above........

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Originally Posted by Gilroy

Why didn't you shorten this down and say "I think they need more mentors". LOL

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That would not have been a true picture of the problem with new hunters. They all want to be mentored and start their hunting on trophy moose, deer, and bears, because they think real hunting is just like the games in the arcades. Point and shoot and enter your name in the top score list.

If we could find a mentor for each and everyone of them, how many do you think would say no thanks if the mentor was only going to take them small game hunting to start. Just out for a walk to shoot rabbits and squirrels.

I would guess well over 70% of them would bow out.

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Originally Posted by DanO

I can't believe how many people do the cost of hunting calculation and compare it to grocery store meat costs.

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You have to remember how much the costs have gone up compared to the wages. With the decrease in success rates, increase in cost of living and less than that cost of living increase in wages I can see why a lot of people are doing a cost analysis. The majority of people in the province are not longer on the farms and have to travel to hunt, they then need a vehicle that can get their game home and in most cases they have to pay to have it processed as lots of residences do not have the facilities for home butchering.

When you look at the cost of a license to hunt, the cost of a rifle or shotgun, the cost of the courses, the vehicle, the time away from work, for a lot of people it comes down to dollars and cents because they do not have another option. Unlike in Europe hunt in Canada has generally been something that was done by farmers and lower income groups to fill their freezers, with the way things are going we are switching to a pay to play situation where only the rich will be part of the hunting clubs (where crown land does not exist) and all of the rest of us will be left out to dry.

I wonder what the turkey data is, Seems like there is more and more turkey hunters in my area every year.

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Originally Posted by huntitall

I wonder what the turkey data is

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These are the Harvest Report numbers for a few past years;

2011; 8,560
2013; 8,272
2015; 6,912