Ontario’s sweeping Moose Project proposal leaves hunters reeling. Have your say now.

Party Hunting
A person may hunt moose, deer or black bear in a party even if the person has previously attached his or her game seal to a moose, deer or black bear. A person may also hunt elk in a party with some restrictions in addition to the conditions listed below - see page 53 for more information on Modified Party Hunting for Elk. The term "Party Hunting" means two or more persons hunting during an open season for moose, elk, deer or black bear under all of the following conditions:

1. Each person has a valid licence to hunt the big game species being hunted.
2. The total number of moose, elk, deer or black bear killed by the party does not exceed the total number of game seals held by the members of the party licensed to hunt that species.
3. The total number of moose, elk, deer or black bear of a specified sex, age or type killed by the party does not exceed the total number of game seals validated for that sex, age, or type that are held by members of the party.
4. All members of the party hunt together in the same Wildlife Management Unit or portion thereof for which the game seal is valid.
5. Each member of the party hunts within five kilometres of the person who holds the game seal that is valid for the wildlife being hunted.
6. Each member of the party must be able to reliably and immediately communicate with other members of the party.
7. All members of the party, including the person who holds the seal that is valid for the wildlife that the party is hunting, actively participate

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Originally Posted by fishy steve

providing you only shot a calf... if you were to take a bull or cow you would be illegal... because what if after you shot your moose, another group member shoots a moose as well, as he had no clue you shot your moose...

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That's right. Not that a situation like that ever happens. .............:ninja:

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Originally Posted by terrym

They don't have to shut it down. They already have the perfect tool to manage it, " the tag system". All they have to do is reduce the tags. In some units not so much, in others drastically. One thing that will be tricky during the no calf season is party hunting. By law you need to be in communication with a tag holder. So if the guy with the tag is 10kms away and you don't have a calf tag to hunt off of you in theory are hunting illegally. most of moose country doesn't have reliable cell service if any and radios are no hell. People will have to hunt closer during the no calves season.

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The easiest way around this little technicality is for a hunter who has a Moose license without a tag MUST ​hunt within the 5km limit as set out in the Act in the same manner which now exists when the hunter has already used a tag. Easy-peasy.

I look at calf tags the same way I look at hen pheasant limits. If you want a wild population don't shoot the breeders and don't shoot the babies.

I'll still buy a moose tag because I want to support the MNRF and also, if I am lucky enough to get a tag, then maybe get myself some moose meat.

My concern would be as previously posted. A hunter with a cow tag only shoots the cow, the calf has almost zero chance of survival. Personally, I don't think hunters take as many calves as one might think. In 35 years of moose hunting, never missing a single year, our group has only taken 3 calves. Two of those were with the cow that was also taken.
Quite possibly a mandatory harvest reporting system for all hunters, licenced or native would at least result in some data.

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Originally Posted by 270 WBY

A lot of hunters will, we can all say what we want sitting behind a key board but when you're out in the bush and its standing there chances are that 90% of hunters will take the calf!!
I say just stop the calf hunt for about 5-7 yrs and see if this actually does help in increasing the moose herd

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We have had a calf tag in zone 48 for over 10 years. Data suggests it hasn't helped increase the moose population.

Courts have ruled that FN hunters are bound by conservation concerns. I'd say there are some conservation concerns regarding moose in Ontario. Perhaps courts will rule that under these conditions FN hunters will need to report their harvest so that the MNR can manage moose with a complete set of harvest data? Am I dreaming?

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Originally Posted by DanO

Courts have ruled that FN hunters are bound by conservation concerns. I'd say there are some conservation concerns regarding moose in Ontario. Perhaps courts will rule that under these conditions FN hunters will need to report their harvest so that the MNR can manage moose with a complete set of harvest data? Am I dreaming?

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Yep,I'd say so. All this is covered by several treaties that,unless they get before the Supreme Court of Canada who is the ONLY authority to over-ride the Treaties,First Nations are sacrosanct. They could literally wipe out the entire herd and there isn't anything anyone can do about it.....not that they'd ever allow that to happen,of course.

CBC news had a story last night regarding wolf control by the BC and Alberta governements to protect caribou herds. Are wolves part of the problem in Ontario? I know bears are responsible for calf predation so I'm thinking the spring bear hunt needs expanding ASAP.

We can all agree to disagree about whats going on with moose populations. But we have a chance at least to have our opinion be heard, so we should all at least make use of that.