Comments - Ontario Tundra Swan Season

Hello Guys,

This is a designated thread for comments and questions regarding a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season for the Province of Ontario as well as for other potential jurisdictions in Canada.

Jerome

Hello Guys,

I am responding to the comments made by Couliewalker and Badenoch under my "Ontario Tundra Swan Season" thread.

Couliewalker:

This was certainly a "set back" for anyone who wanted either a Sandhill Crane season or a Tundra Swan season because we could have had a Sandhill Crane season by 2024 (since the CWS will be reviewing the hunting seasons in the fall of 2023) and a Tundra Swan season by 2025 (since the CWS would have to request at least part of our allotment of tags by August of 2024 for distribution for the 2025 hunting season).

The good news is that Mr. J. Fisher (Vice-President of Canadian Policy, Delta Waterfowl) is committed to advocating for both seasons in Ontario and Mr. Mark Ryckman (Manager of Policy, OFAH) has recently assured me that both a Sandhill Crane season as well as a Tundra Swan season will be topics for discussion with the CWS staff later this fall. I will present a formal suggestion as to how the CWS could accommodate both seasons.

Badenoch:

It may appear (unfortunately) that your assessment of the situation is correct at times but it does not have to be that way since the members of Delta Waterfowl represents a small percentage of the total number of waterfowlers in North America and the members of the OFAH represents a small percentage of the total number of anglers and hunters in Ontario ... these are the dedicated individuals who support (fund) both organizations.

It is unfortunate that not every individual who considers himself or herself as a dedicated "waterfowler" is a member of Delta Waterfowl and that not every individual who regularly participates in angling or hunting within Ontario is a member of the OFAH at this time. I would like to encourage every individual who would like to have either a Sandhill Crane season or a Tundra Swan season in Ontario become a member of at least one if not both organizations.

Jerome

PS I will post my formal suggestion as to how the CWS could accommodate both a Sandhill Crane season and Tundra Swan season in the future.

I am a (longtime) member of both Delta and OFAH. I agree there is room for both sandhill and Tundra seasons. I applaud your efforts - keep up the good work!

Hello Ouzel,

I thank you for your support and for your kind comments.

If you would like to help move this proposal along please consider sending an e-mail or letter (mail or fax) to Mr. Mark Ryckman (Manager of Policy, OFAH) with a copy to Mr. Matt DeMille (Manager of Fish and Wildlife Services, OFAH), Mr. Jim Fisher (Vice-President of Canadian Policy, Delta Waterfowl) and Mr. Jack Hughes (Manager, Wildlife and Habitat Assessment, CWS) expressing your support for a limited (tag only) Sandhill Crane season as well as a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season in Ontario. I have included their e-mail addresses below:

Mr. Mark Ryckman ([email protected])
Mr. Matt DeMille ([email protected])
Mr. Jim Fisher ([email protected])
Mr. Jack Hughes ([email protected])

They will appreciate hearing directly from you as well as from other individuals regarding these two (2) potential and long overdue seasons because in the past I have requested that individuals contact Mr. Jack Hughes ... that was a mistake on my part because Mr. Mark Ryckman was unaware of the support that had been building quietly for a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season. Please BCC me with your e-mail if you do not mind so that I may monitor the growing support for both of these seasons as we move forward with them.

I hope that you enjoy the remaining segments that I will post each week.

Jerome

Hello Corporal K,

Well ... obviously not you and that is okay.

Jerome

Jerome,

I'm a member of OFAH and Delta Waterfowl and until I read your posts I was not aware that work was being performed in the background on swan (and crane) hunting opportunities. Living in Essex County (WMU 94), we appear to have a large number of swans here, with a significant number of both "orange billed" mute swans and "black billed" swans (which I have always assumed to be trumpeter swans but I have never verified this assumption). Having the invasive mute swans delisted and offering a year-long open season (like pigeons) may never happen, but having a fall season similar to goose/duck would be something I would fully support.

I would like to thank you for your effort, and I will take your advice in Post #4 and contact those mentioned.

Cheers!

I'd support a Mute season as there is far less chance of confusing them with our Trumpeters, they are extremely invasive, their population is exploding, and they are turning our breeding wetlands into sterile, silent places. The bloody things are so territorial I've seen them dominate and take over a 900 acre wetland on Consecon lake. Formerly teeming with breeding coots, mallards, Canada's , black terns, caspian terns, gallinules, virginia rails, soras, bitterns (both species), night herons, etc., etc. Now the marsh is quiet in the spring and all you see are bloody Mute swans. Once they're brooding eggs you're literally taking your life in your hands going into the marsh. I can only imagine the politics that would be involved in getting a season, or even a straight out cull. The Queen's property since the 11th century, the majestic castle moat scene, etc. If you want to see how serious a threat these birds are, go down to Presquille or Weller's Bays in October to December. I've literally seen 8000+ Mutes there at one time. I'd like to go out in a zodiac with a a minigun in it. I'd love to pop some fall cygnets as they are a big bird and would definitely be tasty slow roasted and stuffed with apples and wild rice!.Not sure if I'd want to eat the adults. Imagine eating a 25 year old cob that's almost 30 pounds. God knows what it had bio accumulated by then and the meat would probably be like eating a pair of old leather welder's gloves. How about old cob jerky or pepperettes? Run the buggers through the grinder.....

Hello Wasa,

I started this "journey" of obtaining a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season in January of 2010 and presented my proposal to the Canadian Wildlife Service in October of 2010 realizing that it would probably take five (5) to ten (10) years to accomplish such a season ... it has been twelve (12) years now!

The Canadian Wildlife Service conducted their Tundra Swan Season Assessment between April of 2011 and August of 2013 which fully supported such a season from a biological perspective within the current parameters of the Management Plan for the Eastern Population of Tundra Swans.

I was advised by the Canadian Wildlife Service however in December of 2014 that they would have to revise the Migratory Birds Regulations which would include a "mechanism" to permit a "tag only" management option for a wildlife species ... such as a Sandhill Crane or a Tundra Swan season.

The review process and the revision of these regulations was expected to take approximately three (3) years to complete with the proposed revision then being subject for public comment. The final revision of these regulations came into effect this past summer but the "mechanism" unfortunately was not included.

I have been corresponding with a representative of the Canadian Wildlife Service regarding the ommision of this "mechanism" and I will be pursuing this issue further in the future. In the meantime I thank you for your interest and support for limited (tag only) seasons for these two (2) species.

Jerome

Hello Fenelon,

I have seen plenty of Mute Swans here at Long Point this year ... a lot more than last year ... 24 in one viewing alone just behind my house and only 20 to 60 yards away. I have also seen a single Trumpeter Swan with a group of six (6) Mute Swans on a regular basis this year. I think that it will be another "banner year" for our Mute Swan population as I saw numerous cygnets last year.

Note 1: Last summer I regularly saw several pairs of Mute Swans with two (2) to seven (7) cygnets per pair and last fall I could often count as many as 35 adult (white) Mute Swans beyond my Long Point Bay property.

Note 2: This summer although I regularly saw only one (1) pair of Mute Swans with nine (9) cygnets near my Long Point Bay property I have also seen at least two (2) other pairs of Mute Swans with a few cygnets per pair further away. I have however seen many more adult (non-breeding) Mute Swans (often 42 to 47) on a regular basis this summer.

Note 3: I saw 56 adult (white) Mute Swans on June 23 (record sighting) beyond my Long Point Bay property as well as the pair of Mute Swans with their nine (9) cygnets.

I have been a member of The Trumpeter Swan Society since 2015 and I am committed to ensuring that a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season is conducted with the minimum risk to the Trumpeter Swan population as per The Trumpeter Swan Society's policy to minimize (not eliminate) the risk of an incidental harvest of a Trumpeter Swan.

Jerome

PS The real problem is that the invasive Mute Swan population is interferring with the native Trumpeter Swan population from establishing their nests in areas that should be for our native waterfowl species.

Jerome - emails sent, but I can't find your email to copy you.