18A Moose quota, what happened

Anyone know the reasoning for the drop in tags for 18A?

Last year there was 206 bull rifle tags, now only 15.

37 bull bow tags last year, now 3.

Seems like a mistake might have been made?

Two things may have happened,either,separately or in combination. Harvest levels may have been exceedingly high or actual aerial count (instead of the "mathematical extrapolation type") survey may have revealed a catastrophic population drop.

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Originally Posted by trimmer21

Two things may have happened,either,separately or in combination. Harvest levels may have been exceedingly high or actual aerial count (instead of the "mathematical extrapolation type") survey may have revealed a catastrophic population drop.

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I was hoping there was a mistake made. Will keep an eye on it.

I think 18a is the Geraldton WMU where the MNR has spent the last couple of decades trying to eradicate the moose in favour of the woodland caribou. The logic was to eliminate the moose to starve out the wolves in the area so that the caribou herd could get established. There are MNR papers available on this. To this end, moose tags were grossly over-allocated in the WMU (compared to the rest of the province) without regard to the actual moose population. My guess is that this experiment has come to and end.

Read through the attachment. Search for the word "moose".

https://www.ontario.ca/page/woodland...plan#section-6

A couple of excerpts:

• 5.4 Ontario will assess the relationship between Moose and caribou numbers in order to develop recommended objectives for maximum Moose numbers in Wildlife Management Units within continuous caribou distribution. This process will be implemented through the Moose management program by the establishment of Moose population objectives and harvest management strategies.
• 5.5 Within the geographic distribution of caribou, populations of predators will be managed primarily by managing habitat and the associated roads to reflect natural forest conditions. This will include the management of land and resource uses to maintain naturally-occurring low densities of prey (e.g. Moose, White-tailed Deer) and predators. Ontario will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of directly and indirectly influencing predator densities in very specific situations, and develop criteria and guidelines for managing the prey-predator balance as required.5.4 Ontario will assess the relationship between Moose and caribou numbers in order to develop recommended objectives for maximum Moose numbers in Wildlife Management Units within continuous caribou distribution. This process will be implemented through the Moose management program by the establishment of Moose population objectives and harvest management strategies.
• 
  5.5 Within the geographic distribution of caribou, populations of predators will be managed primarily by managing habitat and the associated roads to reflect natural forest conditions. This will include the management of land and resource uses to maintain naturally-occurring low densities of prey (e.g. Moose, White-tailed Deer) and predators. Ontario will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of directly and indirectly influencing predator densities in very specific situations, and develop criteria and guidelines for managing the prey-predator balance as required.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

I think 18a is the Geraldton WMU where the MNR has spent the last couple of decades trying to eradicate the moose in favour of the woodland caribou. The logic was to eliminate the moose to starve out the wolves in the area so that the caribou herd could get established. There are MNR papers available on this. To this end, moose tags were grossly over-allocated in the WMU (compared to the rest of the province) without regard to the actual moose population. My guess is that this experiment has come to and end.

Read through the attachment. Search for the word "moose".

https://www.ontario.ca/page/woodland...plan#section-6

A couple of excerpts:

• 5.4 Ontario will assess the relationship between Moose and caribou numbers in order to develop recommended objectives for maximum Moose numbers in Wildlife Management Units within continuous caribou distribution. This process will be implemented through the Moose management program by the establishment of Moose population objectives and harvest management strategies.
• 5.5 Within the geographic distribution of caribou, populations of predators will be managed primarily by managing habitat and the associated roads to reflect natural forest conditions. This will include the management of land and resource uses to maintain naturally-occurring low densities of prey (e.g. Moose, White-tailed Deer) and predators. Ontario will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of directly and indirectly influencing predator densities in very specific situations, and develop criteria and guidelines for managing the prey-predator balance as required.5.4 Ontario will assess the relationship between Moose and caribou numbers in order to develop recommended objectives for maximum Moose numbers in Wildlife Management Units within continuous caribou distribution. This process will be implemented through the Moose management program by the establishment of Moose population objectives and harvest management strategies.
• 
  5.5 Within the geographic distribution of caribou, populations of predators will be managed primarily by managing habitat and the associated roads to reflect natural forest conditions. This will include the management of land and resource uses to maintain naturally-occurring low densities of prey (e.g. Moose, White-tailed Deer) and predators. Ontario will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of directly and indirectly influencing predator densities in very specific situations, and develop criteria and guidelines for managing the prey-predator balance as required.

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Hi Werner, thanks for the info.

Been in 18A for 7 years now. We've seen moose, bears and wolves, no sign of caribou. Wonder how their experiment is going...

Thanks

If you saw a moose in 18A you are a lucky man.
There are very few.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JUDGE

If you saw a moose in 18A you are a lucky man.
There are very few.

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I guess it depends where you're hunting. Last year we had multiple cows show up and 1 big bull over the course of a week. There's only been 1 year in the last 5 where we haven't had moose come into the calls.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by werner.reiche

I think 18a is the Geraldton WMU where the MNR has spent the last couple of decades trying to eradicate the moose in favour of the woodland caribou. The logic was to eliminate the moose to starve out the wolves in the area so that the caribou herd could get established. There are MNR papers available on this. To this end, moose tags were grossly over-allocated in the WMU (compared to the rest of the province) without regard to the actual moose population. My guess is that this experiment has come to and end.

Read through the attachment. Search for the word "moose".

https://www.ontario.ca/page/woodland...plan#section-6

A couple of excerpts:

• 5.4 Ontario will assess the relationship between Moose and caribou numbers in order to develop recommended objectives for maximum Moose numbers in Wildlife Management Units within continuous caribou distribution. This process will be implemented through the Moose management program by the establishment of Moose population objectives and harvest management strategies.
• 5.5 Within the geographic distribution of caribou, populations of predators will be managed primarily by managing habitat and the associated roads to reflect natural forest conditions. This will include the management of land and resource uses to maintain naturally-occurring low densities of prey (e.g. Moose, White-tailed Deer) and predators. Ontario will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of directly and indirectly influencing predator densities in very specific situations, and develop criteria and guidelines for managing the prey-predator balance as required.5.4 Ontario will assess the relationship between Moose and caribou numbers in order to develop recommended objectives for maximum Moose numbers in Wildlife Management Units within continuous caribou distribution. This process will be implemented through the Moose management program by the establishment of Moose population objectives and harvest management strategies.
• 
  5.5 Within the geographic distribution of caribou, populations of predators will be managed primarily by managing habitat and the associated roads to reflect natural forest conditions. This will include the management of land and resource uses to maintain naturally-occurring low densities of prey (e.g. Moose, White-tailed Deer) and predators. Ontario will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of directly and indirectly influencing predator densities in very specific situations, and develop criteria and guidelines for managing the prey-predator balance as required.

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It was 21A you were thinking of. Not 18A

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JUDGE

If you saw a moose in 18A you are a lucky man.
There are very few.

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X2 -while have no personal experience,here is my stake to the claim:

One of my coworker stopped going there about 10 years ago.
They hunted the area for 10- 15 years prior.Always shot a moose. Central area of the WMU.
Then-things slowed down,to a point-there was no more moose shot by a rather large group,for years.
They gave up.

My buddies friends(avid hunters)spent there 7 days( 4 ppl)on a surplus tag,maybe 6-7 years ago.They told me ,the thousand miles they drove,no single moose track was crossed.North east area of the WMU.

My friend went there with 5-6 old -old and very experienced archers ,in a week ,they barely saw tracks.
Just old overgrown clear-cuts, full of planted monoculture .
North West corner of the WMU.

Based on all this,i think that WMU is dead.

Of course-there could be strong pockets(but for how long?).

They actually should be closing this and some other WMUs for hunting...........if they are to save the remnants of the moose population there.

Wait-i am dreaming.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BPR 30-06

It was 21A you were thinking of. Not 18A

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Maybe,maybe not.They plan BIG.

Yet-there should be some reflection in this matter on the NON SAVED Slate Island Caribou Population(for which fiasco no one was ever questioned)