Archery calf tag ???

[Deer Hunter]

I agree, but the issue is the unregulated hunt, IMHO. You will never get good recruitment unless unregulated hunts are “regulated”. First Nations have always enjoyed their hunts. Then along came a Supreme Court decision that now allows Métis hunters the same rights as FN. That only exacerbated the problems. Until the government gets a handle on these hunts, there will be no real increase in moose numbers, IMHO ! That’s not to mention the issues of predation. The last few years have seen a huge increase in wolf numbers in the areas we hunt in NW Ont.. Typically you can’t go anywhere without seeing wolf sign, more than ever before.

You know it. I don’t understand why people don’t see or believe this is the real problem.

[Deer Hunter]

We are aware of one “unregulated” hunter that took 9 moose last season. There are many more similar stories. The MNRF are not even allowed to ask them if they have even seen a moose, let alone harvested one...this needs to change.

I know many Métis around here that shoot crazy numbers of Moose. What’s worse, they still apply in the Moose draw to give more chances to their license friends. It’s totally out of control. Come for a visit before the gun hunt and travel our bush roads, you will see what’s going on. People need to wake up. Nobody wants to talk about the problem. It will soon be too late.

[rick_iles]

I know many Métis around here that shoot crazy numbers of Moose. What’s worse, they still apply in the Moose draw to give more chances to their license friends. It’s totally out of control. Come for a visit before the gun hunt and travel our bush roads, you will see what’s going on. People need to wake up. Nobody wants to talk about the problem. It will soon be too late.

We hunted a block in 12b last year. We got checked by a CO who told me that he knew of 7 moose that were shot in that block....all before the season.....go figure!

[trimmer21]

All things pertaining to FN are federal responsibility. Therein lies the problem. The Feds need to amend The Indian Act to download all responsibility to the provinces. It's like the children of divorced parents who figure out how to play one parent against the other.

[Gilroy]

You know it. I don’t understand why people don’t see or believe this is the real problem.

I know many Métis around here that shoot crazy numbers of Moose. What’s worse, they still apply in the Moose draw to give more chances to their license friends. It’s totally out of control. Come for a visit before the gun hunt and travel our bush roads, you will see what’s going on. People need to wake up. Nobody wants to talk about the problem. It will soon be too late.

We hunted a block in 12b last year. We got checked by a CO who told me that he knew of 7 moose that were shot in that block....all before the season.....go figure!

All things pertaining to FN are federal responsibility. Therein lies the problem. The Feds need to amend The Indian Act to download all responsibility to the provinces. It's like the children of divorced parents who figure out how to play one parent against the other.

Well I totally agree with your sentiments we cannot get a handle on Moose management unless we can quantify how many Moose are taken by First Nations.

If we cannot get this changed then WE HUNTERS in Ontario would have to take a Collective stand in order to put pressure on the Federal and Provincial Government. So Provincially I would say that we are well placed to push our point but the Provincial Government would need a reason to act for us.

Drastic action would have to be taken such as a boycott the Moose hunt and no buying licenses for a period of time or pressure on MPP,s to speak up for us at the Provincial level.

The hunt boycott for three to say 5 years might self correct the Moose population but its hard to take for us when the First Nations are not doing the same.

In a perfect world both first Nations and rest of us hunters would stop hunting and maybe a 3 year stop would re bound the population.

[birdinator]

There is an archery calf tag draw in WMU 48, 55A 55B and 57. I believe one of these areas is where the OP was implying he wanted to apply for. And yes if you draw the calf tag for archery only season and do not fill it you can still hunt calf in the limited calf season during the gun hunt in another WMU.

Thanks cricket. Yes, I was thinking of applying for archery calf in 48. I hunt rifle season in 50 just south of that.

Seems like my question has touched a nerve with other respondents.

[canthitathing]

Now that the thread is back on track (and I fully agree with the outlier sentiments expressed on population rehab), I also thought of applying for a bow season calf tag in the region I usually hunt for deer, only because odds are good and I could hunt for deer or moose at the same time.

Also, being a solo hunter, an adult moose would pose logistic issues dealing with getting it out of the bush in a timely manner in warm October weather. However, I just can't bring myself to take a calf. I don't even want to take a cow or doe. Unfortunately that means many years of buying moose licenses waiting to get a bull tag as an individual (granted it still doesn't address the logistical recovery issue). I'm so conflicted, lol.