Surplus tags - Moose

[redd foxx]

I agree with getting rid of the northern resident tags.

[Frozenfew]

Well I would assume shooting a moose for some northern residents is a sustenance issue. Cheap meat where it's harder to earn a living. I realize it's their choice to live there but it also your choice too. Have you had a hard time drawing a turkey license?? That logic is flawed. What area did you apply for with how many p1 applicants and didn't draw a tag if you don't mind me asking

[rick_iles]

Well I would assume shooting a moose for some northern residents is a sustenance issue. Cheap meat where it's harder to earn a living. I realize it's their choice to live there but it also your choice too. Have you had a hard time drawing a turkey license?? That logic is flawed. What area did you apply for with how many p1 applicants and didn't draw a tag if you don't mind me asking

No, the logic is not flawed. The fact is, both are resources that are supposed to be equally owned by all Ontario residents. The fact that very few, if any northerners take advantage of the tag allocation does not support your "sustenance" theory.
With respect to your query about our group, I have moose hunted for over 35 years. Our group has seen several changes to tag allocations, from the days when every hunter got a tag for any moose, to obviously the present draw system. We have learned to study data, keep our group the optimum size and/or move to other WMU's where tags were easier to get. We have not missed one year yet, where we didn't get at least one tag. We also have never missed filling our tags.

[unit28]

I'm not goin to earn brownie points here, but I'll play devil 's advocate regarding the northern draw.

I believe the northern draw is 5% not 10

MNR employees will be the first to tell you they are understaffed and in vast expances of northern Ontario, much of their information comes the eyes and mouth of the people in the bush in these parts, the northern residents. the people who are in these woods 2-3 days a week as opposed 2-3 weeks a year. Much of the road and bush maintenance is done by northern residents or reported to mnr by the people who live here.

yes we choose to live here, its because we love love hunting and fishing and the outdoors more than most, I mean we came here, came back, or moved here for it!. The percentage of northern residents who fish and hunt and contribute to the MNR, PER CAPITA, is greater than southern Ontario.

IMO, the biggest reason is cuz the moose hunt is the only hunt some of us have! North easter Ontario has an invisible deer population and no turkeys. At least the people of southern Ontario can come and hunt moose, I can't go and hunt deer and turkey down south unless I have access to property. with no family or friends living in that area, gaining access to hunt is near impossible, heck I read here from southern people trying trying to find land, at least you can knock on doors. This land is all of ours, not like southern Ontario. I suppose I could cold call random people? and ive tried to hunt in a couple simcoe county forest as well as melancton (sp). not fun and it was hostile. fortunately I have secured a area to hunt turkey but it took me years. I have an aunt who has prop on Manitoulin to hunt deer. the list is an arm long for people begging me to take them to either, its an opportunity we don't have.

so we do get a moose hunt but most of us would love to hunt deer or turkey on your property, or your uncles, or your neighbours who you stacked wood for and did odd jobs to gain his trust and permission.

I'm not saying any of it is gospel, or the reason, but is my thought and the explanation I give the lads from bowmanville to peterborough that come to hunt moose with me opening week get. Although the northern tag is a burr in the southern hunters arse, I promise you 99 per cent of us would trade the northern tag in a heart beat to hunt deer for 3 months a year or experience the sound of that first gobble in late April or early may.

Although 5% is something, its still very hard for anyone to get a tag.

[manson]

unit 28 I could not have said it better the only thing to add is the cost in the south I cant just pull my trailer to the side of the road and camp there

[SK33T3R]

Sk33t3r. The reason there is surplus though is that 95% of people are drawing tags in some of these archery units like 19 , 18a, and 21 a and b. The northern residents are probably not applying for them because they don't want to deal with the masses of people with so many tags issued. The rules are clearly laid out and if you want a northern tag...move north or call. I got through after 2 hours last year and a bull tag in 19 was still available! It's not the perfect system but it's not terrible. I'd wager to say that you didn't apply to 19 anyways because your odds of getting a tag would be really good as an individual applicant..2 is almost a guarantee in a couple of units with a bow as well. Personally I think the only way they could improve the system is to allocate a % of tags to groups of 2-4 in areas where the guaranteed group size is 8 or larger. But I understand why there is a northern allocation and accept it. There are far more injustices in moose management to get mad about. If you understand the rules, analyze the data and do the math you can get multiple tags with only a couple of guys. Hope you draw soon!

hey frozen

I know exactly how the tag game is played our group has 3 bull tags - so there!
BUT I have lots of friends who applied with less then the requirement for a guaranteed tag and now they enter the speed dialing contest and don't even know if they're going hunting until after Aug. 18 ....
Last year I sat with these guys and dialed away like a madman till 9pm and they never got though once!
What a huge waste of time!
and of course the better your phone the faster you can redial .... maybe they need to spend more on their phones!

I'd rather buy hunting equipment then a new phone!

MY MAJOR COMPLAINT IS

run the northern draw 1ST then run the main draw and satisfy ALL APPLICANTS before any surplus can be announced!
This whole moose draw process is about APPLYING.

MNR and the licence issuers have got it all half azz backwards!

[topher]

hey frozen

I know exactly how the tag game is played our group has 3 bull tags - so there!
BUT I have lots of friends who applied with less then the requirement for a guaranteed tag and now they enter the speed dialing contest and don't even know if they're going hunting until after Aug. 18 ....
Last year I sat with these guys and dialed away like a madman till 9pm and they never got though once!
What a huge waste of time!
and of course the better your phone the faster you can redial .... maybe they need to spend more on their phones!

I have right now 4 phones dedicated to the contest...

[redd foxx]

When one figures in the cost of going hunting I think all of us, northerners included, would find feeding our families cheaper by going to the grocery store. The day has gone where we should view feeding our families by hunting as a right or privilege. If all us southerners stayed in the south during the moose hunt there would be a lot less $$$ in the northern economy during that time of year. North or South....treat us all the same.

[topher]

When one figures in the cost of going hunting I think all of us, northerners included, would find feeding our families cheaper by going to the grocery store. The day has gone where we should view feeding our families by hunting as a right or privilege. If all us southerners stayed in the south during the moose hunt there would be a lot less $$$ in the northern economy during that time of year. North or South....treat us all the same.

There would also be A LOT more moose

[SK33T3R]

redd foxx When one figures in the cost of going hunting I think all of us, northerners included, would find feeding our families cheaper by going to the grocery store. The day has gone where we should view feeding our families by hunting as a right or privilege.


Redd

Keep this a secret! I've got my better half convinced that we're eatin cheap! free range, hormone free high speed beef!

Also I don't have too much of a beef with my friends from the north and this northern draw. They see and live with these animals and it would bug me somewhat watchin everyone else get to hunt them. So the northern draw is the northern draw - I just wish the MNR would change the order on their end and do it first! Then fulfill ALL APPLICANTS as the marbles fall ... only when this is done should there be a surplus!