Whats the chances?

[SK33T3R]

Do you think that the # of hunters now, as compared to the past might have something to do with it? In the past people who lived on the land, hunted to eat, only the very rich went to lodges to hunt for sport. In pictures from the past, I have seen a lot of poles with a dozen muskies\ sturgeon on them, how did that work out? P.S. I have been on a lake in the Kawarthas for 38 years, and the fishing has never been better.

GOOD POINTS! But back in the day I think everyone hunted at one time or another. One thing that has changed game numbers is farming practices. Todays larger farms, better combines, bigger fields, chemicals, and the multitudes of hawks/owls and now coyotes has changed the small game landscape. Even down here in Niagara the MNR can't really get a good handle on deer numbers. WMU 89 goes from too many to too few ???? Our winters are mild so management techniques only dealing with harvests should be simple - you'd think! BUT the perfect management formulae still eludes them! The last meeting with the MNR they stated everything they do is from hunter surveys! DUH? OK so lets move north to where there's seemingly endless forest, more elusive animals, winter kill, larger predators (bears - wolves) get the picture? We might not be able to control winter kill BUT predators are controllable and are being protected. ????? and for what reason? We'll never be able to eliminate ALL the predators and we shouldn't BUT this path we're going down is all downhill. When deer/moose numbers go up so does hunter participation and licences. When predator #'s go up seems everything suffers.

And yes I agree our fishing outlooks are going up! The slot sizing regulations are working great! BUT it's easy to manage a lake which is a controlled size. I remember fishing 30 yrs ago and you kept everything you caught and limits were hard to fill. Now the complaints are everyone's catching lots of fish and you can catch a limit but you have to leave lots behind. Sounds like a guy with millions in RRSP's. Complains about paying the tax. GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE!

[trimmer21]

The type of big game management the province is using,now,despite the claims that hunter input is vital,rings pretty hollow when it's blatantly obvious that the system is geared to limiting harvest opportunities through skewed inventory surveys while rigging the system to keep revenues from license sales up. I realize this sounds pretty cynical,but,I believe that if the government was open,honest and honorable,the spring Bear hunt would have been re-instated,long ago,big game surveys would have much more far-reaching,accurate and complete,varmint/predator licensing would never have happened and exclusions zones for Wolves/Coyotes would have been cancelled once the scientific studies data by the students at U of T was published (vis-a-vis Wolf hybrids around Algonquin Park) which proved to be minimal and inconsequential,at best.

[SK33T3R]

The type of big game management the province is using,now,despite the claims that hunter input is vital,rings pretty hollow when it's blatantly obvious that the system is geared to limiting harvest opportunities through skewed inventory surveys while rigging the system to keep revenues from license sales up. I realize this sounds pretty cynical,but,I believe that if the government was open,honest and honorable,the spring Bear hunt would have been re-instated,long ago,big game surveys would have much more far-reaching,accurate and complete,varmint/predator licensing would never have happened and exclusions zones for Wolves/Coyotes would have been cancelled once the scientific studies data by the students at U of T was published (vis-a-vis Wolf hybrids around Algonquin Park) which proved to be minimal and inconsequential,at best.

well said trimmer! I hunt often in those wolf closed townships around Algonquin Park. The tree huggers are trying so save those little vocal eastern wolves because they're numbers are going down. Logging has been pretty well stopped in the park and because of logging in those perimeter townships there is good game populations...hence the wolves are leaving the sanctuary of the park and following the deer/beavers. Here's where it gets better. As the moose population goes up it's just a matter of time before the big greys start showing up. When they do those eastern wolves will be in trouble! Just seen a documentary on the grey wolves that were re-introduced to Yellowstone Park. Seems the coyote population is taking a beating. Those wolves kill every coyote they can!
Oh well just waiting for the thanksgiving dinner tonight and just feel like debating.

We just got back from our WMU19 moose hunt we got 1 bull ... but our moose encounters - sightings/answers were pretty dismal.

If there's no one in the audience it doesn't matter how good the singer is!

[Frosty]

Like everything else in this world, there are very few honest enough people to have the integrity to admit the failure of their ways and instigate another course of action right away.

MNR's plans for Caribou are ridiculous and the only people that I know who support them are employed by the MNR. Kill off the Moose to reduce the wolf population, LMAO.

[Frosty]

BTW Madtrapper, good luck bro....

[fisherboy]

I have lots to say on the topic but the one thing that rings true is history repeats its self and this sounds a lot like kill off the Buffalo to kill off the natives - its was deplorable then and is now (and i am not comparing wildlife to human life).

If you want balance in a system you do what you can to balance the equation not try to unbalance the equation until you put one species at risk. Wolf tags aren't expensive but are limited at 2 this in its self limits the effect we as hunters can have in this area. I realize it is difficult to encourage predator hunting but MNR should be looking into it and lowering restrictions in the areas of concern...no tag requirements back to small game license only and no limit.

Wolves represent true wilderness to me and I would never want to put their numbers at risk but harvesting wolves directly is a good means of control and balancing a system. In terms of eastern wolves I hunt one of the few areas not far from the park where you may hunt them and have already picked up my tag...we are seeing a number of them every year and they are having an impact on the properties we hunt. I take a lot of joy in seeing them but not too many of them too close to camp - it may be selfish but I put myself in the equation as a competing predator even if I am only a part time resident in the bush.

I have lots more to say but in a nut shell that's my two cents...FB

[trimmer21]

I have lots to say on the topic but the one thing that rings true is history repeats its self and this sounds a lot like kill off the Buffalo to kill off the natives - its was deplorable then and is now (and i am not comparing wildlife to human life).

If you want balance in a system you do what you can to balance the equation not try to unbalance the equation until you put one species at risk. Wolf tags aren't expensive but are limited at 2 this in its self limits the effect we as hunters can have in this area. I realize it is difficult to encourage predator hunting but MNR should be looking into it and lowering restrictions in the areas of concern...no tag requirements back to small game license only and no limit.

Wolves represent true wilderness to me and I would never want to put their numbers at risk but harvesting wolves directly is a good means of control and balancing a system. In terms of eastern wolves I hunt one of the few areas not far from the park where you may hunt them and have already picked up my tag...we are seeing a number of them every year and they are having an impact on the properties we hunt. I take a lot of joy in seeing them but not too many of them too close to camp - it may be selfish but I put myself in the equation as a competing predator even if I am only a part time resident in the bush.

I have lots more to say but in a nut shell that's my two cents...FB

Good post. It sure sounds reasonable to me.