License Sales Down

[welsh]

If you have to steal to feed your family......MOVE.

If you can afford to.

To me, the thing to remember on this particular controversy is that the deer doesn't care why or how you killed it. An animal removed from the breeding population is an animal removed from the breeding population regardless of who removed it, how they removed it, or why they removed it. And fish and game laws are there to protect breeding populations.

That's the consideration that needs to be topmost in the CO's mind. Maybe numbers are up and the population can sustain the pressure; you might turn a blind eye. But if numbers are crashing ... you don't have the right to steal from the grocery store to feed your family, either.

The guy poaching to feed his family is less morally culpable, sure. But the population dynamics don't care.

[fishermccann]

Obviously if they can't afford food, then they can't afford to live there either. Just do what other unemployed in the great north do , move to TO where the taxpayers of that great city will give you a place to live and the address of the closest food bank.

[Fox]

Obviously if they can't afford food, then they can't afford to live there either. Just do what other unemployed in the great north do , move to TO where the taxpayers of that great city will give you a place to live and the address of the closest food bank.

Talk to the people of Smooth Rock Falls about that, people flattened their houses because there was nobody to buy them and the government still got tax money on vacant homes but not nearly as much on a flat piece of ground.

Nothing like giving up a hard roof over your head for a cardboard box.

[fishermccann]

So you move to an area, or are born in an area that can't support you or your family, how long do so stay in an area that will not support you? Should you not move to an area that will provide for you, and yours or do you stay there forever. Poaching an animal to feed your family should be a one off, not a lifelong commitment until employment comes back to your area.

[greatwhite]

You really lack a knowledge of this country don't you.

And Yeah a lot of those Union guy's should take that advice instead of looking for government handouts.

If you have to steal to feed your family......MOVE.

[fishermccann]

W.T.H. are you talking about?...... I am just saying if you have to continually poach fish and game to feed your family you should move to an area with employment , not steal our game, forever...... Do you see anything wrong with that statement?

[welsh]

But it's cheaper to live out in the sticks than it is to live in Toronto, by a country mile. And if your prospects in Toronto amount to minimum wage, you won't be much better off.

None of these things are as clear cut as they appear.

[Gilroy]

But it's cheaper to live out in the sticks than it is to live in Toronto, by a country mile. And if your prospects in Toronto amount to minimum wage, you won't be much better off.

None of these things are as clear cut as they appear.

Not that cheap to live in the sticks, first you MUST have wheels.Gas is more expensive in a lot of places,hydro is more expensive.
Gas heating for homes is none existent in many,many, rural areas.Internet,phone, ,more expensive.Your food is more expensive and you have to travel to get it.

Your housing costs are lower is you can afford your own place,but steady,regular employment is harder to find.

[MikePal]

Gas is more expensive in a lot of places,hydro is more expensive.
Gas heating for homes is none existent in many,many, rural areas.Internet,phone, ,more expensive.Your food is more expensive and you have to travel to get it.

What....
Gas is $0.3-0.5 cheaper here than the city
Hydro cost's the same
We don't pay for water
People burn propane (Gas) instead of piped in gas
I pay the same for internet/phone service as the townies...even have Fiber optic service.
Food more expensive ? Same stores here as in the city and I bet you drive to get your groceries too...

Have any more unfounded notions ?

[OldNewGuy]

At the risk of posting "on track" (sorry!), I believe the statement in OOD is likely the correct one - older participants (fewer every year), lots of $$$ to participate (never mind gear or licence fees, have you looked at food + hotel/motel or B&B prices lately in Ontario?), lack of time, unavailability of land, etc.

On a personal basis, I didn't get out to the deer camp this year, for the first time in ages. Reasons: primarily, other commitments at work (I travel), but even if that wasn't the issue, times are tight, job security is dicey or so it seems so I, like others, decided to hunker down and save. Retail sales are down, reflective of these factors (reported, IIRC, that 2015 yearly sales were down approx 3% +/- overall). Increased hunting licence fees. Most of all, as mentioned elsewhere, lack of available land.

I used to hunt on relative's farms 70 Km north of Kitchener about an hour from my home, lots of deer eating/browsing crop stubble and harvest drops in the old days prior to shotgun only season. None of the kids (my cousins) wanted to keep farming, so the land was sold and the new folks aren't partial to hunters on the land (their right, and I respect them for it even though I mourn the loss). Now I need to drive close to 300 Km to the Perth area to join up with a friend's hunt camp. Great times, but I yearn for something within a 2 hour drive, not a 4 hour drive.

BTW - I am not unhappy if I don't bag a deer, or bear. A big part of what I go out for is the chance to enjoy nature, the sights/sounds/smells, and forget about the world for a week. If I fill my tag, it's a bonus.

OK - back off the rails LOL.

O.N.G.