Comments on Proposed Changes…

Comments on Proposed Changes to Moose Management as Part of the Moose Management Review
Environmental Registry Number 019-0405

General Comments
• I would like to commend Mr. Kaplanis and members of the new Big Game Management Advisory Committee (BGMAC) on the work that they did. They were great listeners at the public listening sessions and I feel that they did an excellent job taking diverse views and opinions and forming them some practical and progressive recommendations to improve moose management in the province of Ontario.
• While I agree that we need to revise the moose tag allocation I feel that we shouldn’t lose sight of the management actions that are needed to support healthy moose populations. The BGMAC references many of these actions in their recommendations document. In particular, we need to recognize that we need to invest in regular high quality aerial moose inventories, continuing science
on aspects of moose management and, we need to really look hard at how moose habitat is being managed (or not being managed).
Actions Proposed for 2020
Calf Harvest Controls
• I agree with the need to control harvests of calf moose in Wildlife Management Units 37, 40, 41, 42 and 47. I am pleased that there is finally the recognition that calf harvesting can negatively impact recruitment and inhibit population growth.
• Let’s make sure, for the rest of the WMU’s, that support moose populations that we don’t wait until populations are in trouble before we take management action to control calf harvests.
• We need to make sure that we have regular high-quality aerial surveys to help us to understand whether calf harvest controls are working.
New Bow Seasons and Quotas
• I agree with the creation of early bow specific seasons and quotas for WMU’s where there is an open moose hunting season and where bow specific seasons and quotas don’t currently exist except in far north WMU’s.
• At the same time we need to make sure that we monitor success rates and wounding rates. In recent years we have seen a very high wounding rate in WMU 03 as evidenced by moose found after the bow season ended. This can be confirmed with the Conservation Officers. We should not assume that bow hunting success is far below that of gun hunting as I am pretty sure that the gap has closed substantially.
Actions Proposed for 2021
New Selective Harvest Approach
• I agree with the need to revise the selective harvest system. I also, agree with revising the selective harvest system to include tags for bulls, cows/calve and calves. Calf tags should no longer be included with a moose licence.
Moose Hunting Licence
• I agree with the proposal to create a moose licence that does not automatically come with a tag.
• Don’t be influenced by hunters who feel that they must get something (i.e. a tag) when they purchase a moose licence. Hunters should look at a moose licence as a privilege to hunt one of North Americas big game species.
Preference Point System
• In general, I agree with the implementation of a preference point system including the application of fees for applying, purchasing a moose licence and purchasing a tag if successful in the point system.
• I think we need to monitor whether this approach continues to support moose hunting in a group.
• What I don’t agree with is that northern residents only receive one extra in-year point. I’m not sure that it came across sufficiently in the listening sessions what happens in northern WMU’s when southern Ontario hunters show up. As northern residents we see garbage issues, moose shot and left either as an illegal moose or as a result of hunters not doing everything necessary to track a moose after a shot is taken (One year I found 9 moose, some buried under brush piles and others only a short distance from the edge of a cutover. These were reported ot the CO’s.), public roads being blocked, family members being accosted for hunting grouse, moose hunters shooting at my Labrador retriever thinking she was a black wolf, being prevented from trapping on my trapline. Now you can say that these are enforcement issues but they are and they aren’t. This behavior directly affects the quality of moose hunts and other forms of hunting for northern residents.
• I think that northern residents should be allowed to accumulate extra points for a period of 3 years. After three years extra point accumulation would start over again at 1 point.
Primary Allocation
• I feel that allowing hunters 3 choices for WMU, moose and season is very fair.
• I also feel that it is vital that the results of the primary allocation stage be communicated as early as possible to hunters so that they can plan their group hunts. My feeling is that if this isn’t done that group hunting will decline.
Tag Transfers
• In my opinion we shouldn’t allow any tag transfers what so ever. However, if they are still allowed I would like to see the circumstances on when tag transfers can occur severely restricted. I would also like the BGMAC to review all tag transfers to make sure that rules that are established are actually being followed.
Changes to Party Hunting
• I emphatically agree with the restrictions that are being proposed for party hunting. This should address a lot of conflicts that I have seen while hunting in norther WMU’s.
• I would also like to see some recommendations that tighten the requirement that group members be readily be able to communicate with each other. Otherwise, you can still get the situation where one member of a party shoots a moose, for which they have a tag, but then another member of the same party also shoots a moose. I’m almost positive that this is what happened to some of the 9 moose that I found shot and left a few years ago. Three of the 9 moose were covered by brush to hide them.
Non-Residents who are Immediate Relatives of Ontario Residents
• Now this recommendation I don’t agree with. There cannot be that many tags that are taken up by immediate relatives.
Other Recommendation of the Big Game Management Advisory Committee
• I see that MNRF has committed to working with BGMAC to address other recommendations in the report entitled “Moose Management Review: Recommendations to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry on Moose Management”. I am happy to see that there is this commitment and I will be watching for the posting and implementation of these recommendations.
• Specifically, I would like to see the following recommendations implemented:
o Recommendation 2. There needs to be a heck of a lot more transparency in how MNRF harvest quotas and tag numbers. Right now, it would appear that there is a regional office dictatorship in place. It is also important to consider the input for management biologists in the various district offices. Having said this, there needs to be adequate up to date information upon which to establish quotas and tag numbers. For example WMU 3 hasn’t had a survey in 6 years and population levels are being kept the 2014 level even in the face of declining population levels, low bull numbers and calf production below what is needed to sustain the population let alone grow it!
o Recommendation 5
o Recommendation 6
o Recommendation 7
o Recommendation 9
o Recommendation 10
o Recommendation 11
o Recommendation 12. There is the perception among MNRF staff that habitat management for caribou via the emulation of natural fire will also be beneficial to moose. Firstly, I am not sure that this is true and secondly this is really a cop out in terms of habitat management for moose. If moose are also an important species on the landscape then let’s see what is actually being done to manage habitat for them. I would also challenge that notion that caribou were evenly distributed across the landscape as inferred by some lines on a map. Any biologist worth their salt knows that this isn’t true so why can’t some areas that are more conducive to the production of moose be managed for moose in caribou range? What we need is a complete review of moose habitat management efforts across all WMU’s.
o Recommendation 13
o Recommendation 14
o Recommendation 15