I'm interested on shedding…

I'm interested on shedding light on the proposal pertaining to the Chronic Wasting Disease Prevention and Response plan. As a member of the Quality Deer Management Association, I feel the need to give my input for the betterment of the deer herd here in Ontario.

As an outdoors enthusiast, I spend as much time as i can educating myself on the current state of our deer herd and health. I support any measures taking place to completely eliminate all use of scent lures that are glandular and bodily fluids from a deer. By doing so, it will open up the opportunity for the use of synthetic scents as an alternative.

In many states in the U.S, lawmakers have bait and mineral bans in effect. I also support this idea and hope that it could be added to the current proposal. Deer and members of the Cervid family congregate in large numbers to these bait and mineral sites, creating the perfect breeding ground for passing along CWD from their saliva, urine, and feces. In the wild, A deer does not know the difference between the "kitchen" and the "bathroom" so the speak. When deer congregate in large numbers in one spot (as they would from the attractiveness from mineral and bait sites) they are in effect consuming the urine, feces and saliva of many other deer who are using the site.

I also want to recommend a change to the notion that the harvesting of mature males should be prioritized. I along with many other experts in the sport of deer hunting actually prioritize the harvesting of mature females for the betterment of the deer herd. Putting a priority on the antlerless population for harvest accomplishes two things. First, it would accomplish a more balanced sex ratio (as of right now I firmly believe the sex ratio is heavily skewed and could be as much as 10 females to 1 male in some areas) I see it in my local deer herd, and I hear about it from my fellow enthusiasts that there are too many females and too little males. Secondly, in the deer herd, it is well known that the female population are the more social sex and have a "herd mentality". Females are more likely to bed within close proximity to other females and thus the effects of congregation from the antlerless population provides more opportunity for the spread of CWD. Males on the other hand (for the most part and excluding their breeding season) tend to be more secluded due to the social pressure from females. They like to distance themselves from females and mostly do not like to be in close proximity to other males other than a couple months in the summer when they are in bachelor groups of 2 or 3 males. on the other hand, it is common to see large family groups of antlerless deer in excess of 12 females per family. In summary, the more deer that congregate, the more chance there is to spread CWD which is why I believe it is crucial to focus on harvesting "herd menatlity" females over secluded mature males.

I do support any proposal that would liberalize the purchasing of deer permits. Especially a measure that would give hunters the opportunity to purchase over-the-counter female deer tags. By allowing 1 antlered tag and also additional over the counter female tags it would accomplish a couple things. it gives hunters the freedom to choose which sex they desire to harvest, and by making antlerless deer hunting more available from over-the-counter sales it would have the great benefits ive mentioned before pertaining to sex ratios and the effects of congregating female family groups which could harbour CWD. Also by allowing the sale of over-the-counter antlerless tags I believe deer permit sales would drastically increase giving more resources to funding initiatives like a CWD response plan. This would in effect abolish the current antlerless deer lottery. It could also create a more positive and fun atmosphere for young hunters who may be discouraged by the lack of male deer sightings by giving them the chance to harvest females.

One more suggestion I would like to share within the general scope of herd health is offering incentives and government subsidies to landowners who would like to improve the overall habitat of their property. A healthy eco-system where cervids can thrive is very important for the future of conservation and sport. by addressing their needs for a healthy eco-system and also addressing the balancing of sex ratios, it would leave a brighter future to leave behind for the younger generation of hunters. Subsidies such as tree and shrub planting programs, or wetland restoration projects and even funds for landowners who wish to receive a monetary incentive for planting food plots where deer can feed over a much larger surface area than a mineral or bait site and thus reduce the effects of congregating deer and create a "social distancing" effect for deer consuming highly nutritious forage in a more natural state.

Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestions.

Best regards