Friday 8 August 2014

Moose hunting in ontario: the answer is simple

Adult moose hunting tags have been drastically diminished this year throughout a large portion of ontario's regularly hunted moose regions. These areas have shown lowered moose densities, based on the statistics of the provincial government. Given these findings, Ontario's government made changes.
As a hunter, fisherman, and trapper, I have very little to say on the subject. I only have one very simple, rational, logical, moral and proper thought, STOP SELLING CALF TAGS.
Ontario hunters have managed to halt many regulations including the abolishment of calf hunting.
The "solution" i am being given is "kill fewer adults, but kill all the babies you'd like"???? 
Please explain to me how killing fewer adults is the solution to our moose population problem. please.
To explain my position, i will use fishing as my example. You see, where i live, i am not allowed to kill, keep or eat ANY musky (muskellunge) unless it is over three feet, This makes sense to me, young fish are protected to insure the future of the population. Furthermore, as a pickerel (walleye) fisherman, i can only keep one fish OVER 18.1 inches, safeguarding the breeding portion of the adult population.
In ontario, if you want to hunt an adult moose, you are put into a lottery, if you're chosen then you can kill a cow or bull (depending on your lottery pool results.) HOWEVER if you want to kill a calf (baby) moose, you only need to buy a tag.
Adult moose hunting is heavily regulated, but as a licensed hunter you can kill a baby moose no problem. just pay a fee, there's no lottery, because ontario doesn't care how many baby moose are killed. These moose are killed without a mandatory reporting law. if i kill a turtle for food, i have to report it but if i kill a baby moose i don't. mhmmm.....
Dear Ontario,
stop killing calf moose. It is a VERY simple management equation, killing babies=fewer adults. 
thank you for your time.

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