Ontario Hunters
 

Have you heard of this in your area?

Here' s the article:

Farmers to kill off pesky deer
Illegal hunt to protect crops from out-of-control herds

Kelly Egan
The Ottawa Citizen

Monday, May 26, 2003

http://www.canada.com/search/story.a...-6d108451d200#

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

My reply to this is still the same as it was in the other posting. So they want to go to muzzleloaders , must be more of them around than shotguns.

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

This is a problem becoming far too typical in Southern Ontario and other high poplulation areas (such as the Ottawa Region). I see that Lanark is south of Ottawa and maybe not so populated, but here' s my experience.

On Mother' s Day weekend, we went for a hike only a couple of miles outside of Kanata. The conservation area is used heavily by hikers and mountain bikers alike and as we were crossing a field only 100 yards from the road, we spotted three deer.

First we saw a doe and fawn. The wind was blowing at our backs and they obviously smelled us first. The simply hurried away from us and when they felt safe (I could have thrown a rock and hit them), they stopped and looked at us without regard.

We then spotted another deer crossing the far end of the field and it was like he/she never even saw us. I bleated to get its attention. Nothing. So I whistled. Then it stopped and looked directly at us for about 10 seconds. Then he went back to grazing. He was farther away, but in November I still could have easily reached out and touched him ;).

Finally, I was heading back to the car and rounded a bunch of bushes and ran smack into that doe once again. She was only 10 yards away and there was nothing between us and she never moved an inch. I couldn' t believe it and figured that the fawn must have been around there somewhere. Finally after circling the doe, I saw the fawn laying under some trees behind her.

To make a long story short, there are some serious problem areas in Ontario. I live in one of them south of Kitchener. The MNR has to extend shotgun hunts and perhaps vary them throughout the year in order to get the deer numbers down to something more manageable.

However, the proposed actions by the Lanark group are not advisable. Their vigilante actions will end up costing them dearly in the long run. Let' s hope that this can be properly settled in a reasonable fashion.

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

Cant blame the farmers,, if someone tried to steal 40-50k a year that kept my kids fed......

They should go with 3 shotgun(no plugs) hunts this year, with miltiple doe tags available over the counter. Some areas of Michigan had a doe a day format last year and they really cleaned up the population!

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

Carpie: first I heard about it, never made the media here. I guess because it doesn' t sell news papers, rather write about shootings with illegal hand guns, now that sells news papers OR are they afraid to inform the uninformed about the role hunters play in game management which might make them look like they are hunter friendly and which might cost them in sales.

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

Roger that gentlemen, mostly political nonsense.

The Lanark County area voted for the Alliance last election and the local Liberal candidate is trying to capitalize on the publicity, she' s running off at the mouth but has no clout in the issue. I believe the MNR will come up with a solution, they plan to be at the supposed site on Father' s Day, I believe they should be constructive at this time as they have not been assisting the farmers with extra tags.

I was wondering, if local hunters and those outside the county gathered to the area to assist farmers by buying and removing the deer, the farmers would still be within the regulations, wouldn' t they. The Hunters would still be protected under the regulations as well.

Any thoughts?

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

I agree that more liberal seasons are in order for alot of areas but Swampthing remember that the shotgun plugs is a criminal code issue not a hunting one.

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

UPDATE:[:o]

Kelly Egan
The Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, June 10, 2003

Farmers buck province over deer cull
Lanark landowners cull to save crops

On the eve of an illegal deer hunt in Lanark County, a leading organizer says frustrated farmers are already shooting deer out of season to protect field crops.

" Absolutely," responded Randy Hillier, president of the Lanark Landowners Association, when asked about the possibility that overabundant deer are being shot during the growing season. " It' s the shoot, shovel and shut-up syndrome."

Full Story:

http://www.canada.com/search/story.a...4-7d6f907c7906

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

Carpie; if farmers can show damage they can apply to the mnr for pest control permit for deer. Didn' t these farmers try that route?

Dan O.

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

If this hunt is just to control deer would it not have made more sense to have it in winter? Far easier to find deer yarded up and no underbrush. Personally hunting deer in June would be a very unplesant experience.(bugs, poison ivy etc) And if all they plan to do is shoot them from trucks at dusk then charge them all. Will the same farmers allow MNR employees to come on their farms and shoot these deer? If not then maybe this is just a stunt to try and open up more hunting in the fall. Okay I just read the news report and the man setting this up isn`t even a farmer? I got a couple a buddies that are farmers and believe me if there`s something to be said they don`t need or want someone else talking for them. I think there`s more to this than meets the eye.

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

Dan, it appears some tags were issued previously but not enough. It seems now they will issue permits ( between 3 and six per farmer ) but apparently that' s not enough...

Ontario Hunter, good points, I' d be curious to know if Mr. Hillier voted Liberal in the last election. The media coverage on this started with the local Liberal Candidate spewing off trying to capitalize on some publicity. As far as the Ottawa Citizen is concerned, they seem to be giving attention to Liberal views only, no other side of the story has come to the surface.

Turkman, good points too, the LLA is saying that any action taking place later in the year is too little too late. Rumor has it the OPP will be in the area as well as MNR officials looking for violations and as I understand it the culling will take place on each individual farm at the same time. I guess that the idea is ( for those without permits) is that if OPP or MNR officials are in the area, they wait until they leave. No word yet as to the time. Some landowners have already been given permits and approval, MNR officials will be present for those kills.

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

Where about' s is this town????
Damn, I hunt in Mt. Albert north of Newmarket and I don' t see that
many deer.

Just yesterday, I took a drive to some farms in Pottageville and Schomberg and I couldn' t get permission anywhere.

I even got some attitude from one guy for asking to hunt.

RE: Ontario Hunters
 

It' s in Lanark county, just west of Ottawa...a stones throw from Almonte.

Deer are all over the place. It is not uncommon to see 60 deer in any one of those fields.