Ontario Proposes Changes to Whitetail Deer Archery Seasons

[vermonster13]

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is proposing changes to the White-Tailed Deer Archery Hunting Seasons. Below is a summary of the changes. For more information please refer to  www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/.

Amendments to Table 5 (Deer) of Ontario Regulation 670/98 (Open Seasons – Wildlife) are proposed regarding first opening and last closing dates for white-tailed deer archery hunting seasons, as reflected in the linked Appendix 2 table. First season openings have been standardized to September 1 or October 1. Generally, northwestern Ontario Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) are proposed to open on September 1 with northeast and southern WMUs first opening on October 1. Where existing archery seasons are interrupted by other firearm seasons, there will be no changes to those dates with the exception of those season changes mentioned below. For WMUs with post gun season archery hunts, the last closing dates are proposed to be December 15 for south central Ontario WMUs and December 31 for southern Ontario WMUs (see weblink below for reference maps).

To accommodate the expansion in archery seasons for WMUs 5 and 8, it is further proposed for reasons of season standardization that adjustments are made to the existing archery/muzzleloader seasons in these WMUs which are now proposed to open September 29 and close October 5. Correspondingly, the regular gun season is now proposed to occur from October 6 to December 15.

In addition, it is proposed that to promote standardized archery seasons with surrounding WMUs, that two new archery seasons be established in WMUs 11A and 11B. For 2007, the proposed dates for WMU 11A would be from September 1 to September 28 and for WMU 11B, from September 1 to Oct 5. In WMU 11A, adjustments would be made to the existing archery/muzzleloader seasons which is now proposed to open September 29 and close October 5.

All of the above changes are sustainable as deer populations in northwestern Ontario have increased and expanded their range in recent years due to favourable weather and habitat conditions.

Non-resident deer archery seasons are identical to resident archery seasons (referenced above) and are proposed to change as well. The exceptions are that some WMUs do not have non-resident archery only seasons and changes are not proposed for these closed seasons. Purpose of the Proposal:

The purpose of this proposal is to align the opening and closing deer season dates for archery on a more ecological basis in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) consistent with sustainable deer management objectives.

[swampjoe]

Thanks for putting this up - this proposal looks pretty good for Ontario bowhunters - I'll gain two weeks in one of the WMU's (Wildlife Management Unit) that I hunt and four weeks in the other.  Problem is I can only get one tag - so if they're thinking that increasing the length of the archery season is going to assist in controlling the deer herd, I'm not so sure.  

Nonetheless, generally positive  - and if the herd continues to grow we'll see extra tags soon enough.

[Patience]

Vermonster, thanks for posting. I'll start by saying that an extended season is most favourable for me as a hunter, not so favorable for the extended harrasment the animals will suffer. We all need to keep in mind that no matter how careful you are, we stress the wildlife every time we enter the woods. The problem is that the Ontario MNR has it's head so far up it's a** it doesn't understand what wildlife management is. All this is, is an attempt to make back lost revenue for cancelling the spring bear hunt. If the MNR was serious about declining the growing deer pop, it wouldn't be extending the season. What they should have done a few years back was stop selling buck tags in exchange for doe tags. As it stands now we buy a buck tag and apply for a doe (unless you live where I do, then you just go and buy 7 extra doe tags). I could be wrong but last time I checked it was the does that increase the pop? The MNR is out to make the most $$ they can given the illusion of wildlife management. The deer issue is just one of many. If you take a serious look at things the MNR does, you will be left shaking your head. Such as stocking Salmon in Lake Ontario in a bay the native Indians use as hunting grounds just before the salmon run. So in a nutshell the MNR spent hundreds of thousands $$ to stock the fish which were just pulled out by the truckload by the indians. Do some research and you'll see the list just goes on.