A SILVER LINING FOR DEER HUNTERS by Ralph Bice

From Wednesday, June 22, 1977

Several times I have referred to “Out of Doors” a strictly Ontario magazine which is fairly new as far as outdoor magazines go. I have had reason to find fault with some of the articles, some are really good, in fact most of them. Last issue there was an article by Ted Gorsline who is becoming one of our best known outdoor writers. In quite a few of his writings he finds fault with the way deer are being managed in Ontario, but in the July issue he reports on a meetings of biologists held at Dorset last spring. I never saw a published report of the meeting.

A well known biologist and a professor at Guelph University presented a paper wherein he doubted that the Ministry of Natural Resources, or their forerunner Lands and Forests, ever had a deer management program or if it did exist it did not meet the present day needs. Deer management was to, I quote: “maximize the number of recreation-user days”. He suggested that it would have been better to try and maximize the deer production, rather than the hunters’ maximum days.

One thing I did not understand. He mentioned that there was no reliable data to go by. Seems we have been reporting our deer hunting success for many years. The sale of licenses should tell about the increase in hunting pressure. Then there has been a study going on for at least 25 years about deer, and so far there has not been a report. Then the fact that hunters killed in the decade between 1955 and 1965 about 40,000 deer per season as compared with the now 12,000 should mean something. But I guess biologist will only believe what some biologists write.

In 1966 I sat on a panel discussion on deer and wolves at the annual meeting of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters in Sudbury. I tried to explain the condition of the hunting in our area and strongly suggested that something should be done. One of our top biologists, who is still around, twice got up and said that they could only deal with facts. He did not come out and say that they could not go along with the word of an old trapper, but he might as well have, for that is what he meant and still nothing has been done. So perhaps more years of fact finding while the hunting continues to fade.

This again will sound like it has been played before. At a meeting in Toronto in 1966, and this reported in the daily papers, the then Minister Rene Brunelle told a group of us who had asked for something to help deer hunters that his biologists had  a plan and if we could wait three years there would be a change. There was. The deer hunting license was increased 100% from $5.00 to $10.00 but that was all. Not a thing to help the hunters or to manage deer.

In the same story the writer mentions discussions with biologists from Natural Resources wherein they say there are very few deer in Algonquin Park. They also admit there was a turnabout in recent years in the affect wolves had on deer, and that they do have a serious effect when there are more than one wolf per hundred deer. That will cause a snort, not a chuckle, from many hunters especially those who have been trying to tell these same biologists for years that with the present declining deer herd there were too many wolves. Only as I have said, who can believe an old hunter or a trapper.

Then yesterday a friend brought me a newspaper clipping about a report from Loring where our old friend Ernie Bain has the job of looking after the large deer yard near there. He tells finding many deer killed by wolves, and some never even partly eaten. One report of five killed in one group, and only one just partly eaten. He also tells that the old myth about wolves killing only the sick deer is wrong, as he examines kills that were made of healthy deer. He tells how deer leave an area when attacked by wolves and show a reluctance to return to where there is better food.

This is about the first time a competent overseer has come out with such a statement. Usually there are excuses offered. All these reports about deer scarcity in Algonquin Park and wolves killing many deer, especially in smaller yards, too many hunters in some areas, plenty of food and also some winter shelter, hunters have been trying to tell the top biologists for ever so long. And we did not get any action. Just excuses.

Perhaps now something may be done, only when we look at past projects and see how long it takes to get started. Perhaps we should not feel so elated over those reports. Only it does make one feel a bit better when the powers that be finally admit that things are not going well with the deer. And we hope we will not have to wait too long for some action that might help things. It might help if more hunters voiced their opinions. I know that many say what is the use. No attention is given to people who are in the woods. But a bunch of letters would have a better chance of success than just a few. (Perhaps a lead up to post card campaigns?-Ed.)