STORES OF WOLVES and PEOPLE THE BANCROFT TIMES (B.T.) – July 1904 – “At Portlock, Algoma district, wolves are causing great havoc among cattle and sheep. The farmers are much alarmed. Children are not allowed from their homes.” February 1904 – Alex Morrisey of Turtle River, near Dauphin, had a thrilling experience with a pack […]
ONTARIO WOLVES – An Update First Some Background 2001 – COSSARO, the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario, deemed the eastern wolf a species of “Special Concern” and the provincial government announced that trapping/killing them in the 39 or 40 (depending upon your source) townships surrounding Algonquin P.P. has come to […]
Evolving Name Changes for the MNR Since the birth of our nation the present Ontario MNRF has undergone some name changes. Following are the timelines as of April 16, 2023. 1867 – 1905 – Commissioner of Crown Lands 1905 -1906 – Ministry of Lands and Mines 1906 – 1919 – Ministry of Lands, Forest and […]
The Stages of Hunting & Fishing Apparently there are 5 stages of hunting. Fishing? We’ll see. For a while “Foodies” became well known as people who wanted to harvest their own wholesome, nutritional game for the table. This movement resulted in many adults taking hunter safety courses so they could harvest and gather their own […]
A 7-point plan to save Ontario’s moose A longtime friend used to sit on Ontario’s provincial Fish & Wildlife Board. The annual moose headache caused him to comment, tongue firmly embedded in-cheek – “just kill all of the moose and that will end this problem.” The moose issue never lets up. Retired moose biologist Alan […]
BRAGGING RIGHTS? Who holds the record for the ‘fish of 10,000 casts’? There appears to be some debate. Of course length, girth and weight are the key factors. According to Fishbase.org two different fish hold the world record for either length or weight. The longest documented length is 183 cm (72.04”) and the heaviest is […]
OLDEST WILD MALLARD Recently I wrote of a wild mallard duck being harvested in West Virginia that had been banded at Mitchell Bay, Ontario, in 2008 and mentioned that this was not a record. The oldest record banded mallard was 27 years, 7 months. I have since discovered that it was banded in Louisiana in […]
NEW CHANNEL CATFISH RECORD ON THE HORIZON Gordon Kauffeldt’s Channel Catfish entry to the OFAH’s Ontario Record Fish Registry is the potential new record in 2016 “assuming a larger Channel Catfish is not caught this year and submitted by February 14, 2016,” said federation representative David Ryrie. Kauffeldt, age 67, was fishing for walleye near […]
MOOSE AIRLIFT – Part 2 -1987 In 1985 29 moose, 10 bulls and 19 cows (mostly pregnant) from Algonquin Provincial Park, were sent to Michigan. During May and June 21 calves were seen with 17 radio-collared cows. Initially the goal had been to gather 30 moose over a two year period. The second transfer in […]
THE ALGONQUIN MOOSE AIRLIFT – Part 1 1985 One hundred and fifty years ago (1835) moose were native to Michigan. Then the settlers and loggers moved in, cleared the land and the white-tailed deer followed. When the mature trees were removed new growth generated favoured deer food. The increased population of people and deer were […]
