CONTROLLED HUNTING? By Ralph Bice

From Wednesday, February 16, 1977

Anyone who reads outdoor magazines or even the local weekly papers must know that many hunters are very much worried about the very poor deer hunting that there has been the last few years. Then there is the increasing demands of the antihunting groups to stop hunting altogether. Combined with those extremists who want heavy gun control it appears at times as if hunters do not have any friends.

These groups have not suggested that they would make up the loss of revenue, which is quite a large amount. A recent release from the Minister of Natural Resources tells us that in 1975 the deer hunters contributed to the economy of the province a total of $11,000,000. and this from a renewable resource. Moose hunters, of course the licence fees are heavier, supplied $21,000,000. Again from a renewable resource. Then there are over a quarter of a million hunters with an ordinary gun license. The release did not say how much they contributed but a lot of cash changed hands.

Hunters with the biggest gripes are those who have had registered hunting leases for many years. Time was when there were many camps, it was getting crowded and the different groups had a sort of verbal agreement as to where they would hunt and everyone was satisfied. But with so many hunters in the woods, so many roads, those camps have little chance to hunt as they once did. The transient hunters are of course within the law as crown lands belong to everyone. But surely there can be some plan where they have a bit of privacy. Not too nice to find a trailer parked at your front door and the watches taken by other hunters. When we try to discuss the problem with officials we are told there is nothing that can be done but that is the same answer they gave when we first asked for trapping zones to be set up. It took ten years to get things started and the results speak for themselves. So many think it might work for hunters.

So many think that cutting out dogs is the answer but it was tried once and it did not work.

Shorter seasons? Hunters are ready and willing to make a lot of concessions but they would like something in return. It was more than twenty years ago that it seemed everything must be done to satisfy the biologists and it is easy to see what has happened. But if one looks at places where there is good or fair hunting it will be noticed that there are some sort of controls. The fur bearer situation in Ontario is the best it ever was and that has been the result of controls.