season was a disappointing one. Weather was largely responsible and prospects 

 for a much better season in 1964 are excellent. Success rates by Forest District 

 are shown in Table 3 below. 



Table 3 



Total Hunters % Hunter Success Days/Hunter 



District Checked /Deer 



Lindsay 4067 19.9 22.1 



Tweed 4415 18.1 24.3 



Kemptville 1766 26.7 17.7 



Pembroke* 1484 11.9 37.1 



Parry Sound 8010 18.3 25.6 



North Bay 1170 11.4 43.9 



Sudbury 908 12.4 38.5 



Manitoulin Island 2402 28.8 13.6 



Sault Ste. Marie* 352 16.5 26.5 



Lake Huron 838 9.2 14.4 



Bruce Peninsula 1992 11.7 31.1 



Lake Simcoe 437 19.2 13.2 



Kenora* 4540 47.4 15.4 



Fort Frances* 1486 46.6 14.4 



Sioux Lookout* 965 41.5 19.6 



Port Arthur* 4310 23.1 21.0 



* These districts obtained data from mailed hunter questionnaires and this information 

 cannot be compared on exactly the same basis with the other districts which obtained 

 information from checking stations and from checking hunters in the field. 



HABITAT IMPROVEMENT 



Food and cover in winter deer yards are the major factors limiting deer 

 numbers across the main eastern range. The excellent food supplies which 

 followed the heavy pine logging of the 1850 to 1910 period is maturing, and 

 conditions are becoming less favourable for deer. Selective conifer logging 

 also has destroyed winter shelter values in some areas. 



For the past two years a major new program designed to improve winter 

 habitat for deer has been underway. This program is a co-operative one between 

 the Timber and Fish and Wildlife Branches. Aerial mapping of winter deer 

 yards and subsequent ground surveys are the initial steps in determining specific 

 areas to be improved. Most of the work entails the removal of mature growth 

 to encourage production of deer browse, and in some instances additional coniferous 

 tree shelter. In 1963 the following gross acreages of yarding areas were treated. 



DEER HABITAT IMPROVEMENT 1963 FISCAL YEAR 

 Table 4 



No. No. Acres 

 District Projects Treated Programme 



Parry Sound 5 175 Patch and strip cutting, girdling, to 



encourage deer browse production. 



Hemlock shelter areas were marked 



to be left uncut on an additional 



1500 acres. 

 Lindsay 1 160 Girdling and slashing hardwoods to 



promote browse production. 

 Pembroke 3 67 Clear cutting, slashing, spraying to 



encourage browse production. 

 Sault Ste. Marie 2 178 Strip and patch cutting to produce 



browse. 

 Sudbury 2 35 Patch cutting to improve food and 



shelter. 

 Tweed 2 50 Thinning, lopping and burning slash 



to encourage browse production. 

 TOTAL 15 665 acres 



47 



