WILDLIFE SECTION 



DEER HUNTING 

 AND MANAGEMENT 



The deer management program m Ontario aims at 1) main- 

 taining a satisfactory deer population for hunting and view- 

 ing, and 2) promoting full use of our deer as a natural re- 

 source. We do not guarantee that hunters will get their 

 deer. Unfavourable weather during the hunting season may 

 still frustrate the hunters. This was the way it went in 

 southern Ontario in 1968. 



The first three days were dry and warm through most of 

 the southern Ontario deer range. This made it difficult for 

 hunters to find and approach deer. Then came the floods in 

 some areas and snowbanks in others. Few hunters moved 

 from their cabins. Those who ventured forth despite the bad 

 weather found little sign of deer; apparently the weather 

 caused the deer to remain in sheltered places, too. At the 

 end of the first week, when hunters were leaving their 

 camps, the deer started to move, and there were tracks 

 everywhere. 



The second week was considerably better as evidenced, 

 for example, by the data from Arnprior checking station. 

 Hunter success there was only 11% the first weekend, but 

 on the second weekend it doubled to 22%. 



Hunters in Pembroke Forest District were relatively well 

 satisfied although over-all success was a little below last 

 year, (14.5%, compared with 16.2% in 1967). They saw 

 plenty of deer signs, and the percentage of fawns remained 

 high at 33%. 



Farther south in Kempt\ille Forest District, hunter success 

 was down slightly. In Tweed Forest District, it was much 

 poorer. Snow depths in northern Tweed District were six 

 to eight inches, and the wet snow clung to bushes and 

 trees making hunting difficult and uncomfortable. The re- 

 sult was a drop in success during the first week from 26.4% 

 in 1967 to only 15.8%. However, here, too, the percentage 

 of fawns was high (32.7%) and there was no evidence of 

 deer shortage. 



As usual when hunting conditions are difficult, casual 

 hunters were hit much harder than those in organized 

 camps. The latter knew their areas well enough to get some 

 deer in spite of the weather, but the casuals had a hard 

 time finding any. In Lindsay Forest District, the success at 

 checking stations dropped from 22.4% in 1967 to only 

 11.2%, while results from the hunt camps showed only a 

 moderate decrease from 42.6% in 1967 to 32.5%. 



The Parry Sound Forest District hunting was moderately 

 good. Rain occurred over most of the district rather than 

 snow as farther east. At 22.2%, hunter success was con- 

 siderably lower than in 1967 (34.2%) but above 1966 



(19.2%). 



On the Bruce Peninsula, the hunt was very similar to that 

 of 1967. Hunter success was 10.5% in 1967, 10.3% in 1968. 



Hunting was no better farther south or farther north. In 

 the farming areas, the warm dry weather during the first 

 three days made hunting very difficult. At Sault Ste. Marie, 

 these warm conditions continued through all but two days 

 of the two-week season. The result was much poorer suc- 

 cess than in the last two years, but here again about one- 

 third of the deer were fawns, indicating a healthy herd. At 

 North Bay, the first week was wet, and the ground was 

 covered with frozen snow during the second week. The 

 result was very poor success. Sudbury mainland was similar. 



On Manitoulin Island, hunter success (23.0%) was down 

 about the level of the other eastern areas. The setting of the 

 season two weeks later won approval from most people. 



Few data are available from northwestern Ontario since 

 difficulties, encountered with the newly introduced com- 

 puterized mail survey, delayed the final report. A sample 

 of 851 hunters checked at Kenora had an improved hunter 

 success of 49.4% compared with 38.9% in 1967. On the 

 other hand, only 98 deer passed through the Red Lake Road 

 checking station in 1968 compared with 132 in 1967. 



Given reasonably good hunting weather in 1969, hunt- 

 ing should be better throughout the eastern deer range. 

 In northwestern Ontario, hunting will be good in the 

 Kenora area, but poorer than normal around Sioux Lookout 

 and Fort Frances because of the mortality resulting from 

 deep snow last winter. 



DEER RANGE MANAGEMENT 



To provide browse in the vicinity of traditional wintering 

 areas is one of the main purposes of the deer range manage- 

 ment program. Winter food is the single, most important 

 factor determining the survival of deer from year to year in 

 much of Ontario. The critical time is when deep snow on 

 the ground limits the activity of the deer to travel in search 

 of browse. In mild winters, the greater availability of the 

 food supply leads to greater reproductive success. In severe 

 winters, browsing possibilities are more limited, and even 

 plentiful browse may not be as effective in producing a 

 good fawn crop, though it helps to reduce mortality among 

 the wintering animals. 



If cover is left, logging usually contributes to the develop- 

 ment of range. In tall forests with closed canopies, there is 

 little food for deer since shrubs and other regeneration are 



