This problem may relate to the abundance of wild ber- 

 ries. Bears, looking for food, may range much farther when 

 berries are scarce and thus come in more frequent contact 

 with humans. Steps are being taken to reduce the numbers 

 of nuisance bears shot by broadening our program of trap- 

 ping, drugging, removing and releasing these bears. Very 

 few bears return to continue making trouble. Thus, the 

 waste of our resource is reduced in a humane way. 



A few bears are killed on the highways each year. One in 

 Kapuskasing District caused $600 damage, although most 

 motor accidents involving bears result in no more than 

 about $100 damage. Since fewer animals are involved as 

 well, highway accidents are not nearly the problem with 

 bears that they are with deer and moose. 



UPLAND GAME MANAGEMENT 



Upland game management objectives include regulations 

 designed for maximum use of resident small game species, 

 several of which are usually under-harvested; encourage- 

 ment of management practices which increase the pro- 

 duction of small game; and to provide accurate predictions 

 relative to the annual availability of small game. 



Upland game hunting continued to be a popular pastime 

 in Ontario. For the 1968-9 hunting season, 360,192 resident 

 small game and summer hunting licences and 12,900 non- 

 resident small game licences were sold. 



RUFFED GROUSE 



For the second year in a row, grouse populations across 

 Ontario were at low levels, and it was obvious that grouse 

 were at or near the bottom of their nine-year cycle. 



Lower hunter success was reflected in bag check infor- 

 mation; the average number of grouse shot per 100 hours 

 by woodland hunting across the Province for the years 1966 

 through 1969 was 47, 46, 32, and 26, respectively. Similarly 

 the average number of birds shot per hundred miles by 

 those hunting along bush roads was 6.5, 9.4, 4.9, and 2.1, 

 for the same period. Grouse were at a low ebb in their nine- 

 year cycle in 1969. One thing is certain however. The cycle 

 will continue, and it is extremely likely that improved 

 grouse hunting will be experienced In 1970 in most areas. 



SHARPTAILED GROUSE 



After two consecutive years of migration from the low- 

 lands of James and Hudson Bays to more heavily populated 

 areas, populations of northern sharptailed grouse "stayed- 

 put", and no extended seasons were established. 



Prairie sharptailed grouse were available in good num- 



bers in northwestern Ontario. Fort Frances Forest District 

 personnel live-trapped and transferred 31 prairie sharp- 

 tailed grouse which were released in Grenville County. This 

 was the second introduction of these large game birds into 

 southern Ontario in recent years. There is evidence that the 

 first introduction in the Lindsay Forest District is gradually 

 becoming established. 



RING-NECKED PHEASANTS 



Populations of ring-necked pheasants continued to improve 

 across the main breeding range in counties north of Lake 

 Erie, but land use practices continued to remove habitat 

 essential as winter and nesting cover, and the long-term 

 outlook for pheasants is not bright. 



Sportsmen's clubs and regulated townships continued to 

 stock birds provided by the Department. Those which 

 raised birds to adult size before release provided the best 

 return to the hunter. The Department produced 40,050 

 chicks, 15,450 poults and 6,732 adults. The latter were used 

 on public hunting areas. In addition, 2,210 spent breeders 

 were released in late spring across the southern counties. 



The adult bird stocking program showed its worth in Lake 

 Huron Forest District, which over the whole season showed 

 a hunter success ratio of four hours per bird taken. This 

 compares to 4.4 hours and 5.6 hours per bird in the pre- 

 vious two years. Release of younger pheasant stock is much 

 less successful in putting birds in the hunter's bag. 



Natural reproduction was lower in Lake Simcoe District. 

 Success of pheasant hunters there fell 27 per cent from the 

 previous year to 0.5 birds per gun-day. 



HUNGARIAN PARTRIDGE 



The best Hungarian partridge hunting continued to be pro- 

 vided by the eastern counties of the Province. Huns were 

 not as abundant as in 1968, however, and birds bagged per 

 hunter-day fell to 1.4 from 2.9 the year before. Causes of 

 periodic declines in Hungarian partridge populations are 

 not known; it is possible that this bird undergoes cyclic 

 fluctuations of scarcity and abundance in Canada much 

 like the ruffed grouse or varying hare. 



Kemptville District staff live-trapped partridge from un- 

 hunted areas, and a release of 45 was made in Sombra 

 Township, Lambton County, on March 11, 1969. It is hoped 

 to establish huntable populations of "Huns" in every suit- 

 able area of southern Ontario. 



SQUIRRELS 



Grey squirrels continued to supply good recreation in 

 southern Ontario for the relatively few hunters who pursue 

 them. 



