Inventories, collection of harvest data, habitat evaluation and improvement, law 

 enforcement, stocking and public relations are some of the most important facets 

 in this complex area. A wealth of information is required to provide a sound 

 basis for proper regulations and to design and conduct programmes aimed at 

 producing high quality hunting. For example, harvest information was obtained 

 from a high percentage of the 140,000 deer hunters in 1965; over 28,000 deer 

 hunters were interviewed at highway check stations and in the field, while an 

 additional 30,000 provided valuable information through mail and telephone 

 surveys. About one third of the moose hunters in Ontario also contributed 

 information at check stations and border crossings, and through interviews and 

 mail surveys. 



Fish and wildlife staff in the northern parts of the Province flew over several 

 thousand square miles of moose range collecting census data on randomly selected, 

 twenty-five square mile sample plots. Deer yards were mapped and habitat 

 improvement measures were carried out in some of the key winter concentration 

 areas of deer in the eastern deer range. More adult pheasants were released; 

 eight public hunting grounds provided both upland game and waterfowl shooting 

 and a few additional wildlife areas were purchased or recommended for acquisition. 

 These are but a few of the myriad game management activities of Lands and 

 Forests staff in the field. Although far from complete, the following resume is a 

 report of game management activities in Ontario during 1965. 



White-Tailed Deer 



Deer hunting in Ontario provides recreation for an increasing number of 

 people. The popularity of this sport is indicated by the sale of deer licences which, 

 this year, approached 140,000. 



Despite poor weather and its detrimental effect on hunting the 1965 deer hunt 

 was reasonably successful. This year, success rates of 25% or over were obtained 

 in half the forest districts where deer occur in huntable numbers. One out of every 

 four hunters took venison home during the open season which varied from three 

 to ninety-nine days in certain parts of the Province. 



Ontario is on the northern edge of the North American Continent's white- 

 tailed deer range. Because of severe winter conditions a large portion of Ontario is 

 inhospitable to deer. Deer fluctuate in abundance depending upon changes in the 

 forest conditions over a long period and upon the severity of the winter — the 

 season of greatest stress for deer in Ontario. Climate, principally deep snow, limits 

 movement of deer. As a result, this barrier makes the quest for food difficult and 

 at the same time, energy stored as fat is used rapidly to maintain body temperature. 

 During a severe winter if fat reserves of the body and bone marrow are depleted 

 before spring and suitable browse cannot be reached, deer may die of starvation. 

 The abundance of deer in the fall is a reflection of favourable conditions in the 

 past which encouraged good survival and reproduction. On the other hand scarcity 

 of deer during the fall hunt may be the result of poor survival and production 

 caused by inter-related factors such as severe winters, poor winter habitat and 

 adverse spring weather. 



In any business, decisions must be made. Decisions should be based on facts. 

 In the case of deer management in Ontario facts on hunter success, hunter effort 

 required to bag a deer, and age composition of the deer population are obtained 

 directly from the hunter. 



Department of Lands and Forests staff collect this information at road 



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