Proposal to Increase the BWT Harvest

Buddy Boy

Well-Known Member
Hello Everyone:

I have enclosed a copy of my letter to Mr. J. Hughes regarding a proposal to increase the Blue Winged Teal harvest in the Province of Ontario.

My proposal should be able to be on the agenda for the next Ontario Waterfowl Advisory Committee meeting to be held during the third week of October.

I have submitted this proposal in consultation with Long Point Waterfowl and I have contacted Ducks Unlimited Canada as well as Delta Waterfowl requesting their support.

Individual letters of support should be sent to Mr. J. Hughes as previously suggested with the proposal to increase the daily bag limits for Canvasbacks and Redheads (refer to separate topic) as well as with the proposal for a Mourning Dove harvest in the Province of Ontario (refer to separate topic). You may fax your letter to Mr. J. Hughes (1-613-949-8307).

I thank you for your support with this proposal.

Sincerely,

Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.

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20 Balsam Trail, RR 1
Port Rowan, Ontario
N0E 1M0

October 02, 2010

Mr. J. Hughes
Canadian Wildlife Service
Environment Canada
335 River Road
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0H3

Re: Proposal to Increase the Blue Winged Teal Harvest in the Province of Ontario

Dear Mr. J. Hughes:

I am writing to present a proposal to Increase the Blue Winged Teal Harvest in the Province of Ontario.

Blue Winged Teal are early migrants and they have often left southern Ontario marshes by Opening Day or shortly after Opening Day resulting in a very limited harvest of these birds in the Province of Ontario.

I have only bagged one (1) Blue Winged Teal in the Province of Ontario since I started waterfowl hunting in 1978.

Consequently ... I am submitting a proposal that the southern waterfowl season start one (1) week earlier to coincide with the central waterfowl season. The extra week at the start of the southern waterfowl season could then be compensated by removing the extra week that was added to the end of the southern waterfowl season last year.

I read your notice in the Ontario Out Of Doors magazine (Volume 42, Issue 8, Page 10) that waterfowler numbers are on the rise. The number of Ontario waterfowlers in 2005 (53,151) was 1/3 the number of Ontario waterfowlers in 1978 (159,698) as you have indicated in your statistics.

The total daily bag limit for ducks in the Province of Ontario was increased from five (5) to six (6) several years ago ... a potential increase of only 20% to the overall harvest of ducks on days when waterfowlers bagged their limit.

I believe that my proposal would not impact on the overall population of ducks (given that the number of Ontario waterfowlers in 2009 was still only 55,587) but it would give us an opportunity to harvest a few more Blue Winged Teal before they migrate out of the province.

The concern that waterfowlers may harvest "flightless" ducks during this first week would have to be documented to be validated and I do not believe that this would be a problem.

I thank you for your due consideration and support in this proposal.

Sincerely,




J. Katchin, D.V.M.

c.c.

Dr. S. Petrie, Executive Director, Long Point Waterfowl
Dr. D. Ankney, Chairperson, Scientific Advisory Committee, Long Point Waterfowl
 
Hello Everyone:

I am reporting back on my proposal to increase the Blue Winged Teal harvest in Ontario which was discussed at the last Ontario Waterfowl Advisory Committee (OWAC) meeting.

I have received a copy of the minutes from the OWAC meeting and it would appear that this proposal cannot be supported at this time as the Blue Winged Teal population in Ontario has declined recently.

I was not surprised by this decision as I have read that the continental Blue Winged Teal population is currently down a bit ... however ... the Americans still have their early season for teal.

In retrospect ... I have been advised that I should have focusd upon the additional opportunities for new hunters to get out earlier in the season. Perhaps this proposal could be reviewed next year with young hunters in mind.

To lessen the effect upon the Blue Winged Teal population perhaps a two (2) Blue Winged Teal daily limit could be included in exchange for an earlier opening to the southern waterfowl season.

I would suggest that anyone interested in an earlier opening to the southern waterfowl season should still submit a letter of support (if they have not already done so) so that this proposal can be reviewed next year.

Thanks again.

Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.
 
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