Ontario Sandhill Crane Hunting

sonnyuphi

sonnyuphi

Well-Known Member
Canada Wildlife is proposing a 2 week crane hunt with a daily bag limit of 1 bird for the Central and Northern regions of Ontario .
My question is how can we get them to include the Southern region as well for crane hunting . I have already asked them that question but I think all waterfowl hunters here in Southern Ontario should be requesting the same opportunity as we have thousands of cranes spending time here in Norfolk County each fall as they migrate south .
I think a concerted effort needs to be made by us waterfowlers here to have such a season ourselves !
 
The Delta Waterfowl notice I received said a bag limit of 1 crane. Is that per day or per season do you think? With the number of cranes in the southern region I can't see the impact of hunting affecting them much.
 
The way it reads to me is that it will be one bird per season. I guess it is a starting point ? We may not get a season down here as they are using the region (Long Point area in particular) to "winter over" now and in increasing numbers too. Maybe hunting pressure of any kind might have an effect this new phenomenon ? Don't get me wrong as I'm all for a Sandhill Crane Season and the same for a Tundra Swan Season (which has been promoted long before the Sandhill's showed up in numbers) and what about having an Early Blue-Wing Teal Season or extending the Goose Season to end with the Duck Season ?
 
Early teal season seems like a good idea but there really isn't many places in Ontario where you can just target teal enough to make it worth your effort, Way more hunting opportunities the last week of the season then would be for a teal season. For a teal season to go you would loose the last week of duck season most likely
 
Hello Guys,

I will comment in more depth regarding several points later this week. In the meantime it is definitely one (1) bird per day for the two (2) week season.

Jerome

PS That limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season is taking shape.
 
OCLP is off there about an early teal season as with the lack of really cold weather the last few years I have had very good hunting up to the end of the season the first week of January !I can say that about OLCP as he is my younger brother ! LOL
 
Okee dokee ! One bird per day for every day of the season makes much more sense. Thanks Jerome !

As for an early Blue-wing season maybe between Mother Nature and climate change the birds will adjust their main migration pattern to coincide with the regular opening of duck season ?
 
Hello Guys,

I am responding to several comments and questions that have been made.

It should be noted that the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) has been (remains) an active participant of the Ontario Waterfowl Advisory Committee (OWAC) which consists of representatives from the Ontario Government as well as the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH). The current OFAH representatives are staff members of Delta Waterfowl and therefore (due to their extensive wealth of experience and knowledge) are able to contribute significantly to any discussion regarding waterfowl and waterfowl hunting in this province.

1) Blue-Winged Teal Season:

I originally submitted a proposal to the CWS in September of 2010 regarding the potential implementation of an earlier waterfowl season so that we would have an opportunity to harvest a few Blue-Winged Teal before they leave the province as they generally left by the end of September (back then) and often just prior to opening day. This proposal was added as an agenda item for the OWAC meeting to be held in November of that year.

The concerns raised by the CWS at that time were:

a) that the Ontario Blue-Winged Teal population was not doing very well (due to habitat issues) and that an earlier start to the Southern Waterfowl District would result in an increased harvest of birds from a relatively small population. Note that the western (prairies) Blue-Winged Teal population (which was booming at that time) does not migrate through southern Ontario.

b) that an earlier start for the Southern Waterfowl District would also result in an increased harvest of other waterfowl species ... some of which may not have reached their flight stage.

c) that an earlier start for the Southern Waterfowl District would also result in a corresponding reduction to the end date ... something that the CWS would want the waterfowl hunting community to consider.

I was advised after that OWAC meeting that the majority of waterfowl hunters in this province would probably prefer the extra two (2) weeks that had recently been added to the end of the season to remain. Although the ice conditions here at Long Point (at that time) generally prevented any meaningful waterfowl hunting (from my perspective) the climate has certainly changed since that time ... which would favour a later end date to the waterfowl season.

The Sandhill Crane Season will be covered in Part 2

Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.
 
Continued from Part 1

2) Sandhill Crane Season:

I was advised in January of 2010 that the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes consisted of approximately 20,000 birds and was increasing year over year. That number however had apparently increased to approximately 60,000 birds by 2016 and was consequently raising further concerns in the agricultural community.

The OFAH did submit a letter dated October 02, 2014 to the CWS requesting consideration for the establishment of a Sandhill Crane season in Ontario with apparently no results. However the OFAH and Delta Waterfowl subsequently submitted a joint letter dated October 19, 2018 to the OWAC that included a specific proposal for the establishment of a Sandhill Crane season throughout Ontario that would permit a daily bag limit of two (2) birds during a short season to prevent an over harvest of the number of birds.

I was advised sometime in 2022 (as I recall) that the CWS had an issue regarding using a tag system for a Sandhill Crane season as well as for a Tundra Swan season. Consequently I can understand (do not agree) why the CWS has decided upon a brief two (2) week Sandhill Crane season in Ontario with a daily bag limit of only one (1) bird and a possession limit of only one (1) bird as well. This Sandhill Crane season would be limited to the Hudson-James Bay Waterfowl District, the Northern Waterfowl District and the Central Waterfowl District.

The Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes is currently estimated to be over 97,000 birds and increasing by 6% per year while the Mid-continent Population of Sandhill Cranes is currently estimated to be nearly 1,000,000 birds ... a ten fold differential in the number of birds. It should be noted that the Management Plan for the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes (2010) is to maintain the population between 30,000 to 60,000 birds.

I would like to note that the CWS has estimated the annual Ontario harvest of Sandhill Cranes over the next four (4) years to be between 500 to 1,000 birds. The annual American harvest (Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama) from the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes is currently approximately 1,000 birds.

An annual growth rate of 6% will permit the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes to increase by nearly 6,000 birds per year less the estimated annual Ontario harvest of between 500 to 1,000 birds ... remember that this population is already increasing by 6% per year with the annual American harvest of approximately 1,000 birds. Consequently we should expect that the Eastern Population of Sandhill Cranes will continue to increase by approximately 5% per year.

I believe that when my Sandhill Crane population estimates (which are based upon the CWS numbers) are realized that the Sandhill Crane season in Ontario will include the Southern Waterfowl District as well.

The Tundra Swan Season will be covered in Part 3

Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.
 
Continued from Part 2

3) Tundra Swan Season:

I originally submitted a proposal to the CWS in October of 2010 regarding the potential implementation of a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season in this province. This proposal was added as an agenda item for the OWAC meeting to be held in November of that year. Unfortunately (as it was not on anybody's "radar" at that time) this proposal received little support during that OWAC meeting. The CWS however conducted a Tundra Swan Season Assessment between April of 2011 and August of 2013 that fully supported a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season that would utilize our current allotment of tags (41% of 9600).

It should be noted that approximately 20% of the members attending the Annual General Meeting of the Long Point Waterfowlers' Association (LPWA) in April of 2011 supported my proposal based upon a survey that I conducted at that time. The level of support throughout Ontario however for a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season has consistantly increased over the years as more waterfowlers in this province have become aware of the continuing lost opportunity to utilize our current allotment of tags to harvest this particular waterfowl species.

I eventually sponsored a dual Waterfowl Survey that Delta Waterfowl conducted in Ontario (members as well as non-members) during the fall of 2018 that indicated an exceptional level of support for such a season with over 50% definitely supporting and over 20% probably supporting such a season (averages of both surveys). It should be noted that less than 5% definitely would not support such a season with the remaining respondents split between undecided and probably not supporting such a season. The respondents of the non-member survey were generally younger and more supportive.

The full analysis of the results from this dual Waterfowl Survey by Delta Waterfowl was shared with the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) by my Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Haldimand-Norfolk and subsequently distributed to the OWAC members by Delta Waterfowl in the spring of 2019.

I recently had a rather extensive and productive exchange of correspondence with a senior representative of the CWS between March and June of 2023. Several senior representatives from Delta Waterfowl and the OFAH were also included in this exchange. The salient points established through our correspondence were:

1) Several other significant CWS staff members were introduced to me who would be involved in any future implementation of a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season.

2) A limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season will be an agenda item when the Migratory Birds Regulations are reviewed in the fall of 2025 for the 2026-27 and the 2027-28 hunting seasons.

3) An option for dealing with the current Mute Swan population in this province. Details to follow in Part 4.

4) The CWS expressed an interest in two (2) suggestions of mine that would greatly help mitigate the incidental harvest of a Trumpeter Swan during a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season in this province.

Representatives of Delta Waterfowl and the OFAH have expressed their support for a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season in this province and representatives of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation have reconfirmed their support for such a season in their province.

I trust that every Ontario "waterfowler" who would be interested in a limited (tag only) Tundra Swan season will become a member of Delta Waterfowl and the OFAH if they are not already a member of both organizations.

The Mute Swan Issue will be covered in Part 4 to follow.

Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.
 
Continued from Part 3

4) Mute Swan Issue:

I originally submitted a proposal to the CWS in October of 2010 regarding the delisting of the Mute Swan from the List of Protective Species as the Mute Swan is an "invasive" species. This proposal was added as an agenda item for the OWAC meeting to be held in November of that year. Although this proposal received general support during that OWAC meeting this issue was left for further discussion betwen the CWS and the Province of Ontario. The Mute Swan was apparently recognized as a non-native invasive species by Environment Canada in 2013.

The salient point that was established through my correspondence with a senior representative of the CWS between March and June of 2023 (reference Point 3 from Part 3) was the CWS interest in considering my suggestion that they could implement a Mute Swan hunting season rather than attempting to "delist" the bird from the List of Protective Species. Consequently a Mute Swan season will also be an agenda item when the Migratory Birds Regulations are reviewed in the fall of 2025 for the 2026-27 and the 2027-28 hunting seasons.

I later received a copy of The Status of Mute Swans in Ontario (2017) from the CWS with a note that their Mute Swan survey was not conducted in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The report indicated that the total Mute Swan population in Ontario had incresed from 3200 in 2014 to 4251 in 2017. It was also interesting to note that the Mute Swan population observed at Long Point had increased from only 18 in 2014 to 109 in 2017. During this past summer I regularly had observed between 35 and 47 Mute Swans in Coletta Bay alone.

The Black Duck changes will be covered in Part 5 to follow.

Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.
 
Great work Jerome ! Maybe someone at CWS will tell us why we can't hunt cranes here in Southwestern Ontario -a major stopping point for the birds .
 
Continued from Part 4

5) Black Duck Changes:

The following is a brief synopsis of the proposed changes to the Black Duck bag limits for this province:

a) the daily bag limit is increased from 4 to 6 in the Hudson-James Bay, Northern and Central Waterfowl Districts.

b) the daily bag limit is increased from 2 to 6 in the Southern Waterfowl District for WMUs 60 to 87 only.

c) the daily bag limit is increased from 2 to 3 in the Southern Waterfowl District for WMUs 88 to 95 ... so that includes the Long Point area.

My response to the CWS regarding the Sandhill Crane season will be covered in Part 6 to follow.

Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.
 
Continued from Part 5

6) My response to the CWS as submitted:

Date: January 18, 2023

Re: Proposed Sandhill Crane Season

I am writing to express my support for the proposed Sandhill Crane season that the CWS is considering implementing in the future. I thought however that a limited (tag only) Sandhill Crane season would have been more appropriate since it would have provided everybody an opportunity to obtain a tag to harvest one bird. I noticed that hunters residing in the Southern Waterfowl District will not be able to harvest a Sandhill Crane without travelling considerably north to do so.

Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.
Port Rowan, Ontario

I hope that everybody found my preceeding six (6) installments informative.

Jerome Katchin, D.V.M.
 
Yes and thank you very much Jerome !

I have sent in my opinion regarding the Sandhill Crane Season that while good that Ontario is finally getting one it is not good for those of us in Southern Ontario and have asked to be treated equally.
 
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