Moose management program under review

Last summer, the Ministry of Natural Resources announced a review of the province’s moose management program.
Recently, meetings were held to review those plans. One of the meetings, held in Dryden, brought together hunters from around this area.
Eight members of the Fort Frances Sportsmen’s Club were on hand to listen to—and discuss—an information package presented by Gord Easton from the MNR office in Wawa.
The package mentioned how caribou, moose, elk, and deer will be managed in relation to each other, as well as how to decide the number of moose there should be in each Wildlife Management Unit (WMU).
It also outlined what tools should be used to manage the moose population and what changes could be made to the resident tag draw.
A review of the tag draw is necessary because of concerns raised by hunters about the present process—and because of changes in moose populations.
The presenter outlined management alternatives used in other WMUs.
Among the many possibilities, a calf draw, for example, could be used or a shortened calf season could become a reality. Many other alternatives were suggested.
For more information, and for an opportunity to have input, contact Services Offices at ontario.ca/moosereview, by telephone at 1-800-667-1940, or by mail at Box 7000, 300 Water St., Peterborough, Ont., K9J 8M5.
The deadline for comments is June 30.
Broader consultation is planned for the winter of 2009.