Got an email from OFAH, it seems rabbits, hares & jacks (?) is closed all year effective MNRF this season
So in English terms.,.no rabbit hunting for 2017...right???:confused:
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Got an email from OFAH, it seems rabbits, hares & jacks (?) is closed all year effective MNRF this season
So in English terms.,.no rabbit hunting for 2017...right???:confused:
I thought I read that the season was being reduced from June to April 1. Check the date,maybe? :joker:
April fools
MNR announced the changes Thursday. Doubt it's a joke
Or rather I wouldn't treat it as one.
If it's for real and you go out this weekend and.........
If it isn't for real and you decide to play it safe, stay home...
Someone at OFAH has some explaining to do.
Heres the email. First thing that went through my mind as "April Fools"?
But then I thought about it being a weekend and lots of guys who might have had plans this weekend........
***********
Small game hunting changes - WMUs 1-50 & 53-59
To all small game hunters in WMUs 1-50, and 53-59:
EFFECTIVE APRIL 1st, 2017 the small game hunting season for snowshoe hares, cottontail rabbits, and European Hares is closed as per MNRF’s decision Friday March 31, 2017.
This regulatory change is NOT reflected in the 2016 Hunting Regulations Summary and, at the time of writing, is not yet reflected on the E-laws website. The OFAH will share any additional information as we receive it.
Please share this information with fellow hunters.
Thank you.
Think about how these things are done.
Then think about it a little more.
Kind of agree. But wouldn't be the first time. Seem to recall about 2 years ago a major change, with no notice. Or for example last year, outfitters not finding out until the last minute what bear qoutas were............
Either way.
Not the kind of thing (imo) OFAH should be emailing.......
It must be April 1st. We agree on something. OFAH needs a rethink on this one.Quote:
Originally Posted by JBen
It is not listed on the MNR update page:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/hunting-notices-and-updates
It is described here as proposed:
http://apps.mnr.gov.on.ca/public/fil...egulations.pdf
My take is that it's on the table but not in effect yet.
Really well I hunt some in 48 and have seen more rabbits there than in 65
OK I see now closes for March 31, I thought you meant forever. I don't have an issue with that.
lol!!!
New small game regs have been posted on EBR. Will dig up a link and post asap. Meanwhile, the upshot:
- regs will be as proposed in earlier EBR posting, except for the following points
- NO OPEN SEASON for snapping turtles
- Ruffed Grouse bag/possession is 5/15 in WMU 68, 73-76, 82-84
- Pheasant bag/possession is 3/10
- a couple of other things.
Probably the reason the OFAH sent the notice.
Very good news on the phez front. Also good on the grouse, seems we will keep the bag limits we have except where grouse are in big trouble. Some will be upset about the turtles.
Not April fooling here. :)
Here is the EBR posting:
https://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-Ex...tusId=MjAwNjQw
how do you really enforce a regulation that is not written in the books?
until i see it on the mnrf website, i find it hard to take seriously. no doubt a decision was made, but the credibility to really doll out a fine for not being aware of it just makes no sense to me.
good intention but poorly executed, given the old men who don't tweet, think facebook is a crock and live by the rule of printed text.
I suspect it will be in the 2017 regulations when they come out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by punkrockerpj
I've been struggling to find more info about this; the rationale behind the decision to curtail the varying/snowshoe hare season in the area I live in (NWO) doesn't seem to make sense.
I've left a message with a local C.O., they've been great about returning my calls...I'd love to get their perspective on it...especially their inclination to enforce it- (between now and June 15) -while the "information" is generally unavailable.
The CO I bumped into (while hunting hares) in February was quite happy to know I was hunting hares. "Great- We need more people hunting hares", he said.
I'll find out as much as I can when I chat with them again.
Attachment 34843
I expect COs will not enforce this with much zeal until the new regs booklet is out. A JP might well toss charges against a hunter who swears up and down he didn't know, while waving the published regs summary containing the old regs.
So turns it out was last minute changes. As mentioned neither scenario was good. It was hard to imagine ofah emailing something like that as some form of April fools. Equally hard to imagine the MNR pulling a fast one (but it wouldn't be the first time).
COs may or may not enforce this, to me thats not the point. While they very likely mightn't theres nothing saying it may not get tacked on to some other small infraction or large. Who here wants to chance it? Is that the recommendation? Ah, don't worry about, go hunt them, no CO will charge you...So at the end of the day at the last minute anyone that had plans for the coming weeks, anyone that might have booked days off, or travel arrangements ( say a 3 day hunt somewhere, etc)...
"ignorance is no excuse"
When making decisions like these, it's not hard to write provisions, that make it clear, for the balance of this season........
Post deleted--
(bad information).
... and hope your CO is up to date.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jayardia
Here is the regulation now in effect; see Table 9.
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/980670#BK9
I think it's good that your local CO (at least) isn't planning to charge anyone under a regulation passed partway through the season. But it's not true that these are "recommendations." The regs change is in effect as of April 1.
That matters ... if someone in some other WMU takes your word for it that he can hunt 'til June.
Looks like the MNR has made an utter mess of this. Half the world convinced it's an April Fools' joke, and their own COs not informed the regs changes have been made and this is no longer a proposal.
You're right on, sir!Quote:
Originally Posted by welsh
I just received a painful, slightly panicked, apologetic second call from the same CO...
It's an utter mess, but he confirmed the truth -- that the recommendations WERE enacted. It may be ridiculous, but it's real.
GAH!!!
Delete my previous post-- I'd hate to add to the confusion!
I see nothing has changed at the Misfits of Natural Resources. How can these bozo's continually get it wrong. They need 2 years of lead time to change deer guidelines but they can change rabbit seasons in an instant. WTF! and midseason no less, and of course by word of mouth!
Yup...It's a complete s--t show.Quote:
Originally Posted by SK33T3R
The CO I spoke to first said the reported change was BS, and if I could please help set the record straight with all of the social media "misinformation".
Then he called back 30 minutes later even more frustrated to apologize and correct himself... these folks have been clearly left to flounder at the front line, (uninformed), while the "science-based" regs have suddenly changed overnight...seemingly arbitrarily in the back rooms.
To be clear, I certainly don't blame the CO's ... they seem as baffled as I was/am.
When I asked what he would do if (between now and June 15th) he came across hunters with a load of harvested varying hares... he said- (paraphrased) -he'd inform them of the new regs, and to stop hunting and enjoy the bunnies they've got...as no court would reasonably convict them because of this ridiculous mess.
Even for a bunch of Liberals,I find this cluster f**k quite astounding. What could possibly be the rationale with the timing behind this instead of changing the regs and enacting them for the 2018 season like any other sensible program? Honestly,those guys could screw up The Lord's Prayer...if they knew it.
It does make some reasonable sense to have all small game close on roughly the same day
Bonkers,your an apprentice ,so I forgive you.
Ontario is much to large to paint all small game regs with the same brush.States are much much smaller and feel the need to manage "zones", with varying rules.Duck season in the north has always opened earlier than southern WMU's BECAUSE the migration starts earlier,and they are gone earlier due obviously to the latitudes.When those regs were instituted they made sense,thier was common sense behind them.However,Woodcock season in the northern zones as well as Ducks are open to the same dates as in Southern Ont,and I'm hearing this makes sense to some people.My dad shoots woodcock in Essex at the same time of year I'm shoveling snow.But the season is still open,I guess for those harder to hunt "frozen" woodcock.
That is just one example.
Now the limit on Pheasant in Timmins is 10 a day.No one has seen a pheasant in Timmins EVER.And this is part of the "new" simplified regs. Trying to simplify in principle to make things easier for the participants makes sense.I don't see that being the case.From a management perspective,it looks like
1.They are taking the lazy way out. (price every item on the shelf the same so i don't have to be bothered)
2.Hide your true agenda (best place to hide socks is in a drawer full of socks)
I think we are seeing a combination of sorts here.
The only godforsaken reason rabbit season would close in the North April 1 is for the SAME reason it was closed June 15 before. (everything did in the north and reopened Sept 1) To keep guns out of the bush longer.In 27 years of hunting rabbits in early spring I have NEVER come across another hunter, nor read that restrictions were in the works due to loss of habitat/populations.I have no issue (though not scientifically backed) putting a limit of 6 (was no limit before)
I challenge anyone to come up with a logical explanation that is NOT political and is based on fact.
Is it possible they did it to limit the potential for hares being killed that have dependent young? Generally this is not a bad conservation approach to build populations. However, I doubt there is enough impact from late spring hare hunting to have any effect on the overall population, so I highly doubt we will see an increase in hare numbers because of it (though I hope I'm wrong!). Short of an argument about population, there would be an argument about not letting young dependent hares starve. This can also be a good humane policy. Don't forget the argument around orphaned cubs was enough to get the spring bear hunt cancelled the first time, even though the number of orphaned cubs was seriously misrepresented and over-stated. Also young dependent hares already have a very high natural mortality so in the big picture, hunting is not even a drop in the bucket.... so there is no reason this change couldn't have been rolled out for next year rather than stopping it immediately mid season. But who knows, Suzuki just successfully got turtle trapping cancelled, even though trapping might have only accounted for a dozen or so snapping turtle deaths a year.... while thousands get run over on the roadways. I'm totally making this up, but maybe the MNR got wind that the "spring hare hunt" was next in his sights.
The turtle thing happened because the MNR got thousands of responses to the EBR posting asking for a ban on taking snapping turtles.
True - though largely orchestrated by the David Suzuki Foundation who campaigned for it and who provided a form letter email response. The foundation often likes to promote ideology under the guise of science. I'm not against ideology or science, just against misrepresenting one to promote the other.Quote:
Originally Posted by welsh
The David Suzuki Foundation's position on this is well supported by the science. Snapping turtles are a species at risk and their life history makes them vulnerable to hunting pressure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Larson
Hunters used to be conservationists, but in recent years, the hunting community has largely forgotten what that means.
The first litter of the year is always in doubt. The second litter of the year has the most impact on recuitment for the following year.Quote:
Originally Posted by Larson
I take your point about their life history, and I don't completely disagree that hunting a very slowly reproducing species at risk is, at least on the face of it, not a good idea. My point more pertains to what exactly the hunting pressure is on them. In 40 years of hunting and fishing, I've never met anyone who has captured a snapping turtle. A few years ago Ontario introduced mandatory reporting of snapping turtle harvest.... I believe the annual reported legal harvest was in the area of 12 turtles. Granted many may go unreported, ... but that is poaching and will likely continue after the ban. I don't completely disagree with the ban, but unless snapping turtle hunting became exceedingly popular overnight, I think it is a biologically insignificant gesture given other sources of mortality, and therefore much ado about nothing.Quote:
Originally Posted by welsh
This supports ending the hunt. If there's no significant participation, there's no reason to leave that door open.Quote:
Originally Posted by Larson
Pushing back on things like this IMO just makes hunters look bad.
https://www.ofah.org/2017/04/rabbit-...ed-in-ontario/
MNRF reconsiders stance and brings back hunting seasons following pressure from OFAH and hunters
PETERBOROUGH — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has restored rabbit and hare hunting seasons in Wildlife Management Units (WMU) 1-50 and 53-59 for the remainder of the 2017 season — effective April 11, 2017 through June 15, 2017.
In case you missed it, while making broad changes to the small game hunting regulations that came into effect on April 1, 2017, the MNRF closed the remainder of this year’s rabbit and hare hunting seasons in northern Ontario, which were originally scheduled to close June 15. The announcement was made March 31 and the government provided no notice to hunters beyond an Environmental Registry posting of the immediate closure.
Since the decision was announced, the OFAH has heard from many small game hunters who were directly affected. The mid-season changes have left many cancelling their plans and looking for answers to explain why their spring hunting traditions had been eliminated so abruptly. Minister Kathryn McGarry responded quickly to the concerns of the OFAH and the hunting community in signing a regulation today that restores the remainder of this year’s rabbit and hare hunting seasons in northern Ontario.
The changes came into effect immediately, but unfortunately are just a temporary measure and will only remain in effect until June 15, 2017. The season will end on March 31 each year in the future.
“Although this is a great first step for the minister to show she is listening to the concerns of northern hunters, the abrupt season closure for this year is only the start of the conversation. We want to have a discussion about how we can work towards a commitment to restore these important spring hunting traditions moving forward,” says Matt DeMille, OFAH manager of fish and wildlife services.
The OFAH did not support the reduction in rabbit and hare hunting opportunities when proposed earlier this year because there is no evidence to suggest these hunting seasons are not sustainable.
While this will be a priority issue for the OFAH, it is important to recognize that there were many enhancements to small game hunting with the recent announcements.
“The OFAH has been pushing for modernized small game hunting regulations for many years. We are extremely pleased to see so many positive changes, and we don’t want this one issue to completely overshadow the rest,” says DeMille. “It is an important issue that needs to be resolved, but some of the MNRF’s recent changes give small game hunters many reasons to be optimistic about the future of small game hunting in Ontario.”
For more information on all the changes, visit www.ofah.org/smallgamechanges.
With more than 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 740 member clubs, the OFAH is the province’s largest fish and wildlife conservation-based organization — and the VOICE of anglers and hunters. For more information visit us online at www.ofah.org, follow us on Twitter @ofah and find us on Facebook or Instagram @theofah.
Media contacts
Matt DeMille
Manager of Fish and Wildlife Services
705-748-6324 ext. 249
matt_demille@ofah.org
Shawn Cayley
Manager of Communications
705-748-6324 ext. 270
shawn_cayley@ofah.org