Elk applications down but harvest same

For the third consecutive year, draw numbers for the Ontario elk hunt have declined.

The peak occurred in 2011, the first year of the hunt, with 4,422 applications. In 2013, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) received only 2,286 applications.

The most popular Harvest Area (HA) continues to be HA 5, with 911 applicants, followed closely by HA 2, with 816. Harvest Area 6 was next, with 365 hunters applying.

All bull tags sold but 6 cow tags were unclaimed in 2013. Hunters purchased 185 of the eligible 214 licences, a decrease from 2012, when hunters purchased 196 of the eligible 209 licences.

Hunter success reflected HA popularity. In HA 5, 4 bulls and 7 cows were taken. In HA 2, 3 bulls and 6 cows were harvested. HA 6 reported 2 bulls and 1 cow.

Fairly consistent with past years, no elk were shot in the remaining 5 HAs. The total elk harvest of 23 was the same as in 2012, compared with 20 in 2011. In each year since the hunt began, 70 tags have been offered with variations of bull and cow numbers. The Algonquins of Ontario elk harvest numbers were not available at press time.

First published in the Ontario OUT OF DOORS 2014 Fishing Annual. Subscribe.