bugs wrote:I would much rather see the money going into restocking, I see Niagara Falls and Fort Erie just did some
Hope they flourish!
Flourish they will not, but that's not the intent. Those are simply put & take efforts intended to provide hunting opportunities for the immediate season, but even that is unlikely due to the small number of birds released. Those pen-raised bird will simply be coyote food. Even if they evade getting eaten, very few if any have the hardyness, skills and access to the necessary habitat to survive the winter. It like releasing a few chickens onto the landscape.
There are still areas around London and Norfolk where pen-raised birds are released in sufficiently large numbers to provide opportunities for local hunters. These are places where municipalites, in partnership with local groups, work hard to administer muncipal hunting license programs that actually serve a purpose.
The MNR's pilot project to trap, transfer & release truly wild pheasants from Saskatchewan is finished. The MNR has no intention of continuing it and they have essentially washed their hands of any sort of future for pheasants in Ontario. The program could very well have succeeded had their been commitment from the Provincial government. The science was good and the birds were good. Ontario habitat and ag practices are marginal for pheasants, but with enough wild birds over enough years, there was the potential to establish some core populations in the best areas, setting the stage for habitat improvement in other areas, followed by the trap & transfer of Ontario-grown wild birds.
Wow, now I'm way off-topic for a crossbow forum
. See what happens Bugs when you get me started!
As good as that sometimes feels to ranter, I've long ago learned that Councils respond better to cool, constructive comments.
