Ontario Elk Hunt

[Bob64]

I just heard there opening an Elk hunt in units 57,58,60,61,62, and 63A. You can apply in the spring from and read more about it in the 2011 hunting regs!!

[CDN Taxman]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

While it's great to see, I'm sure odds of drawing a tag will be really low. Then you need permission in many of the area posted. Whole WMU's will not be open in all, some will be certain areas of the WMU!

Any special course to take??? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Mike

[Redneck Plumber]

With all the talk of this I would think that all the land to hunt on is probably already spoken for.
I know if there were more around here I would have tried to lock up permission at the first bit of talk on an open season.
We had a young bull next door to me harrasing the horses and the MNR came and moved it to Bancroft.
I have not seen another one around here since.

[evaughan]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

While it's great to see, I'm sure odds of drawing a tag will be really low. Then you need permission in many of the area posted. Whole WMU's will not be open in all, some will be certain areas of the WMU!

Any special course to take??? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Mike

Well they're doing one thing right anyway, you enter the draw BEFORE you buy a licence, and if successful you then purchase licence - there appears to be no fee for entering the draw.

There will be thousands of applicants for a handful of tags.

[chessy]

what i can not understand for the life of me is that a herd of 500 animals being hunted ... if there was lets say a herd of 500 moose they would be put on the protected animal list No one would be allowed to hunt them at 500 animals they should be on the protected animal list not hunted .. the mnr and ofah will get what they want a depleted elk herd

[CDN Taxman]

Yes they are doing it right. We'll have to see how much the application fee will be.....you know they'll be charging for it.

And there is no special course, I was just be facetious!

Surprised you don't have to pay $ 100 to take a course to tell you how to differentiate from a moose, deer, cow, horse, etc.

Mike

[mikej]

there will be plenty of land to hunt both public and private if someone is successful in drawing a tag , the elk have been ruining farmers crops for years and costing the farmers thousands of dollars that is why there will now be a season, constant pressure on the mnr from the farmers to solve some of the problem . there is a local farmers organization that has been pushing for a hunt very hard lately and after studies the mnr has decided to go ahead with a limited hunt . last i had heard they are planing as said above to draw for tags before buying a licence, to enter the draw supposedly will cost 10$ then if successful you buy your licence , i heard this from a local source not mnr so nothing is 100% accurate until released in the spring. there is no shortage of elk so i don't see a problem in filling a tag . its hard to put a bait out for deer without the elk taking over . i had 9 consistantly last year at my stand eating all my bait.

[Tom]

Well they're doing one thing right anyway, you enter the draw BEFORE you buy a licence, and if successful you then purchase licence - there appears to be no fee for entering the draw.

There will be thousands of applicants for a handful of tags.

I think that there should be a small fee to apply, like around $10-20 or eveyone would try for a tag even if they have no plans to hunt them.

what i can not understand for the life of me is that a herd of 500 animals being hunted ... if there was lets say a herd of 500 moose they would be put on the protected animal list No one would be allowed to hunt them at 500 animals they should be on the protected animal list not hunted .. the mnr and ofah will get what they want a depleted elk herd

chessy the number of animals that there are in certain areas are at the max for the area. They need to start limiting the numbers in that area. Believe me that the harvest numbers will not be allowed to be great by any number. The old Elk (large antlered Elk) are just dying off from old age and there is nothing being generated by their death. A selected harvest of old animals would benefit the herd and not harm it plus would generate money in the process.

I have also heard that the MNR & the OFAH will also be available to help successful tags to get knowledge in where the Elk are and could even help dirrect them to areas where the ELK have been troublesome. These areas should have farmers that would love to help thin out the herd.

[chessy]

why not move them to other areas

[Mr. Dynamite]

why not move them to other areas

Dont remember the specifics on which herd it was, but a number of years back they did move one herd that was causing the most trouble, but they simply came back over a period of time. Same thing with deer; you move them, they find their way back. And as was stated:

the number of animals that there are in certain areas are at the max for the area.

I would think that a hunt would only make them spread out on their own, rather than using tax dollars to do it, hoping they wont come back.

[catcher]

The rumors floating around my neck of the woods are there is a small fee to apply for everyone and then if you are succesfull the coast of the tag is fairly high. I heard $ 500 .00 dollars if you accept the tag. And there will also be a MNR person with you on your hunt to tell you which animal you can harvest. I think that is why the cost is so high for the tag once you accept it. Just here say so far. We will know in the spring for sure when it comes out in the regs.

[mikej]

i heard the same gerry 500$ if you accept the tag, but i haven't heard anything about an mnr officer accompanying you on the hunt i was told after a harvest the elk had to be taken to the local mnr office for verification

[MADMAX2]

there will be plenty of land to hunt both public and private if someone is successful in drawing a tag , the elk have been ruining farmers crops for years and costing the farmers thousands of dollars that is why there will now be a season, constant pressure on the mnr from the farmers to solve some of the problem . there is a local farmers organization that has been pushing for a hunt very hard lately and after studies the mnr has decided to go ahead with a limited hunt . last i had heard they are planing as said above to draw for tags before buying a licence, to enter the draw supposedly will cost 10$ then if successful you buy your licence , i heard this from a local source not mnr so nothing is 100% accurate until released in the spring. there is no shortage of elk so i don't see a problem in filling a tag . its hard to put a bait out for deer without the elk taking over . i had 9 consistantly last year at my stand eating all my bait.

My friend bought a small farm outside of Bancroft and his neighbors are not liking Elk the bulls go through the cattle fences also!

[bob1961]

i was told after a harvest the elk had to be taken to the local mnr office for verification

yup that is an elk, good job ....

PA has an elk draw and get bout 25,000 to 40,000 entries for bout 200 tags.......bob

....

[watamach]

If I was lucky enough to get a bull tag and there was access to some nice animals I would be prepared to pay the hefty $. I have started researching elk hunting abroad and the cheapest I can find anywhere if I even get the tag would be $3K plus.

I have met some MNR guys that are very knowledgeable hunters and they probably have the best data for the Elk in Ontario so a guide for a small fee if that's the case is a bonus.