Some Ontario hunters argue that the province’s moose tag lottery – which was reformed four years ago – still needs a few tweaks to make it fair for everyone involved.
Because of declining moose populations across the province, the Ministry of Natural Resources put in place a random draw for hunters to get a moose tag, which grants them the right to hunt a moose.
But under that system, some hunters went 15 or even 20 years without ever getting a tag, while others would get several in the same time period.
Four years ago, the ministry changed the lottery to a points-based system for Ontario residents.
If someone had gone 20 years without ever getting a moose tag, for example, he or she would have 20 points with the new system, and would be more likely to get a tag than someone who had the opportunity more recently.
Mark Ryckman, the policy manager at the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, said that while it’s impossible to please all moose hunters, the new system does still need a few changes to make it more fair.
“One of the key issues that we found after the first three or four years of this new system is that due to the way the government structured this system, it was actually possible for people to apply for a tag and either choose not to claim it or apply for a tag with no intention of ever claiming it,” he said.
Ryckman said that in some cases, especially if people applied as a group, they already got the tags they wanted and chose not to claim extra tags they were awarded.
“We also know that a few hunters, this is a very small proportion, would deliberately apply for those tags, be awarded as many as they can, and let them sit unclaimed so that other hunters won’t be hunting in the same area,” he said.
Ryckman said the moose hunting community wants the province to minimize the number of unclaimed tags each year.
“We know there are hundreds of other hunters that are really chomping at the bit for those opportunities and they can’t access the tags because they’re tied up in this system,” he said.
He added that one positive step the province is taking is to undertake a new study on Ontario’s moose population.
While hunting has an impact on the moose population, Ryckman said there are other factors at play. He says getting a better handle on what’s affecting the moose population could inform future changes to the moose hunt, and how tags are distributed.
Around 94,000 moose in Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources spokesperson Mike Fenn told CBC News in an email that the ministry is welcoming comments to the province’s environmental registry on how to make moose tag allocation more efficient.
Fenn said Ontario’s moose population is currently stable at around 94,000 animals.
“However, the population did see a decline by a fifth from 2004-2018, with the biggest declines seen in easily accessed areas of northern Ontario,” he said.
“The ministry has made some changes to address this decline and has seen some signs of recovery in certain regions.”
