In the first article Why are Moose Populations really Dropping I stated I was waiting on some more information regarding the Moose and Wolves Environmental Registry Forum.
Anyone that wanted to comment on it had from December 17, 2015 to January 18, 2016.
Due to the limited time for comments, I wanted to give the readers a chance to review the proposal and comment.
The information for that articled arrive January 28, 2016 after the deadline for comments on changes that would make hunting for wolves and coyotes easier.
Lets take a look at the information I received from the MNRF.
From 2005 to 2008, the Ministry conducted wolf studies in WMU 30 and 31.
About 54 wolves from 12 packs were radio-collared in an area west of Timmins.
The study found that wolf densities declined somewhat over the study period.
The study also found that, despite an annual harvest rate of approximately 27 percent, wolf abundances seemed limited primarily by low prey availability.
Wolf body conditions were poor, pack sizes were small, and they generally appeared to be food-stressed.
It also found that moose was a primary prey for wolves during the winter.
Although predation rates on moose varied by different pack, about 3-10 percent of moose were removed by wolves each winter.
Beaver was generally the primary prey during the spring through fall.
I asked about the year WMUs 29,30, and 31 started requiring game seals for wolves and why.
In 2005, hunters were required to purchase a game seal to hunt wolves.
This requirement applied to areas in central and northern Ontario (including WMUs 29, 30 and 31).
The need to purchase a game seal, together with a requirement to report on hunting activity and the creation of a bag limit of two, was implemented following the identification of eastern wolves as a Species of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO).
These requirements were intended to increase the data available on wolf harvest in central and northern Ontario.
My next query questioned if any report or document was published explaining why game seals were brought into effect in the first place.
Prior to implementation of the Endangered Species Act 2007, COSSARO recommended the status of Eastern Wolf as Special Concern based on standardized criteria, that considers best available information on factors such as global range, pressures on fragmentation of habitat, threats, Ontario’s conservation responsibility and decline.
For more information on the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario, please visit here.
Please take a minute to visit this site.
While there, check out the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario, the list of current members, and where they reside.
In 2009-10, the Ministry studied the pregnancy rates of moose in the Northeast Region.
WMU 31 was included in this study.
The Ministry found that pregnancy rate in both years was just over 80 percent.
These results are similar to those found in other jurisdictions and suggest that low pregnancy was not a primary factor in the low calf-to-cow ratio that is being observed during moose aerial inventories.
After receiving this information from the MNRF, I spoke with the President of the Timmins Fur Council, Steve Lemieux.
He mentioned that trapper Jim Gibb and wildlife specialist Darcy Alkerton assisted with the study.
They used one of Darcy's Belisle Foot Snare trap and were interested in testing the effectiveness of this trap on Grey Wolves.
With some adjustments to the trap, and with the cooperation from the trap manufacture, the trap proved to be very effective.
The next year, Jim and Darcy trapped eight wolves in seven traps.
Each night they checked the traps for the OMNR and applied collars to seven wolves.
The traps worked so well that they even caught the same wolf twice.
The wolves were caught in the last week of October and all were very healthy with no signs of stress or disease.
This may be due to the effectiveness of the wolf predation on beavers.
With winter drawing closer, beavers tend to wonder farther from the water to gather food for the winter, thus making them more venerable.
One of the wolves was present the next summer in the area where it was trapped and radio-collared.
Jim and Darcy noticed it was in very poor condition.
This, however, is not unusual at that time of the year as beavers do not have to leave the water to forage, and moose can use the water to escape from wolf attacks.
Darcy is a seasoned coyote trapper, and said there is big difference between coyotes and wolves.
Coyotes do not become easily food-stressed since they eats insects, amphibians, birds, mammals, and are excellent scavengers.
Wolves, on the other hand, are larger and require more food to survive.
They can not survive on rodents alone, and have difficulty time catching them.
As the OMNR states, wolves survive on beaver and ungulates, and are often food-stressed in August.
This wolf that did looked stressed and was later seen that fall in excellent condition.
Darcy continued to explain that most of the OMNR trapping did occur in the summer months when wolves may have been in poor condition.
However, neither Jim or Darcy were part of that trapping effort.
One interesting discovery they made during the study was that wolves did actually fed on Black Bears that where in their winter dens.
Since this was previously only speculated, it was proven in the Timmins Area.
After man, wolves are the top predator.
I wish I had received this information from the MNRF before the deadline so we, the hunters and outdoors enthusiasts, could have had a chance to review it and make more educated comments on the changes to the wolf and coyote laws.
The questions still remain as to why the eastern wolf was put on the Endangered Species Act 2007 although the COSSARO, and now the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), are asking hunters for their feed back as it looks to make it slightly easier to hunt wolves and coyotes.
Also, if low pregnancy was not a primary factor in the low calf-to-cow ratio, that the Ministry found that the pregnancy rate in both years was just over 80 percent, and that the predation rate on moose varied by different pack, why is the moose population decreasing?
I, for one, never thought (and still don't) wolves were even close to being classified as being on/in the Endangered Species Act 2007.
With all predators, the wolf population has to be kept in check before it becomes a problem.
I look forward to reading your views on this articles and what you have to say about it.
Stayed tuned for the next part in this series in the next week or two.
Whether you're an angler or hunter; a camp, lodge, resort owner; or just holding an outdoor event and would like some exposure, please feel free to email us at [email protected]
The picture for this article come from Jim and Darcy and they have agreed that we the Timmins Today could publish them in this article.
