Finally, Cougar proof

[GBW]

new article on this cat: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/cougar-carcass-northwestern-ontario-1.4043108

[misfish]

I still swear I seen one walking along the hwy heading to my parents place near Burks Falls. This thing was huge and stood out. I was driving in a group of cars and trucks, so pulling over quick was out of the question.

 

Today I heard that a cow moose and 3 calves were walking through the town of Waubaushene.

[chris.brock]

Chris:

 

I don't know if they accept one-offs or what the cost would be for a DNA sample but try here - http://ccdb.ca/.

 

Jon

Thanks Jon, I contacted them, see what happens.

 

This has probably been posted before but it's a great study and hard to dispute.

 

https://2qhej2409oidqhffjfknkrvz-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/OMNR-study-confirming-presence-of-cougars-in-Ontario.pdf

[Whitespinnerbait]

Where are all the HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of Cougars that have been spotted over the years ????

 

Pics ???.....Tracks ???..... Dead corpses ?????

 

 

[manitoubass2]

Where are all the HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of Cougars that have been spotted over the years ????

 

Pics ???.....Tracks ???..... Dead corpses ?????

 

 

Wandering the bush hunting?

[Whitespinnerbait]

Any Proof of this ?...

[manitoubass2]

Any Proof of this ?...

No I don't work for the MNR or national geographic

[Weeds]

That's happening here too akri. There was substantial wildlife already in my area, but it's no doubt been booming about the past couple years.

Of course some say that's because the deer population is nuts, and it is. That predators are following them into urban settings

Which may be true. But I also see way more wildlife in the bush these days too

When moose hunts were sketchy at best for 10 years or so, maybe getting skunked in 10 days, now many are getting their moose the first day.

Trappers are reporting crazy numbers of catches.

Also, how bout them elk??? We never had elk really until 15 years ago.they must breed like rabbits because they are everywhere too

Wolves and coyotes are rediculous

One thing im seeing less of is bears

Surprising to hear about the moose hunting success. I've been hearing a fair bit lately about some significant declines in moose populations.

[manitoubass2]

Surprising to hear about the moose hunting success. I've been hearing a fair bit lately about some significant declines in moose populations.

Where are you though? Im in NW Ontario. We had a pretty wicked decline for sometime. It's still not "where it once was", but it sure as heck has improved.

 

Im not even sure what caused the decline??? Logging is probably one factor. Maybe disease???

[singingdog]

What jumps out for me from that study is the 17000 camera nights, with no definitive photos of a cougar. And, in a 12 year study only 2 pieces of scat were recorded. I love the idea of a thriving population of cougars in Ontario, can't get past the lack of continued evidence of their presence.

[SirCranksalot]

http://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/1194/1187

[John Bacon]

What jumps out for me from that study is the 17000 camera nights, with no definitive photos of a cougar.

 

The area of Ontario is over 415,000 square miles. 17,000 camera nights is roughly equivalent of having one camera for an area of 25 square miles for one night.

[chris.brock]

 

I think some animals are hard to get on a trail camera. They know it's there (from scent I guess) and they avoid it.

 

The wolf biologist at the Haliburton Forest said I won't get wolves on my trail camera and I haven't and there's quite a few around. He said the best way to get them is in the winter get a beaver carcass from the trapper, make sure it's frozen, covered with ice so other critters have trouble getting at it, and it will likely take 3 weeks until the wolves will be bold enough to come.

 

To get my scat tested it's a minimum of $550, maximum $900, so that's definitely not happening.

[manitoubass2]

Yeah and most trail cams are set up in shooting lanes etc when it's hunters. That doesn't help either

[tomO]

I remember seeing long legged rabbits near northbrook on Gull Lake in the early 70s. Jack rabbits I guess, they still around?

[John Bacon]

I remember seeing long legged rabbits near northbrook on Gull Lake in the early 70s. Jack rabbits I guess, they still around?

 

I am not sure how many are around now, but I remember seeing one in Scarborough in the 90s.

[chris.brock]

 

That's a snowshoe hare, they are brown in the summer, probably see them at dusk. That's the southern edge of their range but they are still around for sure.

[Freshtrax]

Where are all the HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of Cougars that have been spotted over the years ????

 

Pics ???.....Tracks ???..... Dead corpses ?????

 

 

If know of someone who has one burried in the back yard. MNR knows it's there too. Edited April 4, 2017 by Freshtrax

[pics]

Where are you though? Im in NW Ontario. We had a pretty wicked decline for sometime. It's still not "where it once was", but it sure as heck has improved.

 

Im not even sure what caused the decline??? Logging is probably one factor. Maybe disease???

there's a butcher up there that says one guy brings in a couple of dozen moose every year. Must be gifting them to elders or selling the meat. There is no accountability or record of how many are taken. I know a trapper with a large territory near lake Nipigon and he sees less moose every year. The bear numbers are up but not enough to decimate the population. We go up for the bow hunt but we can't compete with the local natives who are allowed to use rifles.. Day or night.

[manitoubass2]

Holy crap, must be a full time job. That's alot of moose and alot of work.

 

I don't think poaching in my area is a problem, the cos are out heavy on the 502 area and it's super strict during hunting season.

 

It's nice to see the populations rise. I was getting worried for Abit. You could be in the bush a full week without any sign of a moose, and that's just not normal here at all. Now it's probably close to 75% recovered. Seeing lots of calves too.

 

Anyone been to redlake Ontario? Like just north of ear falls??? Holy man you'll never see so many moose in your life come fall. You can barely reach the speed limit before you have to stop again. It's annoying, but quite the sight. Too far for me to go to justify a hunt though, 6 hours north, I'll stick to the Dryden highway area