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Wildlife Speaker Series this week – Whitetails

Thanks to my pal Gary (Star Whisperer) Boyle for the following information on this week’s City of Ottawa wildlife speaker.

Back in February, the City held another Speaker Series featuring an Urban Coyote expert and I suggested to them  they give me the heads-up next time a speaker comes to town. Evidently the message still never got through!

White-tailed Deer – September 18, 2014

 

Thursday, September 18, 2014
7 to 9 p.m.
Ben Franklin Place
101 Centrepointe Drive

The City of Ottawa will be holding its third Wildlife Speakers Series event on Thursday, September 18 at 7 p.m. at Ben Franklin Place, 101 Centrepointe Drive. This session will address white-tailed deer.

White-tailed deer

People and deer have a long history together. White-tailed deer are valued as a game species, and for their grace and beauty, but they can also become a pest to farmers and gardeners. Motor vehicle collisions involving deer are a major safety concern, especially during the fall.

The City has invited experts from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to present information on white-tailed deer ecology and biology to improve our understanding of these wild neighbours.

Michael Gatt is the Ministry’s Senior Wildlife Biologist for our region. He has worked with a variety of public stakeholders to develop key strategies for the prevention and management of conflicts with deer and other wildlife.

Dr. Brent Patterson is a research scientist with the Ministry, and an adjunct professor with Trent University. He has spent many years exploring the ecology of deer and their canine predators (wolves and coyotes).

In addition to the presentation, there will be a nature slideshow and an environmental exposition from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ben Franklin Place for residents to learn more about Ottawa’s wildlife, natural environment and local environmental initiatives. The City will also provide information on traffic safety (Speeding Costs You Deerly) and public health (Lyme disease).

The City will hold one more event in the Wildlife Speakers Series this year. The series is intended to increase residents’ knowledge and appreciation of wildlife and promote coexistence through understanding and respect. All of these events are free of charge.

For more information:
Amy MacPherson
Planning and Growth Management
613-580-2424, ext. 14873
E-mail: [email protected]

14 Replies to “Wildlife Speaker Series this week – Whitetails”

  1. Dr Patterson is a smart man. Are you going jeff.. if so ask a few questions for me .. what is the carrying capacity of your area.. and how many deer are in your area .. the biologist could never give me that information before

    1. chessy, unfortunately with such short notice I can’t go tonight!! I’m hoping someone else out there will attend and provide us with the ‘minutes’ afterwards?

      Anyone going? Anyone actually heard about it before today??

      Outdoorsguy

  3. No offence to the bioligist but they dont have the time or the money to do a study . And what i am about to say will get me castrated but here goes.. We need a MANDATORY report for big game animals . I have to do this in virgina and it is really easy on the phone . at the end of season the totals are printed and put online in days not years.. here is last years report of virgina deer hunting

    During the past deer season 242,734 deer were reported killed by deer hunters in Virginia. This total included 106,230 antlered bucks, 20,082 button bucks, 116,304 does (48%), and 118 “unknown” deer. The fall 2013 deer kill total was up 13% from the 215,241 deer reported killed last fall. It is also slightly above the last ten year average of 232,600 (up 4%).

    Archers, not including crossbow hunters, killed 15,649 deer. The bow kill comprised 6% of the total deer kill. Crossbows resulted in a deer kill of 11,999 deer or 5% of the total deer kill. Muzzleloader hunters killed 53,649 deer or 22% of the total deer kill. Nearly 186,500 deer (77%) were checked using the Department’s telephone and Internet checking systems. The youth deer hunting day in September resulted in a deer kill of 2,682 deer.

    Total deer kill levels were up across all physiographic regions including Tidewater, Southern Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Southern Mountains, and Northern Mountains. Ninety of 97 deer management units (93%) had an increased deer kill total in 2013 over fall 2012. The 13% increase in the deer kill could possibly be related to a broad statewide hard mast failure. Data from previous years in Virginia indicates that when oak acorns are lacking, the deer kill tends to increase.

    The Department’s primary deer management effort over the past five to 10 years has been to increase the female deer kill over much of the state, especially on private lands. Female deer kill numbers have been at record levels for the past eight consecutive deer seasons. These high and sustained female deer kill levels are intended to eventually lead to a decrease in the statewide deer herd and a decline in total deer kill numbers.

    It even breaks it down by counties .. these are the two counties i hunt in
    Bedford 7596 in 2012 and 8700 in 2013 and Franklin county (yes it is the moonshine capital but we wont tell anyone will we ) Franklin in 2012 4448 and in 2013 4948
    Now this is a true way to keep track of the deer numbers

    1. Sadly Chess, I beleive that ship has already sailed for the province of Ontario!

      The stats Virginia keeps are quite impressive indeed…and they do remind me of what’s been going on across the river in Quebec for past 30 years, at least!

      Quebec keeps very very good tabs on their deer herd…harvest numbers, precise harvest locations, antlered deer, antlerless deer, and all numbers taken during in each season are tracked from year to year..and from Zone to Zone. Stats are released on their website annually.

      Perhaps to a bit lesser degree than what Virginia is doing..yet still EONS above what Ontario does…which, as we know, is pretty much nothing at all!

      HOW CAN YOU PROPERLY MANAGE A DEER HERD WITHOUT KNOWING THE # OF ANIMALS TAKING BY HUNTERS?????

      Outdoorsguy

  4. As far as a Game animals survey or report; good luck with that! Why?
    1. Because there is no money in Ontario for that, period.
    2. The wise people from Toronto who run the province don’t care about hunting, and they control the purse strings, or should I say the have not subsidies from the Feds.

    Now about the urban deer issue; maybe we need a Deer Smart Program….

  5. I have shot urban deer down south .. they came self seasoned as they ate the ladies basil onions cloves and even some garlic and went and ate the salt block, i should have waited longer as it was not quite marinated long enough, lol but i can really tell you there is no dffernce from one shot in a housing area and ones shot in a big field… they are all yummy

  7. jeff i have been keeping tabs and writing information for the mnr for over 20 years i record all our deer shot and seen and what the sexes are and what we find that they are eating but nobody seems too interested in my data too bad , but on the other hand our group is small and we don’t over harvest deer where we hunt due to the fact that are kill numbers are restricted and we manage our fields very closely , i also keep a watch for poachers and illegal hunters and have the mnr on speed dial but alas they are few and hard to reach , too bad we can’t skin and hang poachers on another note i work at ben franklin place and was not informed of this speaker too bad , i may have been able to provide some insight

    1. Hey mike..pretty sad that you work right in the same building and you didn’t know about the seminar! I suggested to the City last time they held a seminar to give me the ‘heads-up’ so I could include something in one of my columns..or here in the Blog.

      You would think increased exposure for such an event would be important???

      Sadly mike, there simply aren’t the MNR resources now to use data and stats like you keep. Very very sad…and to think 23 years ago when I graduated from SSFC – Fish & Wildlife program, I was gearing toward a career as a biologist/tech with the MNR.

      I can see now why that never happened…

      Outdoorsguy

  8. yes its sad and the fees just keep going up and the only way mnr make any money is handing out fines , the lieberals just keep stealing from the fishing and hunting fees as each licence goes up every year but for no value what a load of crap and our resource minister is a real joke never to be found or reached

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