OFAH Priorities for the New Government – Cormorants, THE FACTS about cormorant control in Ontario, Dec 19, 2018 OFAH comments on the MNRF proposal to establish a hunting season for double crested cormorants in Ontario, June 7, 2016 Bill 205 passes second reading to remove provincial protection of double-crested cormorants, Feb 29, 2016 OFAH reviews the (5-year) Presqu’ile Islands Management Plan WRT cormorants, Jan 24, 2014 Presqu’ile Provincial Park management plan amendment EBR#012-0486, Nov/Dec, 2015 OFAH calling for better cormorant control, Oct, 2015 Prince Edward County supports OFAH’s call for cormorant control, June, 2015 Cormorant Catastrophe in Presqu’ile Provincial Park. *Please enter the phrase shown in the following field: Due to COVID-19, the OFAH has modified operations. Hunters need an Outdoors Card, a small game licence, and to follow these rules:• The season is open province-wide from September 15 to December 31.• 15 bird daily limit.• Hunters must use shotguns (including muzzle-loading shotguns) 10 gauge and smaller.• Non-toxic shot must be used.• Hunters can hunt from a motorboat as long as the motor is not running. His team of hunters shoot and use other methods to discourage cormorants from utilizing a 1.5-kilometre stretch of Thorah Island’s shoreline in Lake Simcoe — and they do so on behalf of the Thorah Island Ratepayer’s Association. document.getElementById('captcha_img_2979_1480_2_1385').style.display=''; Most of us will never know, for, big snag, the cormorant is now a protected species. But for the hunt to have any real impact on mitigating the ecological mess caused by high concentrations of these fish-devouring birds, there needs to be buy-in from hunters. Wickett also advises to target only one bird per pass. Through carefully coordinated efforts, Wickett’s team has significantly reduced cormorant numbers and mitigated the damage inflicted on the shoreline they protect. Cormorants use roost trees for nesting or for drying their wings and resting while they digest their food. So, if your goal is to do this, Wickett says it is best to set up so that you intercept birds coming into or out of the roost. // Do you want to shoot 15-bird limits? Or do you want to move them out of an area? Hunters are required to retrieve and dispose of any cormorants that they shoot. Let them know what you are doing and the benefits of the hunt.• Quickly dispatch and retrieve every bird. If not, give it a quick follow-up shot.” Otherwise, you will be chasing a bird that is very capable of subsurface escapes. • Burying it on private land owned by the hunter, or on private land occupied by the hunter with consent of the landowner. Wickett is a strong proponent of communicating with nearby property owners to let them know what he is doing. See the MNRF’s decision notice for full details, at www.ero.ontario.ca/notice/013-4124. Also, in places where cormorant hunting is best, water quality is frequently not great, because of accumulations of cormorant guano. It is encouraging to see that the MNRF has made adjustments to the original proposal in response to concerns expressed by the OFAH and others. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. In these places, cormorant guano is very evident on and beneath the roost trees. // Many people are also concerned about potential impacts on fish populations and angling opportunities. “You won’t kill many, but they will move along after a day or two of that,” he says. “A good hunt means you will have to dispose of many birds, which is not as easy as it sounds. You also may look up a Wildlife Services state office online. } Wickett prefers shot sizes #6 or larger. “In most cases, they are happy to see cormorants being hunted, and some might even allow you to set up on or in the water near their property,” he says. function change_img_2979_1480_2_1385 () { For this reason, he says it is safer to pick them up by the feet. So why should you hunt a bird that’s not exactly known for its edibility? Please call if you have experienced depredation involving cormorants or to learn more about non-lethal ways to address depredating cormorants. “The beak of a cormorant is razor sharp and they can really hurt a dog, especially if the bird being retrieved isn’t quite dead,” he said. Double-crested cormorants have been listed as game birds. “And if you are 200 yards or more from the roost, this is less likely to cause the birds to abandon it.”. document.getElementById('captcha_player_2979_1480_2_1385').innerHTML = '