Urban Deer Hunt- Letters to the Editor

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After reading the Letters to the Editor in the Chronicle Journal, it seems that most comments made against a by-law change are just thrown out there without proper information. I don't know if it is because the writers are just lashing out because of emotions or do not want to get educated on what the Urban Deer Hunt is actually about and how it will play out. This issue will be a work in progress with opportunity to comment on the facts. Here is NOSA's response to the letters:

Nov. 23, 2011

On behalf of the Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen's Alliance (NOSA) I wish to provide a response to many of the comments that have appeared in the newspaper recently about the Thunder Bay deer management strategy (DMS).

One writer recently wrote of being a bow hunter himself and how he was concerned that the average "Joe" might buy a bow to hunt deer that are a problem on his property. And to that I would ask, what is the problem with this? It is that sort of condescension among hunters that draws criticism from anti-hunting groups. They love it when we do this sort of thing, so I hope it stops.

A hunter is a hunter, is a hunter. There is no descriptor in the Ontario Hunting Regulation Summary that makes a distinction between classes of bow hunters, professional bow hunters or anything of the like. We're all treated equally by law, as it should be.

First, if "average Joe" wants to buy a bow to hunt on his property in Neebing township, he can do it now. If "average Joe" wants to buy a bow or rifle for that matter and buy a permit to hunt on Crown land, he too can have at it. My recollection is that the point of taking the OFAH administered hunter education course is to allow exactly that; for any person who wishes to hunt, to be able to legally do so - provided they meet the requirements of the current law and pass the current course requirements to do it. That is all that is being proposed for the City of Thunder Bay's deer management recommendation. Nothing more, nothing less.

Unless, that segment of hunters out there who I like to call the "shoot themselves in the foot gang" wishes to draft up a proposal for new bow hunting laws, licenses and additional courses and fees to be stacked up on the already mountainous list of requirements we have to fulfill to do these things now? On top of my firearms licenses and registrations, my trapper license, my outdoor card, my boating card and a pile of tags, permits and insurance papers to go along with it all - are you suggesting you want me to get additional accreditation to hunt deer to assist the city with their deer problem? Seriously?

My second major concern with some letter writers is the continued ranting about hunting deer on Mission Island. For the record, there has not been any proposal put forth by any organization that I am aware of, who want to see a deer hunt happen on Mission Island and in the Thunder Bay DMS there is no area on the islands that has been considered for allowing bow hunting, period. End of story.

I am confident that the responsible hunting community of the Thunder Bay District will rise to this opportunity to assist the city with a problem that the city asked us to help solve. Deer densities are at dangerous levels and deer have become a liability in a variety of ways. In consultation with OFAH and NOSA, Thunder Bay city council and administration have done an excellent job in preparing their report on this subject and they are taking the similar action of other pro-active and responsible communities that have done the same thing to deal with a growing North American whitetail deer population. Kudos to them for it.

John Kaplanis

Executive Director

The NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO

SPORTSMEN'S ALLIANCE:

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