Should We Be Hunting Calf Moose?
By: Dean Taylor
Here in Ontario, the province which I now do all of my hunting, bull moose tags are extremely hard to come by and often require years of waiting and large groups of party hunters to get a chance at hunting the province's largest game animal. Thankfully for those who still want to fill a freezer, the province also offers a separate draw for a cow tag, as well as a consolation calf tag for all unsuccessful draw applicants. Since this season I fall in the latter category, I, along with many other hunters, have had to decide whether I should fill my tag or wait another year for an opportunity at the tag I’m after.
Hunting young animals, whether it be calf or fawn, has always been a contentious issue as questions over ethics and species management are often left unanswered. While the question of ethics is largely left up to the hunter, this article will look to clear up some of the blurriness around the efficacy of hunting calf moose from a conservation perspective.
Origins of Ontario’s Calf Hunt
While changes may be coming to Ontario's moose tag allocation system in 2021 (see our previous article), this year will still see calf tags given out as consolation to all those who either failed to draw an adult tag or who missed the draw entirely. This system has been in place since 1983 when the loosely regulated system was tightened to address concerns over the province's declining moose populations. This system shifted the primary hunting opportunity away from Bull Moose, the most successful breeders in the populations, to the less successful and relatively vulnerable calf population. Since making this change, Ontario's moose population grew from roughly 80,00 to just over 115,000 by the early 2000s.
Why We Hunt Calves
The primary reason why the focus of moose tags was switched from bulls to calves was that it more closely mimics the natural death rate of these animals if hunting was not present. When humans are removed from the equation, for example, a very low percentage of the calf moose population survives the winter, succumbing to freezing temperatures, deep snow, lack of food, and heavy predation before they reach maturity. Bull and cow moose, on the other hand, have survived this experience multiple times and are much more likely to survive the following year and reproduce. When humans are present and hunting is not managed, however, this ratio is often skewed, with a much higher percentage of mature, antlered animals being taken and a very small number of cows and calfs being removed from the population. This pattern can do significant damage over time, removing the successful animals from the population and leaving behind younger animals that have a much lower survival rate and gradually decreasing the total population.
Problems with Calf Tags
Although consolation calf tags may have started as a productive way of emulating natural patterns, the tags have perhaps become over-distributed and a steady drop in moose numbers since its peak in the early 2000s may be suggesting that it is time for a change.
The reason that these calf tags have been slowly reducing moose numbers in the province is due to the vicious cycle they create when they are distributed as consolation prizes. For example, the number of bull tags distributed in an area is determined by a multitude of factors, a major one being the number of calf moose taken from that area the previous year. When the harvest rates of calves are high. bull moose tags are reduced to make up for the loss in numbers. While this would balance itself out if the system stopped here, the current system piles on more calf tags the following year as fewer applicants are successful in their draws due to the reduced number of tags available, providing even more hunters with the consolation calf tag. Thankfully, this cycle is finally being broken, with calf draws being introduced in the eastern part of the province in 2020 and throughout the entire province as of 2021. More information on these changes can be found in our previous article.
Verdict
Calf hunting is not inherently bad and, when managed properly, can actually do a great job of emulating natural moose mortality rates. From an ethical standpoint, there is also a good case to be made that hunting calves is more ethical than hunting cows, as calves without their mothers have very little hope of surviving the winter.
The issue with calf hunting comes primarily from its management, as the line between too much calf hunting and too little is very fine and can easily lead to reduced populations when managed improperly. This mismanagement was clearly displayed in our past management system, forcing hunters to pick between filling their consolation tag or letting an animal walk in hopes that more bull tags would be available in future years; tags that were almost surely not going to be available. Thankfully, the new system being introduced next year should solve the majority of the problem and allow all hunters who draw a calf tag to know with confidence that they are not having a negative impact on their local moose populations.