Deer Hunting

White-tailed deer - The Deal With The Ontario Deer

Ontario employs a selective form of harvest system during most of its bow and gun (muzzle loader, rifle and shotgun) seasons to control the taking of antlerless white-tailed deer - both fawns and does. It provides one season wherein both non-residents and natives of the place can harvest bucks. While this is happening, a small group of resident hunters may go off hunting antlerless deer for herd size regulation purposes.

When the antlerless deer population needs to be increased, the herd tags made available in such areas are low. If the herd reaches or exceeds its target level, more tags are provided. For southern Ontario deer hunting grounds exclusive for residents, the number of hunt opportunities allowed during certain seasons keeps the harvest situation manageable. To learn more about draws concerning antlerless deer controlled hunting and validation tags, consult the Ontario Hunting Regulations Summary.

Getting To Know The White-Tailed Deer

Although timid and withdrawn, white-tailed deer have successfully adapted to human intrusion into their space. Actually, forestry and agricultural activities have even contributed to raising Ontario deer denizens. These practices opened up thick woodlands, which in turn led to additional food sources for the animals.

The weight of Ontario whitetail bucks can reach above 136kg (300lbs). However, mature, healthy bucks on average weigh between 63kg and 114kg (140lbs and 250lbs), bucks usually being larger than does. April is when antlers start appearing on bucks. By the time October arrives, they are prepared for the November mammalian reproduction phase, more commonly referred to as the rut. Antlers generally come off at year's end.

In 1958, the Foundation for the Recognition of Ontario Wildlife (FROW) scored the first-placer hunter-captured standard whitetail rack at 189/8 points. A sophisticated firearm was used to bring down the deer somewhere along central Ontario's Parry Sound district. For non-typical whitetail scores, FROW recorded 250 1/8 points. The deer taking within the Rainy River district in Ontario's northwest portion happened in 1995 using a modern weapon as well.

Whitetail does that breed in the fall deliver the fawns in spring. With fairly mild winters and good habitats, giving birth to twins is common while triplets are a definite possibility. The females may stay with the mother for a couple of years or until the initial mating occurs.

A whitetail can reach speed bursts of nearly 65km/hr (40mph), with bounds reaching six meters (20ft). The normal gait for whitetails is a trot that is paced between 16 and 32km/hr (10 and 20mph)..

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