OFAH ZONE J MARCH 2015 NEWSLETTER · Page 6 OFAH ZONE J As the weather warms and snow melts, I...

The OFAH Zone J Annual Youth Camp returns to the Brant Rod & Gun Club for a fantastic

weekend of outdoors learning and camping experiences this Father’s Day Weekend!

This FREE Camp is open to any ages 8 to 17 years of age and

the youth MUST be accompanied by an adult.

Registration opens April 1 and with a limited number of participants, it fills quickly.

To register you may call Brian (519) 919 1520 or email him at [email protected]

or use the QR code.

Inside this issue:

Special Points of Interest:

OFAH Zone J 27th Annual Youth Campout

OFAH Zone J Annual General Membership Meeting and Election

Ontario Wild Turkey Research Study and how YOU can assist

Congratulations Greg Balch!

BRANT ROD & GUN CLUB HOSTS OFAH ZONE J 27TH ANNUAL YOUTH CAMPOUT

OFAH ZONE J MARCH 2015

NEWSLETTER

Follow us on

Twitter

@ofahzonej

www.ofah.org/zonej

OFAH Zone J 2

Executive Contacts

MARK YOUR 3

CALENDAR

OFAH Zone J AGM 4

And Election

Conservation Lottery 5

Message from the Chair 6

Turkey collection info 7

Turkey collection depots 8

Congrats Greg Balch 9

Congratulations to Brant Rod & Gun Club’s 3rd Annual Eco Conference

Much of the organization of the conservation awareness seminar was done by Bruce Hill and Mary Ann Smith and the idea is

the brainchild of club member Doris Myke. Myke originally planned a one-off seminar on conservation to help show off that

side of the Brant Rod and Gun Club. But the event proved so popular it became an annual event. “I already have my speakers

lined up for next year,” Myke said at the conclusion of the conference.

The conference heard from a licensed trapper about wildlife management, the manager of a greenhouse about growing native

trees and Conservative MP Robert Sopuck from Manitoba shared the most recent news from the government’s perspective on

hunting, fishing and angling. Myke said she was most impressed by the presentation fro the environmental students from Paul-

ine Johnson Collegiate.

The 4th Annual Brant Eco Conference will be held February 27, 2016. [email protected] for details

OFAH ZONE J EXECUTIVE 2014-2015 CONTACT INFO

OFAH ZONE J

To have something added to the OFAH Zone J website,

please send an email request to

[email protected]

Chair, Brian Moore Watford area [email protected]

519-919-1520

1st Vice, Pud Hunter Aylmer area [email protected]

519-773-7245

2nd Vice, Randy MacPherson Fergus area [email protected]

519-843-6310

Secretary/Treasurer, Kathy Moore Brantford area [email protected]

(also Newsletter Editor) 519-756-9386

Alternate Director, Ray Boilard Fonthill area [email protected]

905-892-9389

Past Chair, Tony Jackson Stratford area [email protected]

519-273-4193

Past Chair, Felix Barbetti Fonthill area [email protected]

905-892-4381

www.shopofah.org

Did You Know...

ENHANCING HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES The OFAH supports all responsible uses of sporting dogs within the field. Well trained dogs are invaluable for locating, tracking, recovering and overall enhancing the hunting experience. Ongoing work by the OFAH has prevented the loss of sporting dog opportunities, expanded small game hunting seasons, optimized waterfowl hunting seasons, increased deer hunting seasons and opportunities to use dogs for tracking and recovering big game, protected public hunting areas (OFAH Fish and Wildlife Land Trust), and enhanced game habitat throughout Ontario.

OFAH ZONE J

Mark Your Calendars

2015

April 11—OFAH Zone J Annual General Meeting and

Election hosted by Tavistock and District Rod and Gun

Club, 336994 33rd Line, Embro (Stratford area)

June 19 –21—OFAH Zone J 27th Annual Youth Campout

hosted by the Brant Rod & Gun Club near Brantford.

August 23—OFAH Zone J membership meeting hosted by

Southwest Outdoors Club, Wheatley

2016

January 10—OFAH Zone J membership Meeting hosted by

Halton Sportsmen’s Assoc. (Milton)

June 10—12—OFAH Zone J 28th Annual Youth Campout

hosted by the German Canadian Hunting and Fishing Club

Many Thanks to the OFAH Member Clubs who have

stepped forward with their interest in hosting OFAH Zone J

Meetings and Youth Campouts. Migratory Game Bird Hunting Permit

Can now be purchased on-line at

http://www.permis-permits.ec.gc.ca/

It’s Election Time for OFAH Zone J Executive.

As OFAH Zone J Executives we invite mem-bers in good standing (at least one full year) to step up to the plate and bat for our South Western Ontario hunting and fishing inter-ests. Your contributions to making our Zone what it could and should be regarding in-creased opportunities and standing up for our collective interests will be appreciated. To stand for one of the Zone’s 5 annually elected executive positions, after determin-ing your personal time and travel availability you simply need to declare your intend to stand by advising us ( Tony Jackson or Felix Barbetti --nominating committee) by e-mail or phone or by advising any of our current executive. Time &Travel Commitments There are 3 quarterly general meetings at

which delegated reports and updates are presented to our membership at large. Be-tween these get togethers are teleconfer-ences scheduled as required. Other discus-sions and commitments should also be ex-pected commensurate with your dedication and interests to our core directions. In appre-ciation Executive and their spouses are also invited to our OFAH annual conference and wildlife dinner. Travel and costs incurred while conducting Zone business are reimbursed. It's essential to the health and progress of our Zone J to refresh the team and network by encouraging new energetic and dedicated members to stand for election for Chair, 1st vice, Secretary/Treasurer, (these positions are also full OFAH Board participants with

additional commitments), 2nd Vice Chair (alternate to the OFAH BOD) meaning they step up if/when one of the afore-mentioned 3 can't complete their obligations) and Alter-nate. After the elections a new year commences with the newly elected team announced. The chair then assigns or confirms the areas of interest that each member is expected to be attentive to and or report on. The Zone J and OFAH policies are also discussed early in each year. Our past 2 chairs are also members of the current executive for Zone continuity and their proven expertise. So please join us and continue to make your Zone a great place to hunt and fish

Landowner

Permission

Form Can be found at

Www.ofah.org

Look under “HUNTING”

Did You Know… A ruffed grouse has 18 to 22 tail feathers.

A typical female Common carp lays 300,000 eggs in a single

spawn AND an average of 1,000,000 eggs every year.

The mallard duck is omnivorous and very flexible in its food

choice. Omnivores get their energy & nutrients from plants,

animals, algae, fungi and bacteria.

OFAH ZONE J

Hosted by Tavistock & District Rod & Gun Club

Saturday April 11—Tentative Agenda

0830 hrs—coffee and snacks

0900 hrs—meeting called to order

0915 hrs—reports and discussion

1000 hrs—Presentation by Amanda M. MacDonald, PhD Student, University of Guelph,

Department of Pathobiology— Monitoring health of Ontario wild turkeys

1030 hrs—coffee break

1045 hrs—resume reports

1130 hrs—Al Murray, Resources Management Supervisor, MNRF, Guelph District—Grand

River Enhancement Project

1200 hrs—lunch on site

1230 hrs—reconvene to finish reports

1300 hrs—OFAH President Glenn Rivard and OFAH Club/Member Liaison Brian McRae

will discuss the importance of OFAH membership and answer your questions

1330 hrs—Election of OFAH Zone J Executive

A few of the topics that will be covered during the meeting:

: Community Hatchery Program

: FMZ Council reports

: moose management

: health of white tail deer and wild turkey populations

: Thames and Grand River walleye

Tavistock & District Rod & Gun Club: 336994 33rd Line, Embro, ON N0J 1J0

Nearby accommodations: Festival Inn, 1144 Ontario St., North Easthope (Stratford), ON N5A 6Z3

(this is on the east side of Stratford on Hwy 7/8 towards Shakespeare)

1-800-463-3581 * there are other large events occurring this weekend and rooms are hard to find. Please reserve ASAP.

OFAH Zone J Annual General Meeting and Election

41st Annual OFAH Conservation Lottery

OFAH ZONE J

CONGRATULATIONS!! The Early Bird draw was held March 6th. Congrats to all of the Winners!

Still time to sell tickets and earn your Club conservation dollars.

Main Draw is being held in Peterborough on Friday May 29th with your

some of your OFAH Zone J Executive participating in the draw!

To get your tickets, please send an email to [email protected] or call 705-748-OFAH.

Did You Know...

How To Pattern A Shotgun

Just like you would when taking to the field with your rifle, it's important to know where your gun shoots and how it patterns

with the load you've chosen. Spend an hour or so at your local gun club before opening day comes around and you'll be a bet-

ter, more successful hunter. Here are a few tips for patterning effectively.

1. In a safe location, set up a 40-inch square paper target with an aiming point in the center.

2. While wearing eye and ear protection, shoot once at the aiming point from 20 yards. Repeat from 30, 40 and 50 yards on

separate targets.

3. Check the pattern for uniformity, gaps or holes in the shot pattern.

4. Try different chokes, loads and shot sizes to find the performance you prefer.

Did You Know...

How To find Crown Land to hunt on:

The Crown Land Use Policy Atlas (CLUPA), hosted by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, is an interactive web

browser that allows you to search for Crown Land in Ontario. www.ontario.ca/rural-and-north/crown-land-use-policy-atlas

Once you have targeted a specific piece of Crown Land, you can determine the policies (permitted and prohibited activities)

for that area. This tool does not allow anglers and hunters to search for Crown Land, but also indicates whether or not hunting

or fishing is permitted and if there are any additional restrictions.

The CLUPA can be difficult to navigate and use effectively. As a service to OFAH members, we have created a CLUPA

guide to assist in searching for Crown land hunting and fishing opportunities. If you an OFAH member and are interested in

receiving this guide, please email [email protected] with your name, membership number and email address.

OFAH ZONE J

As the weather warms and snow melts, I can't help but feel the anticipation for the Spring Wild Turkey season. The weekend of March 20-22 was the 87th Annual OFAH AGM and Fish & Wildlife Conference in Mississauga. Over the weekend, the delegates were delivered presentations from a wide rage of speakers from Deer Hunting Tactics to a Keynote Address from the Honorable Leona Aglukkaq, PC, MP, Minister of the Environment, the Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development, and Minister of the Artic Council. Other speakers included Dr. Shane Mahoney, Dr. Len Hunt, David Critchlow, Provincial Enforcement Specialist, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. John Casselman, Adjunct Professor, Queen's University. One consistent message throughout the weekend was quite simple. We have many successes, however, continue to have issues that need our help. With the Annual OFAH Conference comes some of the most sought after conservation awards in our Province. Below is a short list of the winners from OFAH Zone J; Larry Wallace Memorial Volunteer Award for the greatest contribution to youth conservation: Lynda and Dale Ouellette of Tillsonburg Bruno Vanden Berghe OFAH/Conservation Lottery trophy: The Royal City Fishing Club who sold a whopping 1,184 books of tickets OFAH/Doug Ogston Memorial Ontario Hunting Heritage Award: Emad Hazboun

OFAH/Dave Ankney/Sandi Johnson Award for Avian Ecology: Matt Palumbo, a PhD candidate at the University of Western Ontario Congratulations to everyone on the recognition of their outstanding commitment to conservation. As we take to the fields and water this year, take a moment and mentor someone new. That small investment may leave a lifelong impression. Yours in Conservation, Brian Moore Chair, OFAH Zone J

Message from the Chair

OFAH ZONE J

The University of Guelph PhD Candidate Amanda MacDonald is undertaking a 3 year project to monitor the health of Ontario Wild Turkeys (WiTu). The OFAH was invited to voluntarily assist with field collections. The Project focused its first year as a Pilot Project within OFAH Zone J. OFAH Zone J has provided this Newsletter to solicit Membership Volunteers to participate in this Conservation Project. The start-up date is the opening day of Turkey Season: Monday April 27, 2015. Our target is to collect samples from 100 WiTu's. MNRF support documentation will be provided to the Collection Depots. If located, road kill or found-deceased birds may be do-nated. Hunters may volunteer to participate. They are not obliged to participate. Hunters may keep any part of the WiTu for their use. Once the 100 turkeys samples are donated, the collection will cease. Notices will be provided at the Collection Depot. Hunters are asked to voluntarily * donate all the WiTu's un-used body parts. Preference is for the boney carcass, head, neck, innards and one leg. * store all samples in clean bags. One bag may be used to store the boney carcass, head, neck, innards and one leg. Or, one bag may be used to store for the head-neck-one leg and one bag for just innards. One bag may be used to store the submission form with Hunter's name, phone, Turkey Licence info. All bags are to be placed into a large bag and fastened with a tie. The large fas-tened bag is to be stored in a freezer. Samples to be submitted to the Collection Depot are to be frozen. the frozen fastened bag is to be donated to a Collection Depot.

Collection Depots……….

ATTENTION ALL OFAH Zone J Turkey Hunters

OFAH Wild Turkey Collection Depots

Niagara area / Port Colborne & District Conservation Club : Scott Maguire,

Port Colbourne 905.835.2261 to coordinate with callers & Lead Contact Ray

Boilard, Fonthill 905.892.9389.

Haldimand Co / Dunnville District Hunters & Anglers Conservation Club: 237

McLaughlin Rd, RR#8 Dunnville, N1A 2W7. Lead Contact Felix Barbetti

905.892.4381

Guelph/Kitchener/Waterloo area: Lead Contact Amanda MacDonald, Guelph,

519.993.3366

Tavistock /Stratford/Perth County: Lead Contact Tony Jackson 519.274.1697

Long Point / Fairbanks area : H Stilwell Service Station, RR #5 Langton,

N0E 1G0. 519.875.3321 Mon-Sun 8 a.m - 8 p.m to coordinate with callers &

Lead Contact Jim Greenwood 519.426.2590.

Elgin Co / Mapleton area: Mapleton Taxidermy, 11664 Belmont Rd, Belmont,

519.644.0168 Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to coordinate with callers & Lead

Contact Pud Hunter 226.688.7231.

Sarnia /Lambton area : Lead Contact Brian Moore, Warwick, 519.919.1520

Chatham /Kent area: Lead Contact Cassandra Holtby, Chatham, 519.359.9813

Brant County area : Lead Contact Kathy Moore, Brantford, 519.861.0965,

Milton /Halton area: Lead Contacts Doug Howden, Milton 289.878.9704 and

Larry Campbell, Burlington 905.335.8095

Barrie area : Lead Contact Brian Honey, Barrie 705.728.4313

Please direct inquiries to the appropriate Lead Contact, Amanda MacDonald

associated with the University of Guelph (519.993.3366) or Pud Hunter

(226.688.7231).

OFAH ZONE J

Congratulations Greg Balch

Please join us in Congratulating Greg Balch for being awarded a Fellowship with

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society College of Fellows.

A little about the RCGS College of Fellows:

Canada itself, diverse in geographical regions and communities, is reflected in The Royal Canadian Geographical

Society’s College of Fellows. So, too, have the Fellows always embodied the longstanding values and tenets of the

RCGS: the determination to build, courage to explore and steadfast love of country.

The first Fellows were named in the years after 1929, and included such luminaries as Nobel Prize-winner Frederick G.

Banting, the co-discoverer of insulin; pioneering anthropologist and explorer Diamond Jenness, who for a time lived with

the Copper Inuit in the Northwest Territories; and artist A.Y. Jackson, a leading member of the renowned Group of

Seven.

It was an auspicious start, and the College’s ranks would continue to be bolstered by many of Canada’s foremost

geographers, scientists and artists, anthropologists, soldiers, business leaders, historians and educators of all kinds, from

school teachers to university presidents. The names represent a virtual who’s who of Canada, from tycoon E.P. Taylor

and former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed, to geophysicist J. Tuzo Wilson and Gen. A.G.L. McNaughton, to television

celebrity and philanthropist, Alex Trebek.

And, of course, some of the most celebrated names in exploration are

those of RCGS Fellows: from the past, Arctic explorers Vilhjalmur

Stefansson and Sgt. Henry Larsen, world adventurer Rosita Forbes;

in modern times, ethnobotanist Wade Davis, paleontologist Philip

Currie, astronaut Steve MacLean, and explorer and author Sir Chris-

topher Ondaatje.

The College, the voting body of the Society, elects the President and

other members of the Board of Governors, as well as new Fellows.

OFAH ZONE J

Did You Know...

Community Hatchery Program:

Works with 9 fish culture stations operated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry as well as 53 community hatch-

eries. The MNRF fish culture stations provided the community hatcheries with 8 million fish of 12 different species

Of the 53 community hatcheries roughly half rear walleye and the other half rear trout/salmon. There is one hatchery rearing

muskie for Lake Simcoe. In 2013 they raised 136 muskie and in 2014 that number grew to 2,000.

In 2013, there were 13.7 million fish stocked.

In 2014, there were 9.5 million fish stocked.

Did You Know...

OFAH manages 17 websites and gets over 3 million hits every year?

National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is in Ontario? This OFAH managed program is in almost 40 schools

Ontario Hunter Education Program had 24,695 students in 2014 with 20% of them women

The Bring Back the Salmon program has 61 classroom hatcheries and stocked 723,309 Atlantic Salmon in 2014

For the 2014 OFAH Conservation Lottery, 42,366 tickets were sold

160 Municipalities in Ontario now allow Sunday Gun Hunting

10,750 people took the Ontario Wild Turkey Course in 2014 with 80% of them purchasing the DVD

Waterfowl Heritage Day is the Saturday prior to the waterfowl season opener and is for youth ages 17 years and under

If you want ringtones for your phone that sound like wildlife, don’t search “ringtones”, go to wildlife organizations who

frequently have free wildlife ringtones available for download.

Shane Mahoney presented his Conservation Vision at the OFAH Wildlife Conference and he said:

“The truth remains, we live on a continent that has an abundance of wildlife. One of the greatest gifts in our lives is

the fact that we have that wildlife”. “The greatest advantage of hunting is the conservation of wildlife”

6% of the population are hunters

OFAH ZONE J MARCH 2015 NEWSLETTER · Page 6 OFAH ZONE J As the weather warms and snow melts, I...

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