Plenty of deer and soon elk

The hunting season has now totally open across the Rainy River District. Our newest reporter Ron Wolf discovered how plentiful the deer population is when going to attend the cattle sale on Saturday, his vehicle was struck by a deer causing considerable damage. One employee last Friday counted 34 deer on his drive to work from Clearwater. On Saturday, driving to and from Dryden, I noticed at least one successful party with a deer down just off the highway. Employees have told me of sightings of large wolves in the area that seem not to be afraid of humans or cars. Little has been heard about the Elk restoration project and the growth of the herd in the region. The elk of the region had been hunted to extinction in this region with the opening of the area to farming and timber harvesting in the late 1800’s. A group of interested citizens (The Northwestern Ontario Elk Restoration Coalition) sought to reestablish a herd in our region and through successful planning and fund raising began the process in 2000. In the next two years, a total of 108 elk were introduced into our region in the Cameron Lake area south of Sioux Narrows. During their first few years, the herd suffered a loss of 35 animals to wolves, bears and natural mortality. Others died as a result of poaching and careless hunting. One of the original animals traveled almost to Duluth. The others dispersed around the area. Of the original 108 elk, 73 animals carried radio collars. Today most of those radio collars have ceased to function. While funding existed, the animals were tracked with radio telemetry Following the introduction of those animals, a ban was placed on importing Elk from Elk Island National Park into Ontario because of an outbreak of chronic wasting disease. It had been hoped that additional animals would be imported to create and stabilize a herd in our region. Volunteers like Murray English from Kenora, Mike Solomon of Fort Frances, and the Fort Frances Sportsman’s Club worked hard and long to bring the Elk back to the region. This year, during their aerial survey, the MNR spotted 22 elk. In last year’s survey, 27 elk were observed from the air and the Ministry of Natural Resources estimates that the Cameron Lake herd numbered between 35-45 animals. A smaller herd of 10-15 animals split off and had established itself near Morson. Another survey by the Northwestern Ontario Elk Restoration Coalition using volunteers and remote cameras put the herd at above 95 animals in 2006, with most being seen without collars. The coalition has also relied on information received by loggers, and trappers to help determine numbers. Much of the monitoring work is now being carried on by graduate students from Lakehead University funded and supported by Thunder Bay Rocky Mountain Elk Restoration Inc.. By their estimates, the herd has stabilized and should start to grow. The reestablishment of the herd is now dependant upon their own reproduction. –Jim Cumming, Publisher