We have been having some pretty good weather here in the Grand Lake area this past week and the first signs of spring are starting to show.The edges of the rivers and streams are just starting to open up and this is starting to draw the different species in for a drink or perhaps an easy snack for one of the predators. I watched ten local town deer file down to the river to an open spot and each had a good drink before heading back to the evergreens along the edge of the river. They seemed to be walking on the crust,for the most part,but every few steps a front or back leg would go through and they would stagger a bit.They didn't seem to be breaking through as bad after they got back in the woods a ways. This makes sense,as the edge was catching the sun and was much softer than the snow cover deeper in the woods. We have been getting a lot of reports of deer kills by cars and coyotes,especially in the southern half of the province.One 3 km. stretch of road between Sussex and Saint John has had 11 deer killed on it so far this winter .That's quite a few deer to lose,even in an area of New Brunswick that has pretty good numbers of deer,as compared to the rest of the province. As usual,the coyotes have been picking away at the deer in the yards,but we know of several hunters who have been picking away at the coyotes in these areas and have been reporting some very good success.This is a good thing and hopefully more sportsmen will take advantage of this opportunity to thin out the numbers of these deer killers.If we can keep their numbers in check,our deer herd will rebound that much quicker.I talked a bit in my last post about the other part of the deer equation,that being managing our crown lands to better accommodate our wildlife,more specifically,our deer herd.I was very happy to hear that the first regional citizens "Forests Management Council" has been struck by the French in the northern part of the province.This is a very important first step in getting some sort of input for change,ie. improvement in the way our forests are being managed. After all,Crown Lands DO belong to the people of New Brunswick.I think this fact has escaped some of the large corporations that operate in our province.Governments seem to be unwilling to exercise some sort of control over these large forestry companies,so it is up to the citizens to make sure their voice is being heard loud and clear as to what we think are acceptable actions and what are not. One does not need a degree in forestry to see what is going on.Just look at population numbers and go for a drive and look over the habitat that we are expecting to harbour our wildlife in and make up your own mind about what you see.And if you don't like what you see,get vocal about it,in whatever media you are comfortable with. This is the only way to effect a change and the times are ripe for this kind of action.As you can see from the photo in this post,it's not just coyotes and cars that kill deer in the off season.This large bobcat made a kill practically in a door yard up on the Nashwaak River.There was once a bounty on these animals before the days of coyotes because of predation on deer.Of course their numbers plummeted and there was no need for a bounty.Now that their numbers are rebounding,we are starting to see the odd kill done by a cat. But don't despair,cats don't take anywhere near as many deer as coyotes do.Cat kills are usually done by a large solitary animal,whereas coyotes hunt in a pack and are much more successful at killing deer,especially in the deer yards. The other photo is one of Ken and my son Curt and his girlfriend catching some pickerel and perch close to home,on McLeod's Pond.Erica had never gone ice-fishing before,so we spent a few hours on the ice and managed to get a half-dozen pickerel and a few perch for our efforts.It was a great day out and when you're doing it with family and friends,it's that much more enjoyable! We are looking forward to the Spring Salmon opener and it is sure to be a good season because of the numbers of salmon in the river system.We are also anticipating a good spring bear season and we still have some prime time slots available for any hunters interested in some good hunting,for a good price.Just contact me by e-mail or phone and I will be happy to arrange your hunting or fishing trip to the Great North Woods of New Brunswick!
