On July 30th, 2022, some significant changes to migratory game bird hunting came into effect in an effort to modernize the regulations. This marks the first major comprehensive update since the Migratory Bird Regulations were enacted in 1918.
Some of the more impactful changes included: the elimination of Waterfowler Heritage Days and the introduction of free migratory game bird hunting permit and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp for youth/ minors (under 18 years of age). Others include permitting the use of crossbows, a prohibition on use of drones, introduction of the concept of ‘preservation,’ with preserved birds no longer counting towards possession limit, changes to labelling requirements, allowing hunters to leave either a fully feathered head or wing on unpreserved birds, allowing the donation of harvested birds for charitable purposes, and a new prohibition on
the abandonment of harvested birds.
As part of the OFAH’s commitment to keeping hunters informed, a virtual webinar was hosted by Manager of Policy Mark Ryckman in September. He discussed the changes directly with staff from the Canadian Wildlife Service. The webinar was attended by almost 200 viewers from every corner of Ontario and even two US states. The suite of regulatory changes has significant impacts on migratory bird hunters and being able to hear directly from CWS professionals is a huge benefit to hunters.
Watch the webinar video at
www.ofah.org/insideaccess