The federal government is considering reintroducing sandhill cranes to the menu in northern Ontario as early as this fall. The Canadian Wildlife Service is proposing a limited hunting season to allow the harvesting of sandhill cranes in specific regions of the north, marking the first legal hunting opportunity for the species in Ontario. This proposal comes after years of advocacy from hunters and farmers who claim that increasing crane populations are causing crop damage.
Christopher Sharp, a population management biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service, mentioned that they have been in contact with the agricultural and hunting communities since 2003. Detailed data collection on sandhill cranes in Ontario and Quebec, including migration patterns and conflicts with farmers, enabled them to evaluate the situation thoroughly.
Sandhill cranes in Canada consist of two main populations: the mid-continent population, which migrates through the Prairie provinces, and the smaller eastern population found in Ontario and Quebec. The eastern population has significantly increased in recent decades and has reached sustainable levels for potential harvest.
Years of population monitoring have shown that the eastern sandhill crane population is thriving, a remarkable recovery considering their near-extinction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to unregulated hunting and habitat destruction. The species has adapted well to agricultural landscapes, leading to a substantial increase in both numbers and distribution.
The proposed hunting season would be confined to parts of northern Ontario where sandhill cranes are most abundant during fall migration, including specific areas in Algoma, Nipissing, and Temiskaming, as well as regions south of Sudbury. The Hudson and James Bay District would also be included in the hunting zones. The two-week hunting season would restrict hunters to one crane per day and limit the harvest to farmland to avoid disturbing cranes roosting in the boreal forest.
Interested hunters would be required to hold a provincial small game license and a federal migratory bird hunting permit to participate. Public feedback on the proposed hunting season is open until Feb. 12.
Sandhill crane meat, sometimes called the “ribeye of the sky” by hunters, is known for its quality and taste, often likened to grass-fed steak. While interest in hunting sandhill cranes is anticipated to be steady but limited, precautions are being taken to ensure a conservative and sustainable approach to the potential hunting season.