Figure 8.54 Total Number of Waterfowl Harvested BEtween 1961 and 1997 in Zone A and B of the LPWMU.
Figure 8.55 Number of Dabbling Ducks Retrieved in Kill ZOne A and B of the LPWMU from 1961 to 1997.
Figure 8.56 Number of Birds Harvested and Number of Hunters Using Zone A of Long Point Waterfowl Management Unit, 1961-1997.
Figure 8.57Number of Diving Ducks Retrieved in Kill in Zone A and B of the LPWMU from 1961 to 1997.
Figure 8.58 Number of Birds Harvested and Number of Hunters Using Zone B of the Long Point Waterfowl Management Unit, 1961-1997.
Figure 8.59 Figure 8.59 Number of Canada Geese Retrieved in Kill in Zone A and B of the LPWMU from 1961 to 1997.
Native North Americans and early European settlers were probably initially attracted to Long Point by the easy access to water and by the abundant wildlife available to be harvested. The area remains one of the best areas to hunt waterfowl in southern Ontario, and the local economy benefits from revenue generated by thousands of waterfowl hunters visiting Long Point every year. In fact, if it were not for the conservation minded efforts of the Long Point Company, a group of hunters who purchased Long Point in 1866, Long Point would not continue to be one of the most pristine Lake Erie coastal wetlands present today. Nor would it provide the hunting opportunities or wide range of economic benefits to the local community.
The popularity of Long Point for waterfowl hunting resulted in the establishment of the Long Point Wildlife Management Area (LPWMA) in 1961. It was the first waterfowl management unit of its kind in Ontario, and it is now operated in a unique cooperative venture between the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. The area was established to provide high quality, yet controlled and sustainable hunting opportunities for hunters at Long Point. The area comprises Zone A which is 1590 acres and is primarily dabbling duck habitat, and Zone B which is 160 acres and is primarily diving duck habitat. The LPWMU is open to hunting four days per week and hunters are required to report their kill to the Waterfowl Management Unit office, where birds are identified and sexed.
Mallard Ducks have been by far the most prevalent bird in the hunter bag since 1961, particularly in Zone A (Marchington 1996)(Figure 8.54, Appendix 13 & 15). Substantial numbers of American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal and American Black Ducks were also shot, primarily in Zone A. The overall dabbling duck kill increased substantially between the early 1960s and the early 1980s (Figure 8.55). This can be attributed primarily to the increasing number of hunters using Zone A (Figure 8.56), which was probably in direct response to an increase in the waterfowl population at Long Point during that time. Advances in technology enabling hunters to be more efficient at shooting waterfowl may have also contributed to this increase. The dabbling duck harvest, although variable, declined quite substantially between the early 1980s and the mid 1990s (Figure 8.56). This can be attributed to a decline in the number of hunters using the LPWMU and a slight decline in the number of waterfowl using the Crown Marsh during this time, particularly dabblers (Figure 8.44 and 8.51).
Large numbers of diving ducks are harvested in Zone A as well as Zone B of the LPWMU (Appendix 14 & 16). The diving duck kill was somewhat variable but increased steadily between the early 1960s and early 1980s (Figure 8.57). Similar to the dabbling ducks, this must be attributed to an increase in the number of hunters using Zone A (there was no increase in the number of hunters using Zone B - Figure 8.58), in direct response to higher waterfowl populations at Long Point at that time. Also, it is apparent from Figure 8.56 that hunters were more successful at shooting ducks in the LPWMU in the 1980s than they were in the 1960s, i.e., more birds were killed per hunter. With the exception of 1995, the diving duck harvest has been substantially lower during the late 1980s and the 1990s. This may be attributed to the substantial decrease in the fall waterfowl use of the Inner Bay (Figures 8.41 and 8.49) and the Crown Marsh (Figures 8.44 and 8.52) and the increased use of the south shore of Long Point (Figure 8.47). Since prior to the 1970s, diving ducks have been shifting their diurnal distribution. Birds tend to spend the day on the south shore of Long Point and return to the Bay at night to feed (Figure 8.49). This change in diving duck distribution is most likely caused by increased disturbance on the Inner Bay during the day (see Section 8.4).
Despite rapid increases in their numbers in southern Ontario since the reintroduction of Giant Canada Geese in the late 1970s, Long Point does not appear to be a major staging area for this species (Figure 8.21). While the harvest has increased at Long Point, fewer than 100 birds are taken in the LPWMU during most years (Figure 8.59). These low harvest rates could be influenced somewhat by the fact that most hunters that specifically target geese tend to hunt in fields which are not part of the LPWMU.
