When I moved from Guelph to Edmonton in 1974, I quickly found out Alberta had the world’s biggest and most innovative game farm. It was called the Alberta Game Farm, later called Polar Park, some 25 km west of the city. This farm, situated on 500 hectares (1,236 acres), was truly incredible. The huge open-air […] Read more
Tag Archives deer
Where species conservation was the aim of the game
Practical Research: The Alberta Game Farm was the visionary innovation of a remarkable Canadian
U.S. reports world’s first deer with COVID-19
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government said Friday it had confirmed the world’s first cases of COVID-19 in deer, expanding the list of animals known to have tested positive for the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported infections of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in wild white-tailed deer in the state of […] Read more
Ontario to limit imports, transport of live elk, deer
Moves meant to keep out chronic wasting disease
Moving live captive cervids such as elk, deer, moose and caribou into or within Ontario is set to be banned under new provincial regulations to keep out chronic wasting disease (CWD). The province said Thursday it has amended regulations under its Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act that will ban anyone from importing live, captive cervids […] Read more
Deer heads required from Kootenay region for CWD tests
The discovery of chronic wasting disease in deer in northwestern Montana has officials in CWD-free British Columbia tightening their testing net. The province on Wednesday announced a mandatory sampling program, in which hunters must submit heads from mule deer and white-tailed deer harvested in wildlife management units 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5, 4-6 and 4-7 […] Read more
D’oh, a deer! How to protect your garden and shrubs from deer and moose
Nice to look at, but also destructive. How to keep cervids away from your property
Moose, elk and deer are members of the family Cervidae (cervids) which includes some 41 species worldwide. In Canada, we have to contend with white-tailed deer (the number one pest), moose (called elk in Europe), mule or black-tailed deer and elk (called red deer in Europe). These animals can be very destructive around farms, acreages and orchards. Here is a list of […] Read more
One man’s experience with destructive deer
Ted has a recipe to help discourage them from damaging trees and shrubs
As I write this, September’s been a really wet one so far here in my part of Manitoba and elsewhere too, according to news reports. Seems moisture began falling not many days after I wrote about “The Rain Dance” in a local publication. Now a few folks have said — maybe it’s time to write […] Read more
B.C. to block hunting attractants from out-of-province
Anyone planning to hunt in British Columbia may soon be blocked from bringing in urine and other materials from other provinces’ farmed elk and cervids, in a bid to keep chronic wasting disease (CWD) in check. The provincial government recently opened a public comment period, running until Jan. 19, on a list of changes it […] Read more
Managing wildlife/agriculture conflicts
Animal Health: Proper compensation part of the solution
There have been many articles written on the escalating conflict between wildlife and agriculture (both livestock and grain production) in certain areas of Canada. Our governments struggle to find balanced management options. The most recent survey (2014) on wildlife damage by Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) and the Miistakis Institute shows a high percentage of farms […] Read more
Federal response tightened for chronic wasting disease
Canadian ranchers raising cervids such as elk, deer and moose will soon have to get in on certification programs before they can be eligible for any federal help in the event of a chronic wasting disease (CWD) outbreak. One of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) family of nervous system diseases, such as BSE in cattle […] Read more
Rancher’s Diary: Wildlife put pressure on cattle feed
On the home front, health issues to deal with
January 25 With such cold weather in December and January we’ve gone through a lot of firewood. If it ever warms up, we can let the fire go out at night to save wood. Tuesday was Emily’s ninth birthday. We all had dinner at Andrea’s house. The elk are still coming into our field, pawing […] Read more