The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Fiin and Wildlife management officer Richard Toth checks the tips of tree branches in anadian Forces Base Borden to see what the deer are feeding on When thev are hungrv theyll eat just about anything Weve seen quite few balsam trees where the ends of the branches are chewed oil This is sure sign they are in trouble because that is one of the last foods they will eat he said Examiner Photo Richard loth fish and wildlife management officer with the ministry of natural resources Siirlhurst shows the browse line where leer have been feeding An adult deer can reach six or seten feet up tree for feed once its feet are on solid ground Smaller younger deer lose out on thew feeding benefits by being shorter in reach This picture was taken on Cam dian Forces Base Borden property where the deer are in trouble due to lack of browse Six onsenation officers of the Base Rod and Gun Club have begun providing feed for the herd by cutting trees which once on the ground provide immediate food for all sizes of deer tExa miner Photo Jeanette Leslie ii Douglas lir Alliston recognized the train station in her home town and won pair of steaks courtesy of and Super Discount in Barrie or Angus If you think you know this weeks entry then send your name address and telephone number with your en try to Know Your ounty The Examiner Box 370 Barrie AM 4T6 Examiner Photo Ken Evans conservation officer with the ministry of natural resources office in Alliston shows two of the nine deer he found killed by dogs last week in West Gwillimbury Township As result of poor food conditions the deer are in weakened condition This added to the deep snow which the deer sink into while the dogs stay on top makes them easy prey Evans says most dog owners likely dont realize their dogs can become killers when out in the bush with other dogs Examiner Photo County deer herds finding food scarce The deer in Simcoe County are in trouble Deer herds which are far too large in number are having dif ficulty finding enough food to go around and are being hampered in their attempts to feed by deep snow Richard Toth Fish and Wildlife management officer who works out of the Ministry dont eat the woody part of cedar branch Toth says they prefer dogwmd and hard and soft maple but when they are hungry they will eat just about anything Weve seen quite few balsom trees where the end of the branches are chewed off This is sure sign the deer are in trouble Stories photos by Pat Guergis Examiner Staff Reporter of Natural Resources office at Midhurst says he is sure animals will be lost this winter due to starvation He said the herds in fanadian Forces Base Borden the Mines ing Swamp and Copelands pro perty in Medonte Township which are traditional winter ing areas for deer are the ones most severely affected The range in its present condition wont carry them through the winter They will just get weaker and weaker and once their energy is used up theyll curl up and die Toth said The deer feed on hardwood twigs and cedar leaves They POOR NITIIITION Poor nutrition becomes pro blem for those who might make it through the winter especial ly the does which are carrying spring lawns Deer need between five to seven pounds of browse per day tor close to bushel of twigs if they are starving one of the first signs will be aborted babies The babies of the previous spring will be the next to die because they cant com pete with the larger deer for food Adult deer can reach six to seven feet when standing on their hind feet and the smaller ieerlose out Merv Milson Angus who is deputy conservation director for the CFB Borden Rod and Gun Club and the ministry says the best way to help the deer is by cutting trees which will lay on the ground giving immediate feed Lt Bob Roseberry also conservation officer on the base has been cutting trees for the deer since December Every day when we cut trees and go back the next day all the feed is gone Toth says deer will starve on hay and that acorns or chestnuts make good substitute but are far too expen sive Deer lack certain type of bacteria in their stomachs which is required to break down the hay Deerkills by dogs is critical The number of deer killed in Simcoe County by dogs has reached the critical stage says Alex Smith fish and wildlife supervisor with the ministryof natural resources at Midhurst Harvesting deer one way of If you manage range and the herd year after year your herd wont get to the point where you have problem says Richard Toth Fish and Wildlife management officer hr the ministry of natural resources Midhurst Harvesting deer through an organized hunt is the best way to bring the herd numbers under control But municipalities in this and other areas are unwilling to allow deer hunts to take place unless they can have control over the number of hunters in volved At the present time there is no government legislation which would allow the control of numbers in one area with the exception of an enclosed area such as CFB Borden Toth says organized hunts are also important for the col lection of biological informa tion from the animals caught By this information the ministry could set standards by which to regulate hunts From the information we gained through the hunt held in TFB Borden this fall we can see we have been losing deer for the past two years by the lack of young leer brought in The only way we can obtain this kind of information which can be used for the management of healthy herd is through harvesting loth explained Besides the deep snow poachers dogs cars and to small extent snowmobilers take their toll Alex Smith fish and wildlife supervisor at Midhurst says between 100 and 150 deer are hit by cars each year in Simcoe County This is only the number turned in to us Some are hit and picked up before we hear of it and others make it in to the bush and die there DOGS BEtOME KILLERS Dogs usually tame and friendly on home territory become killers and gather in bunches to run down deer hampered by deep snow Being in weakened State from lack of food or lack of mtritional food the deer are otten easy prey floundering helplessly in snow which the dogs are light enough to stay on top of Snowmobilers who chase decr often dont realize the harm they are doing This weakens the deer making them easy prey for predators but also uses valuable energy which the animal needs to find food But Toth says not all the blame is with the snowmobilers the deer must take part of the blame The deer often get on used snowmobile paths because they are packed down making it easy for them to walk When snowmobile comes along they are reluctant to leave the path to jump into two or three feet of snow where they know they will have hard time moving about Poaching deer or hunting them out of season is illegal but is often practiced in the fall The animals are there to be shared and its poor way of let ting our natural resources be harvested loth said Merv Milson an Angus trapper inspects wolf skin after drying it on form overnight This one was shot in Adjala Township where it was reported to be bothering horses Milson the oxamlnor Tuuday Fob 28 1918 deputy conservation director of the Rod and Gun Club of Canadian Forces Base Borden and the ministry of natural resources says contrary to popular belief wolves seldom bother deer Theyll take off the odd fawn or maybe kill deer already weakened but they dont bother them very much he said Examiner Photo Not enough around RICHARD TOTII ALEX SMITH MAJ eoruiicn county calendar Acreage growth noted If the expansion of grain corn acreage in Ontario con tinues at the present rate it could reach two million acres by 1980 Fisher an economist with the ministry of agriculture and food in Chatham says that in the past five years grain corn acreage has increased by 37 per cent to reach an estimated 16 million acres in 1977 The 1977 acreage produced the third recordbreaking crop in row more than 154 million bushels at record average yield of 96 bushels per acre Fodder or silage corn acreage has also increased by 24 per cent from 700000 acres in 1973 to 865000 acres in 1977 Fisher predicts many of the acres now used for oats barley mixed grains hay and improved pasture will be converted to corn However in southern and western Ontario corn acreage will face strong competition from increasing soybean acreage in 1978 in all other areas of Ontario corn acreage is expected to increase Seed and Feed show The 1978 Seed and Feed Show will be held at the Elmvale Community Hall Friday from am to 345 pm Placement of entries by members of the North Simcoe Soil and Crop Improvement Association will take place Thur sday from to7130pm Winners of five sections which are made up of 34 classes will take home prize money donated by various local businesses Several speakers will talk on seed and feed topics during the afternoon Food forum in Barrie Barb McArthur and Jane Sills home economists for South and North Simcoe will combine talents with the women of the county involved in the ministry of agriculture and food courses to present Fashion Forum at the Consumers Gas Building Ferris Lane Wednesday The event is open to the public Food Forum will be held Thursday at Consumers Gas sponsored by the ministry Tricks with mix will be the theme The program which will begin at 130 pm is open to the pa ic Opinion poll for growers Agriculture and Food Minister Bill Newman has an munced that an opinion poll by asparagus producers will be held March in the ministrys field offices throughout the province Growers will be asked to consider whether grOWers should be included in the marketing lan whether the Asparagus Producers Marketing Boar shouid be empowered to determine the minimum price for asparagus for proce$ing and if they are in favor of establishing licence fee not to exceed $35 per acre 4mm emerfifvr