# Episode 136: A Former MNR Biologist Explains Why Wildlife Counts Are Never Simple

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/under-the-canopy-6490121/episode-136-a-former-mnr-biologist-explains-why-wildlife-counts-are-never-simple.md
Podcast: [Under the Canopy](https://stenobird.com/podcast/under-the-canopy-6490121)
Published: 2026-03-16T14:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2221923/episodes/18846665-episode-136-a-former-mnr-biologist-explains-why-wildlife-counts-are-never-simple.mp3
Audio file: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2221923/episodes/18846665-episode-136-a-former-mnr-biologist-explains-why-wildlife-counts-are-never-simple.mp3
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Duration seconds: 5103

## Resource

Counting wildlife sounds like a spreadsheet problem until you try doing it over millions of hectares of bush, broken habitat, bad weather, and animals that do not want to be seen. We sit down with Bruce Ranta, a former Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources biologist, to pull back the curtain on how population estimates really get made and why “the number” is often a best-guess built from multiple imperfect signals. If you’ve ever wondered how the province decides on moose tags, elk harvest le...

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## Transcript

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