(Ontario) Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, Section 31 "Nuisance Wildlife"

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(Ontario) Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, Section 31 "Nuisance Wildlife"

Hey guys~I'm an avid varmint hunter primarily (groundhogs here in Ontario, gophers out west when the opportunity presents itself) and dabble a little in coyote...and grouse in the fall when time allows. I am licensed, and have been for some time...but I was recently asked by a farmer friend of mine to get rid of some nuisance turkeys. He first asked me about this last summer, when I was roaming around with my .223....saying there were more than 8 of them feeding in his peas (large field) every morning. He asked me to shoot any I see on sight, but I said I'd have to check into the legality of that sort of thing. In all honesty, I didn't know what to tell him..but I sure wasn't planning on shooting any out of season with a rifle! The subject never came up again until this past Saturday, when he offered to pay me to shoot them. I've read that farmers have a pretty wide range of "options" when dealing with animals threatening their livelihood, but I didn't (and don't) know whether or not a licensed hunter they know can be appointed as an "agent" to do that sort of thing.

I did a little reading up on the topic, the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act section #31 and about all I took from that is that I'd need to contact the MNR. My question is this~have any of you ever been asked to deal with "Nuisance" animals like turkeys in Ontario, and what was required of you? What did the MNR say when you called...and would ANY MNR office be able to answer the question? Would it need to be directed to the closest, area MNR office? I've yet to even take a turkey course...but it's on the list of things to do this winter as I was hoping to start in the spring anyway. However, I'm pretty sure that;

1. The farmer wants more than 1 of them gone, and,
2. He doesn't want to see a different face show-up at his farm every day

I will call the MNR regardless of the replies I get here in this thread, but without an answer that satisfies my concerns 110%, I'm afraid I can't help this farmer out. Clearly, there are no peas being bothered in the middle of December, but he told me they're still hanging around.

I look forward to any insight, and, if there are any COs that poke around this forum...please chime in.

Thanks!
 
The farmer can appoint you as his agent.... but I strongly advise you to contact the MNR to ensure that this is all done above board...

A couple of ways this can go wrong:

1- The farmer sees them as nuisance and the MNR does not ie. insignificant crop damage
2- You get "caught" and the farmer pleads ignorance ie. "I didn't ask him to do it"

Best CYA and get everything in writing.....
 
Nuisance animals are dispatched every day, unless it is a protected creature I highly doubt the MNR will have an issue with it. Several bears, coons, coyotes etc....are permanently and decisively removed the property here every year. Danger to livelihood and personal safety.

as for turkeys? If they are doing damage, either the MNR will remove them, or the farmer can deal with them. I am betting it will be the latter.
 
I'd call the MNR like you plan to do. Keep in mind, that you may be required to report the harvest and likely you might even have to submit the carcass. You should be hunting turkey in the spring and fall on this property. That's up to three a year, with one being a hen in the fall.
 
I used to belong to a fish/game club in Ottawa.

We were on MNR's list of clubs that would deal with pests/crop damaging animals etc.

We were mostly called upon to take care of Canada Geese that were "wolfing down" on corn fields. Since these were migratory birds, the Feds had to be involved as an extra step.

There was a bunch of co-ordination and rules.

The farmer had to call Ag Canada and get a determination that YES, the geese were destroying crops.

The FARMER would then contact MNR who contacted us. We had to get a landowner agreement signed and a waiver that we wouldn't hold the farmer liable for basically anything. If us and the farmer came to terms, then the MNR would authorize the cull.

And it was "a cull" - we had to shoot every goose we saw. We had to leave them in the fields where they fell - no taking them home, donating to food banks, nada - there could be no slant of any kind that they were being "hunted".

Out here in Eastern Ontario, at least my piece, deer are a problem. It used to be that a farmer could "pop a deer" that was getting into his barn, crops etc, give the MNR (now MNRF) a call and simply report that he shot a "pest deer" - the MNR would log it and everyone would carry on.

This year a few that have been doing this for many years have told me personally that after the first deer was shot and the called that the MNR came out and confiscated the carcass. They further stated that the farmers were to call "before hand" and that under no circumstance could they keep the carcass - it would be picked up on each/every occasion. (and if they fail to call/report it then it's no longer pest control, it's poaching).

So before I did anything I would have the farmer contact the MNR and get something in writing (between him/them, even if it's just an email), then you contact them with his information and confirm it's "ok" if they give him the go.

Otherwise, you might be walking home from his farm after the MNRF confiscates your vehicle, gun and equipment for "poaching".
 
This scenario is so common. Landowners that don't have any interest in wildlife. Too bad. Some people like myself have invested well into 100k to protect wildlife and habitat. Clearly landowners wouldn't think wildlife to be a nuisance if they could charge money for hunters to harvest it. I would gladly pay for the 2 bushels of lost peas plus a premium to hunt. Guess folks have differing views on environmental stewardship. Obviously if wildlife has no value it will be viewed as a cost and therefore will have to be reduced to increase profit margins from an economic perspective. Kill all the turkeys because you lost $12 in peas...
Jeff
 
Not sure about Ontario, but here some farmers are just not giving permission to hunt there property. When I hear them whining about crop and bale damage from deer and elk, I just laugh. My heart bleeds purple pi$$ for them, especially after I have been denied a chance to hunt there and possibly help reduce some damage.
 
Thanks guys~lots to consider. I should say (in case it didn't seem obvious already) that I have zero desire to shoot a pile of turkeys for the heck of it. Far from it. In fact, the desire to hunt them for sport/consumption has been welling-up for some time...but some losses in the family in recent years have put those plans on the back-burner. Hope to be up and running in the spring.

With respect to these nuisance turkeys and the request from the farmer~I'll contact the area MNR and see what's involved...and make sure I take some of the suggested measures outlined here to protect myself. I feel I owe him that much. While I'm not a farmer myself, I spend almost every minute of my free time ON farms...and spend a great deal of time talking to farmers. Every one of them seem to have a healthy respect for wildlife provided they don't interfere with crops, equipment, buildings, feed, etc. The moment a wild animal starts to compromise any of those, their opinion changes fast. (understandably) Turkeys in this part of Ontario are very common and in the spring, I've had to stop the truck on back roads just to avoid hitting a bunch of them. Some seem to be losing a fear of humans too...which seems very strange.

Anyhow, thanks for chiming in guys...and please continue to chime in.
 
Yea as it seems lately farmers (most) are in it for money and not the love of animals and land stewardship. Specifically I see pretty much every field now in southern Ontario being tiled and sent to drainage pond ditch etc. Seems they are all doing what the Americans have now done. Alus doesn't seem to be working in a large percentage at all. And now so many liberal city people whom know nothing about conservation and animals are buying all of the lands up because they're the only ones that can afford it.

Like said call the MNR turkey is a very soft spot as it took years and years to bring them back and like said a few peas aren't worth destroying that success story.
 
Scamaniac said:
8 turkeys feeding in a large field? That's certainly serious and unusual lol. I doubt there will be any legal cull. Wait for April 25th.
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Exactly this! Hunt the birds when they are in season. Thats 3 tags that can be filled legally and you'll get to enjoy the spoils of your hunt. I have permission to hunt pigeons on a farm and this request comes up almost monthly. And we're not talking 8 turkeys, we're talking about 50. To keep the land owner happy, I say let me see what i can do. I continue to hunt the pigeons, which is my reason for being there, and after a few gun shots, the turkeys mysteriously disappear. I make sure to buy tags and pursue turkey in the open season, but that is it! As for the land owner, well he's none the wiser. He hears gun shots, doesnt see turkeys for a few days, and is gratefull that Im doing a bang up job! Everyone is happy, including the turkey's. Well, i guess the pigeons get the raw end of the deal
 
Winchested said:
Yea as it seems lately farmers (most) are in it for money and not the love of animals and land stewardship. Specifically I see pretty much every field now in southern Ontario being tiled and sent to drainage pond ditch etc. Seems they are all doing what the Americans have now done. Alus doesn't seem to be working in a large percentage at all. And now so many liberal city people whom know nothing about conservation and animals are buying all of the lands up because they're the only ones that can afford it.

Like said call the MNR turkey is a very soft spot as it took years and years to bring them back and like said a few peas aren't worth destroying that success story.
Click to expand...

I don't disagree with most of that, but if what farmers tell me is true (and I don't see why it wouldn't be) most are running very close to the line as it is. Again, not saying I agree/disagree with this particular guy's desire to see these turkeys gone, but it's not hard to imagine how frustrating it would be to see a young pea field being munched on every day by a roving pack of turkeys. lol He'd rather see them just leave...but they seem intent on staying. With the mild winter unfolding here, he's also concerned that their numbers might very well be greater by next year. I can tell you...there will be at least a couple less harvested the proper way, and I'll extend an invitation to one of my buddies I hunt groundhogs with as well.

1963beretta said:
Exactly this! Hunt the birds when they are in season. Thats 3 tags that can be filled legally and you'll get to enjoy the spoils of your hunt. I have permission to hunt pigeons on a farm and this request comes up almost monthly. And we're not talking 8 turkeys, we're talking about 50. To keep the land owner happy, I say let me see what i can do. I continue to hunt the pigeons, which is my reason for being there, and after a few gun shots, the turkeys mysteriously disappear. I make sure to buy tags and pursue turkey in the open season, but that is it! As for the land owner, well he's none the wiser. He hears gun shots, doesnt see turkeys for a few days, and is gratefull that Im doing a bang up job! Everyone is happy, including the turkey's. Well, i guess the pigeons get the raw end of the deal
Click to expand...

Well, hopefully...this is how things will unfold. Oddly enough...I'm the resident "pigeon guy" for some of these area farms myself. :) That I have no issues with, the turkey situation doesn't sit that easy with me.
 
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