Ontario Turkey Hunting for an Alberta Boy?

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DerrickLee

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Edmonton Area
Hey guys I am just wondering if anyone knows any decent turkey outfitters in Ontario? Me and a buddy are looking to fly out there from Alberta this May to shoot some gobblers. Being as I have never even been to Ontario I don't really know where to start. We are looking for somewhere that preferably offers lodgings as well. Any other tips, requirements, costs, or resources you could point out would be great!
 
No idea about an "outfitter", but I'd say you wil probably want to focus your search in the southern half of Ontario.

Also in Ontario, along with your small game license, a seperate Turkey license is required - which includes a mandatory course one must attend. Check with your outfitter if they offer the course.

I would check with the OFAH (Ontario Federation of Anglers & Huinters) website ... I'm sure they will have a "yellow pages" section for outfitters, guides, etc..
 
IMagius said:
No idea about an "outfitter", but I'd say you wil probably want to focus your search in the southern half of Ontario.

Also in Ontario, along with your small game license, a seperate Turkey license is required - which includes a mandatory course one must attend. Check with your outfitter if they offer the course.

I would check with the OFAH (Ontario Federation of Anglers & Huinters) website ... I'm sure they will have a "yellow pages" section for outfitters, guides, etc..
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Mandatory course! What a load of crap huh?
Are they scared someone might mistake a turkey for a whooping crane?
Government bureacracy at it's finest. :rolleyes:
 
Actually, it's more about making sure we don't shoot each other :( Apparently stats say that dressing in full camo, and sounding like a turkey is a good way to have Fudd shoot you! But yes, it is a load of crap! I think ti was a way to slow the numbers of hunters in the first few years while the turkey population was sill building itself - along iwth recouping some of the costs of the repopulation program itself. If it was simpyl a way of recovering some of the money spent on bringing turkey back to Ontario, then I'm all for that!

Also, they do spend some time on how to identify males from females as only one ### (Male) is open in the spring hunt iirc.

Depending on when you want to hunt, and what you want to hunt for, I believe there is also a Fall Turkey Season in parts of Ontario now which allows a person to also hunt Females.

Haven't hunted Turkey in a coupleyears now, and the memory is a little vague, butI believe I have the seasons and ###es correct.
 
Order the DVD and write the test when you get here. Still have to pay the $35 EACH!!,can't share the DVD but saves you having to sit in a classroom all day. Soon as your done the 25 multiple choice qu's you can go to crappy tire and get your licence.
 
DerrickLee said:
Hey guys I am just wondering if anyone knows any decent turkey outfitters in Ontario? Me and a buddy are looking to fly out there from Alberta this May to shoot some gobblers. Being as I have never even been to Ontario I don't really know where to start. We are looking for somewhere that preferably offers lodgings as well. Any other tips, requirements, costs, or resources you could point out would be great!
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Do it yourself... we have filled every tag we had for the past six years. Do some scouting with a phone to area MNR offices, then hit the road and scout when you get here... when you spot birds, stop and ask the landowners for permmission... in our experience, you have a better than fifty/fifty shot of being granted permission... over the past six years, we have built up a ciruit of 20 properties to hunt on.

Just to whet your appetite... here's a pick from this past spring;

0803.jpg
 
IMagius said:
Also, they do spend some time on how to identify males from females as only one ### (Male) is open in the spring hunt iirc.
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Nope. Any bearded bird is legal, regardless of ###.

IMagius said:
Depending on when you want to hunt, and what you want to hunt for, I believe there is also a Fall Turkey Season in parts of Ontario now which allows a person to also hunt Females.
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This is true. Any bird is legal in the fall, beard or no beard.
 
Superbrad said:
Only toms and jakes are legal in the spring... Please read the regs before handing out advice...
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Any bearded bird is legal in spring. Although they do try to disuade you from shooting a bearded hen. You can't shoot a tom without a beard either btw. One of the members here posted about a big-ass tom he had to let walk because it had no beard.
 
gps said:
Sure. It's all right here.

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@fw/documents/document/239847.pdf

A bearded hen is legal in the spring.
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I apologize... you are correct....

The truth is that less than ten percent of hens have beards.... and they are legal in the spring.... my bad....

I often wondered why they phrased the regs that way.... now I know
 
Yes, Hens with a beard are Legal in the spring, but myself I would not take one as you don't know if you are killing it, or it and it's brood that year.

The "spirit" of the Regs is to take only Males in the Spring, but mother nature has her own plans and the regs were written to allow for that.
 
IMagius said:
Yes, Hens with a beard are Legal in the spring, but myself I would not take one as you don't know if you are killing it, or it and it's brood that year.

The "spirit" of the Regs is to take only Males in the Spring, but mother nature has her own plans and the regs were written to allow for that.
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I would feel horrible if I was dressing my bird and had to scoop an egg out of the cavity.... best do as I do and just harvest a mature tom that exhibits other tom properties rather than focusing on the beard....
 
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