Ontario controlled hunt 2026

wheelin_ca

wheelin_ca

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
19   0   0
Location
Simcoe County Ontario Canada
Who is doing the controlled hunt this year in S/O

I will be in 77B for wed-fri

Not much sign where I will be hunting, but ticks are definitely out, a hunting partner had 4 on him yesterday after scouting our spot,

Terrible deer weather, calling for warm, windy and rainy, how will that change your tactics this year?
Its my first controlled hunt since I missed the moose hunt this year.
 
I'll be heading out sporadically next week. There is a very nice buck for my area, in my "area" but I haven't caught him on trail cam in about a month. Haven't caught anything on cam is 2 weeks. This is the 4th year like this here, I'm leaning towards getting more serious about bow hunting for next season. Best of luck out there ladies and fellas!
 
90B December hunt for me.

Little to no insects
Avoids warm temperatures for drivers
Cold makes meat handling easier
Fewer hunters
More predictable deer patterns
Deer are much easier to spot

Most importantly, as I’m mainly a still hunter, snow makes tracking much easier. Without fresh tracks my style of hunting is quite difficult.



Good luck out there boys. Fill those freezers! 👍
 
156821 said:
Out of curiosity, why is it called a “controlled hunt”?
Click to expand...
In certain areas, a controlled hunt means only a specific number of tags are issued to manage hunter density, public safety, and local deer populations. Calibre restrictions may also be in effect in some areas as well. There isn't a controled hunt where I hunt, but there are restrictions on the number of antlerless (doe) tags available but none for bucks.
 
It's 10amish right now. You know it's warm when a squirrel has been asleep on a branch about 50' away from me for the last half hour. There is also apparently an active bees nest under my stand that I hadn't noticed til now, so theres more good news. Speaking of more good news, the farmers picked today to start combining corn but maybe that'll get something moving. Sure has been quiet around me all morning so far.
 
jlovie said:
It's 10amish right now. You know it's warm when a squirrel has been asleep on a branch about 50' away from me for the last half hour. There is also apparently an active bees nest under my stand that I hadn't noticed til now, so theres more good news. Speaking of more good news, the farmers picked today to start combining corn but maybe that'll get something moving. Sure has been quiet around me all morning so far.
Click to expand...

We talk to farmers to find out when they’re cutting corn and use the combine as a driver. Numerous times we’ve dropped multiple deer as the last bit of standing corn is knocked down and they make a beeline for the bush.

Many times they’ll make one or two passes along the bush beforehand to give clear shots. 👍


Speaking of small spots, don’t forget to check those tiny 1/2 acre pockets of bush. Between the rut and controlled hunt they’ll often tuck into these spots and lay low while most hunters casually walk by these spots where you’d never believe deer are hanging out.
 
valczer said:
View as I’m looking right now.

Yes, a bit too warm lol. Sitting in my hoodie with vest and pretty comfy…and waiting 😜

View attachment 1233118View attachment 1233119
Click to expand...

IMO you should be hunting that spot in the evening as few if any deer will come out to an open field to feed in the morning and midday. Even better, setup 25-50 yards inside the bush for the evening as they’ll often stage there before coming out closer to dark.

For a morning hunt on that field you’d want to sneak in approximately 75-100 yards and setup to intercept any deer heading back from feeding in that field overnight. If you setup there in the dark you would have spooked any deer in the field as you walked in.


I’ve just learned over the years that it’s practically pointless setting up like that for the morning.
 
canadian hunter312 said:
IMO you should be hunting that spot in the evening as few if any deer will come out to an open field to feed in the morning and midday. Even better, setup 25-50 yards inside the bush for the evening as they’ll often stage there before coming out closer to dark.

For a morning hunt on that field you’d want to sneak in approximately 75-100 yards and setup to intercept any deer heading back from feeding in that field overnight. If you setup there in the dark you would have spooked any deer in the field as you walked in.


I’ve just learned over the years that it’s practically pointless setting up like that for the morning.
Click to expand...
Hey, all are very valid points and I appreciate the input 🙂.

This spot is my favourite beside the honey hole but that is taken by my buddy who allows me to hunt on his and his neighbours farms.

This spot produced good results over the years. Deer here comes out from the bush and the corn to graze in the open field…this year it is winter wheat.

Deer here also likes to travel between the fence lines from field to field, having said all that…it is 19 Celsius…very nice weather to be outside but it bites as far as hunting weather. 😄

Btw…the farmer started harvesting the corn field diagonally from me. I am not sure If he is doing just the headland or the entire field. I hope this will direct the deer my way 🤞🏻

Cheers,
 
canadian hunter312 said:
We talk to farmers to find out when they’re cutting corn and use the combine as a driver. Numerous times we’ve dropped multiple deer as the last bit of standing corn is knocked down and they make a beeline for the bush.

Many times they’ll make one or two passes along the bush beforehand to give clear shots. 👍


Speaking of small spots, don’t forget to check those tiny 1/2 acre pockets of bush. Between the rut and controlled hunt they’ll often tuck into these spots and lay low while most hunters casually walk by these spots where you’d never believe deer are hanging out.
Click to expand...
Working in pairs we will push those little pockets of bush, one pusher zig-zagging through and the other setup about 75 yards back with the wind in his face.
We’ve worked the smallest willow patches inside stubble fields here in North-East AB, some only 100’ across or in diameter, and have had multiple whitetails scrambling out!

Spending a little time glassing those patches for any movement using binoculars or spotting scopes that let you focus at varying depths help catch tiny movements. Ears or antlers have been what I spot the most and for the new hunters “Always be looking for horizontal lines in the vertical landscape of bush.”
 
Duramax6.6 said:
Working in pairs we will push those little pockets of bush, one pusher zig-zagging through and the other setup about 75 yards back with the wind in his face.
We’ve worked the smallest willow patches inside stubble fields here in North-East AB, some only 100’ across or in diameter, and have had multiple whitetails scrambling out!

Spending a little time glassing those patches for any movement using binoculars or spotting scopes that let you focus at varying depths help catch tiny movements. Ears or antlers have been what I spot the most and for the new hunters “Always be looking for horizontal lines in the vertical landscape of bush.”
Click to expand...

It’s great fun finding deer in spots where “deer will never be” just to prove the naysayers in the group wrong. Even more fun putting the bad shooters, often the same guys as above, as blockers so you can set them up for very easy shots that you know they’ll miss so you can really grind their gears 🤣

Good tips on glassing and looking for things that don’t belong in order to spot deer. Many times just stopping for a couple minutes will make them nervous and expose otherwise invisible deer.
 
valczer said:
Hey, all are very valid points and I appreciate the input 🙂.

This spot is my favourite beside the honey hole but that is taken by my buddy who allows me to hunt on his and his neighbours farms.

This spot produced good results over the years. Deer here comes out from the bush and the corn to graze in the open field…this year it is winter wheat.

Deer here also likes to travel between the fence lines from field to field, having said all that…it is 19 Celsius…very nice weather to be outside but it bites as far as hunting weather. 😄

Btw…the farmer started harvesting the corn field diagonally from me. I am not sure If he is doing just the headland or the entire field. I hope this will direct the deer my way 🤞🏻

Cheers,
Click to expand...

If you have had good luck sitting in an open field in the mornings, you’d see more and bigger deer if you setup inside the bush line. 😉

Using those fencerows is an excellent strategy for getting the deer to go where you want. They’re a blessing during the controlled hunt and overlooked by most hunters.



I didn’t see many hunters out before/after work today. Didn’t see a single deer moving either. Warm weather probably has them locked down as the fat reserves they’ve been building all summer/fall don’t really help them out much in these warm temps….
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom