Blackthorne said:
Turkeys are a managed species. Management takes money. Training generates that money. As hunters, we pay for our privledge. The feds don't offer a goddamn cent, which is most likely why there isn't a course for ducks, as they fall under federal regs. Hunting and the WMU Wildlife Management process in Ontario is supported by hunter through tags and courses. There is no Federal or Provincial suppprt.
You may think the training is pointless, but I feel safer knowing that the other hunters in the woods with me in season have at least had some training.
Not everyone knows about the dangers inehrent with hunting turkeys, and I am POSITIVE we would have more fatalities here without the courses. And most likey more poached turkeys.
Then get the MNR to do the training. Their CO's will police this sport anyway. They should be teaching it to their letter of the law. As for funding and financing, I bet if they see how much they can make on new hunters, they just may start to direct some of these earnings into better forced migration of the bird so that EVERYONE in Southern and Central Ontario can hunt them, not just select WMU. I know that south of Thunder Bay more than 70% of the WMU's are ok to shoot turkey, but after 25 years, it should be better spread out.
If the OFAH is making such a killing on this (my grade school math works it out to an easy quarter million a year in courses) why not move some birds around the province to make it more evenly spread out and fair to everyone.
As you can see, I support the training. I don't support it being delivered in stadium seating with microphones for the attendees to use to be heard by the instructers. I don't support the (almost) non-stop delivery from the bevy of hosts on stage, and the blatant advertising throughout the seminar. If they are being paid by us, why take advertising dollars as well?? I don't think the MNR would do that.
I've taken both my PAL courses and my ONT hunting course and not once did any of my instructors break away from his/her delivery to make sure I knew how important it was to "JOIN TODAY" or "BUY NOW". My classes weren't 300 large as well, so there was opportunity for Q&A and feedback.
I knew what I was being taught and understood what I was being taught.
With the T-course, it was at the Fishing show, it was 6 hours long, and it was statium style seating. First come, first serve, with a line up a half hour long ourside the building.
HELL, the guy beside me didn't even speak english, but with a bit of help I managed to get him through the test with a translator! He passed, as did we all. The 20 questions were too easy. For a 6 or 8 hour course, I'd have expected more. My feeling was that I'd been robbed at gun point of my $35. The up side was that I managed to get an hour in at the fishing show for "free".
cs