Turkey
hunting just
got less
complicated
Early catches
hook the
angler
SEASON OPENING BRINGS
BACK MEMORIES
AT LEAST IN ONTARIO’S
LICENSING
WHEN SNOW starts
to melt, thoughts switch
from coyote hunting or
ice fishing to shooting
wild turkeys, which isn’t
that far away. And it just
got easier.
Late in 2016, the
Ministry of Natural
BRIAN
Resources and Forests
HOULE
consulted the hunting
public about some possible changes to turkey
hunting in Ontario. Officially as of Jan. 1, 2017,
those changes came about.
Rejoice! Current hunters will now have the
turkey licence rolled in with the purchase of a
small game licence. New hunters will now have
turkey hunting built into the hunter education
course. This eliminates the need for a daylong
turkey course at an additional fee. So this move
saves time and money.
Hunters have long (and heatedly) discussed
the one-day course, seeing it as an unnecessary
money grab. When turkeys were first introduced
back in the 1980s, Queen’s Park promised the
course would someday be eliminated, and that
day is finally here.
On another regulatory front, hunters had
hoped that a spring seal would carry over to
the fall, but that rule didn’t change. It’s still a
maximum of two seals for a bearded turkey (not
used on the same day) in the spring and one
seal in the fall – either sex. At $31.45 per seal, it
seems silly to not carry it over, but not yet.
Hunters also now have the choice of #7 shot
in addition to #3, #4 or #5. I prefer #4. It’s had
great range for me and hits turkeys hard. I do my
best to shoot turkeys inside of 30 yards, but I’ve
had one over 50 yards and another at 63 with
pancaked dead-on-the-spot results. Tests were
done which concluded that #7 shot will have
a fatal impact. This saves money because you
don’t have to buy additional ammunition if you
have leftover bird shot.
www.fishhuntandride.ca
Author Brian Houle shares the thrill
of the hunt with his kids.
Bow hunters in WMUs with an existing fall
turkey gun season should also be excited because
there’s now a 30-day bow fall season from Oct.
1–31. The draw length and minimum draw weight
requirements are the same as deer (verify with the
latest regulations book before you head out). This
is an exciting opportunity because the difficulty of
shooting a turkey with a bow is higher than using
a shotgun. Anyone bow hunting deer should be
aware that for turkey hunting you can’t be within
400 metres (or yards) of fresh bait or within seven
days of it being laid out.
Hunters have also pined for a weekend opening
day, when most people are not working. It’s
previously been the Monday on or after April 25.
But you can now mark that date on your calendar
every year because it is now the fixed opening
morning. The way the seasons started previously
caused confusion because it wasn’t a set date like
rifle hunting for deer which we know is always the
first Monday in November. Hunters have told me
they planned to head out on the weekend before
opening morning, and were baffled that the
season wasn’t open yet.
I’ve been out scouting at first light on pre-
opening-day weekends and heard shotgun blasts.
Maybe it was something else, but the timing
was just way too coincidental – especially when
some folks don’t want to use a precious vacation
weekday for opening morning. At least the change
will result in a weekend opening day every few
years (the first one coming in 2020).
The most important fact is the season is right
around the corner. Get out there scouting! Arriving
before first light helps pinpoint where they’re
roosting and returning right before dark can
confirm those findings.
And by the way, scouting is a way to get kids
involved in the outdoors, on the principle of
“teach ’em young.” Gobble gobble!
IT TAKES JUST
ONE FISH to ignite a
love affair with sport
fishing, and for me it
began with walleye.
A family friend
took my brother and
I to walleye trolling
in childhood. We visited his lodge each summer and
fishing was the highlight. Then came the walleye derby
in my hometown, Napanee, which really came alive on
ASHLEY
that fishing weekend. My parents were not into fishing
RAE
themselves, but took my brother and I to the big event
each spring along the Napanee River. We watched
boats, anglers and fish coming in, and of course the big tank displaying the
winning catches.
Fast forward to 2008, when I fished the Kiwanis Walleye World Derby
for the first time with a couple of friends I’d met in high school. It’s not the
same derby as Napanee’s years ago (it’s no longer running), but an event
going into its 37th year on the Bay of Quinte, attracting around 5,000 anglers.
Headquarters are in Trenton with weigh stations throughout the Bay. Napanee
still lights up with boats at this time, like many neighbouring communities. It’s
become a tradition.
The event begins at one minute past midnight on the first Saturday in May
and runs until the Sunday at 4 p.m. Anglers can fish anytime day or night in
adult competing in adult and junior categories for walleye and northern pike.
In addition there have been hidden weight categories as well as tagged fish in
the past. Boat, motor, and trailer packages are the big prizes.
The first year I fished the event with two friends, Neal, and Justin. We
headed out at midnight in Neal’s boat and stuck it out through rain and cold.
Fishing was slow, but we were determined. A few hours after sunrise, we were
still trolling but planning on heading to shore for a few hours sleep.
Until I hooked into something on my old Canadian Wiggler. Neal thought
I was snagged on bottom, as my rod was not moving at all. But once the
headshakes began, chaos ensued, and we had forgotten our net! A nearby
angler saw the commotion, docked up to Neal’s boat, hopped in and netted the
fish for me.
To add to the excitement, a couple conservation officers pulled up to check
out the fish and snap some photos. They said it was the biggest catch they’d
seen all day, which got me even more amped up. At that time, it was my
biggest walleye ever!
We put it in the live well and headed off to the weigh station, which seemed
an eternity away. During the ride, I called my dad, grandma, and a few others
to share the news. We pulled up to the dock, I took the fish to the weigh
station, and it registered 8.5 pounds. Although it didn’t make the leader
board, I felt like I had won a million bucks. I was hooked on the derby forever.
Over the years I fished with friends in their boats until I became a boat
owner myself. I’ve spent some years targeting walleye, and others targeting
pike when windy weather kept me off the big water.
By now you should know that I’m excited for this annual derby, but this
year is special. It’ll be the first event in my new deep-V Alumacraft (the T-Pro
185). My old boat was bass boat style, and I’m looking forward to getting back
to targeting walleye this time around. I can now handle windier conditions
and have more shelter under the Bimini top if needed. This boat is set up for
trolling and I caught nice walleye out on the Bay this past fall.
It’s wild to think that one snagged line turning into an 8.5-pound walleye
could have the kind of impact it had on me. It only goes to show how important
it is to pass the sport on to others. Take someone fishing, and good luck on
this year’s opening weekend.
FISH , HUNT RIDE | 5