It is staggering the increase in the number of hunters taking the safety course, as well as the number of birds harvested. It is a catch 22 for sure. Increasing the number of hunters is most defintley a good thing. The more "average joes" who get out there, the better positioned we are to influence the government on issues that affect our hunting heritage.

We do however have a greater responsibility in managing the process. I had not considered the roosting issue Adrian mentioned. On the issue of roost shooting I will say that in Southern Ontario where I took the course it was mentioned numerous times about this being highly unethical and NOT the way to turkey hunt. It was such a key point I came across everywhere when learning this new form of hunting that it almost has made me think it IS illegal. That is a good thing I suppose.


I am not so naive, however, as to think that the there is a number of hunters out there who after being unsuccessful for a period of time may justify the action by saying "well, it is legal ya know!" With this in mind it seems to be a no brainer to make roost shooting illegal.

I understand the point of access as well. The only thing that kept me out of the turkey bush for 2 yrs following my safety course was finding access to land. I wanted a spot to call my own and go whenever I wanted. That was not any easy thing to find. Public land down here is very little and certainly haven't found any spots with a huntable turkey population. You can't argue however the growth of the Ontario flock. Roost shooters and all, it is growing. Acknowledged that we must not allow poor decisions which will reverse this trend. We also know the likelyhood of our fine governement ever changing and admitting they are wrong. If Adrian is right and the flock population begins to suffer I won't hold my breath on quick action being taken to correct a decline.


That brings us full circle to the first point. With more hunters we have more control on the issues hopefully. Organizations like OFAH and COHA need a strong voice. With that voice we will be heard. I would love to have access to more land which happens with less competition from more hunters but bigger picture the more I come across other turkey hunters like myself, the better I feel about the voice we have. We all know there is only one reason they are back in Ontario in the first place. HUNTERS! We, through the various organizations and our individual dollars are 100% responsible for the huntable turkey population. We CAN have a voice to protect it!

With this in mind I am drafting a letter to the minister asking for a change to make roost shooting illegal AND requesting a further review of the new all day hunts. If the poulation suffers we need to take steps to control it. As potential tourists, our American nieghbours have a huge voice as well. I encourage all of you to express concerns to the minster on the issue but most importantly all the Ontario hunters out there should send a note.