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NWTF Canada working for turkey hunters

"With mild winters the last two years, turkey populations are expanding and prospects are great in all wildlife management units open to turkey hunting. Currently, about 80 percent of management units with suitable habitat are open to wild turkey hunting," said Mike Malhiot, MNR provincial wild turkey trap and transfer coordinator.

The better news, thanks to the National Wild Turkey Federation Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, is that wild turkey hunting opportunities are only going to improve.

This past winter, NWTF Canada helped the MNR trap and transfer more than 619 wild turkeys. The NWTF funded and coordinated the transfer of nearly half the birds, which came from the United States (57 from Michigan and 237 from New York). The MNR, with most of the funding coming from the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, trapped and transferred the remainder within the province. The transfer of wild turkeys will augment existing flocks, increase hunting opportunities in Ontario and help restore a species to its native habitat.

"We're on the brink of offering wild turkey hunting in all wildlife management units with suitable habitat," said Malhiot. Less than 20 years ago, Ontario had no wild turkey hunting and even no turkeys(an absence that dated all the way back to 1907). From 1984 to 1987, however, the NWTF helped the MNR transfer birds from several different northern states. In 1987, Ontario opened to limited turkey hunting, and since then, harvest numbers, including more than 1,900 last year, have continued to rise. Kevin Townsend, a resident of Wroxeter, Ont., and regional director for NWTF Canada, is on record as the first modern-day hunter to bag a wild turkey in Ontario.

"The wild turkey is one of the most exciting species I¹ve ever had the chance to hunt, and I thank the NWTF, MNR and OFAH for giving the people of Ontario the chance to hunt and enjoy this magnificent bird," said Townsend.

Today, the wild turkey population in Ontario is approaching 25,000 birds, and the MNR is planning to transfer birds at least another year or two. The wild turkey population and hunting opportunities are increasing and NWTF Canada, in only its third year, is laying the groundwork to fulfill its mission statement: the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of the hunting tradition.

This past spring, more than a dozen NWTF chapters throughout Ontario participated in Operation SOS. Now in its fourth year, Operation SOS is an NWTF tree-planting initiative in the northern range of the wild turkey. Last year, NWTF chapters in Ontario and seven states planted more than 106,000 trees through SOS. The trees are generally a mix that either provide shelter from winter cold or fruit that hangs on the tree through winter.

The NWTF Canada is also working to preserve Canada¹s rich hunting tradition. This past winter, the NWTF presented $25,000 to aid OFAH¹s hunting heritage programs. To learn more about NWTF Canada, contact Kevin Townsend, regional director, at 519-335-6893.