OFAH FILE: 842 | For Immediate Release |
Expanded wild turkey opportunities one step closer
Wild turkey hunt/management plan and regulations posted on EBR
It was slow in coming, but the much-anticipated fall turkey hunting season, and the proposed Wild Turkey Management Plan and regulations are now posted on the provincial Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) Registry for public comment.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.) is pleased that the updated Wild Turkey Management Plan and regulations include a new fall hunting season in Ontario. Under current regulation there is only a spring season on wild turkeys. The new regulation also proposes additional spring hunting opportunities.
It was under former Ministry of Natural Resources (M.N.R.) Minister David Ramsay’s watch that the update was initiated, and the O.F.A.H. is happy that the province will see the benefit of his hard work. “The wild turkey population is thriving. A fall hunting season is the best way to manage the resource and provide the economic boost that hunting means to many communities,” said Mike Reader, Executive Director of the O.F.A.H. “Former Minister David Ramsay deserves a lot of the credit for the new turkey hunting opportunities and the updated Wild Turkey Management Plan.”
The O.F.A.H. initiated the highly successful program to bring back the extirpated eastern wild turkey to Ontario in 1984. The M.N.R. established a hunting season in 1987, and as the turkey population grew, hunting opportunities have increased. Current estimates place Ontario’s turkey population at over 70,000 birds and growing.
The O.F.A.H. is still awaiting an indication from new M.N.R. Minister Donna Cansfield that the government intends to keep its earlier commitment to establish a wild turkey population on Manitoulin, something that was promised by all three parties during the last provincial election.
The EBR posting on the proposed Wild Turkey Management Plan and regulations will remain open for public comment for 46 days. Comments may be made online or to the M.N.R. between January 18 and March 4. The EBR, reference #010-2424, can be found by clicking here..
With over 83,000 members and 655 member clubs, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is the leading fishing, hunting and conservation organization in Ontario.
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Contact
| Lezlie Goodwin O.F.A.H. Communications Coordinator (705) 748-6324 |
Greg Farrant Manager of Government Relations & Communications (705) 748-6324 Cell: (705) 875-0274 |
Click here to download the PDF version of this release
Related Links
- O.F.A.H. response to EBR #010-2424 Wild Turkey Management Plan for Ontario, 2007
- O.F.A.H. response to EBR #010-2429: Amendments to implement a fall hunting season for wild turkeys
- Public Asked to Comment on Wild Turkey Plan
- EBR #010-2424: Wild Turkey Management Plan for Ontario, 2007
- EBR #010-2429: Amendments to Regulations under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 to implement a fall hunting season for wild turkeys, and establish open seasons for spring and fall hunting of wild turkeys in specific Wildlife Management Units