CANADA: ONTARIO - EASTERN WILD TURKEY HUNT

Ontario’s spring Turkey hunting season opens in late April and closes at the end of May. Anytime during the open spring season is an excellent time to pursue these birds.

-Additional Eastern Wild Turkey: Hunters may only take a maximum of x2 turkeys per season.
- Fishing: Half-day spring add-ons possible ( conditions permitting).

Arrive in time to confirm your licensing with the outfitter, pattern the gun, shoot the bow, or head out to roost birds for the morning, which comes early. Hunters are set up in pre-scouted locations before dawn. As Turkeys begin gobbling, excitement surges, and hunters know they are in the right area! Hunt with your local guide or the outfitter himself, with a proven and deadly array of calling and decoy tips and tactics to lure these aggressive love-sick Toms into shotgun or archery range. The mid-mornings are spent calling and playing cat and mouse with big old long beards, often translating to some pretty awesome spring turkey action.

Break for a hearty brunch, either tailgate picnic style in the hunting area or at a local diner. Continue hunting in the afternoon as needed. Ontario regulations only allow x1 wild Turkey to be taken per hunter per day, but this only helps one savor the experience, allowing hunters to do it all over again the next day! Legal hours for Wild Turkey hunting in Canada extend to 7pm each evening, which facilitates roosting Turkeys unmolested again for the following morning.

Most clients use the outfitter's shotgun rentals for Ontario Turkey hunts, which are already included in the Turkey hunting package price. Turkey shotguns are 12 gauge, usually semi-automatic and camouflaged with an extra full choke, shooting 3 - 3.5 inch heavy 4.5 or 6 shot loads.

Archery hunting is legal in Ontario and welcomed if desired, for those wishing to increase the challenge of the Turkey hunt. Vertical archers tend to bring their own equipment, while crossbows can, at times, be rented at no charge if desired.

Central Ontario is a transitional region surrounded by great lakes. Rolling fertile agricultural land with deciduous woodlots and farmsteads, giving rise to the hilly southern boreal forest, dominated by conifers and small lakes. Most Turkey hunting areas are in farm country, with a good mix of classic Turkey habitat. Crop fields, hardwood ridges, and low-lying cedar swamps. Several prominent rivers also carve their way through this landscape, providing forested ravines in addition to the various more isolated hardwood stands. In all, it’s the perfect wild turkey habitat, physically easy, and very huntable terrain.

Weather while spring season Wild Turkey hunting in Canada is generally pleasant. Late April and May are lovely times to head afield. Temperatures below the freezing mark would be very rare on an Ontario Turkey hunt. Expect cooler mornings that warm up as the sun climbs in the sky. Later season will be warmer and more vegetated, which has its advantages (such as providing hunters with cover while stalking), compared to early season when the trees, fields and bushes are still bare. Rain is not overly common, nor are mosquitos, but always best to prepare for both.

This is a 3-day Ontario Turkey hunt with 4 nights’ accommodation included in the Turkey hunting package price. Our hunters typically stay in a nice, rural, home-style lodge on the edge of farm country, located in or near a small, quaint country town. Many Wild turkey hunting locations are conveniently within a 15-30 minutes’ drive to minimize commuting time. Hunters often have their own bedrooms or bathrooms, indoor and outdoor common lounge areas, phone service, Wi-Fi, and a complete kitchen with a continental-style breakfast and fully catered meals. The area is well poised for other regional activities, such as cottaging, hiking, or ecotourism side ventures, if desired.

Enjoy a quick but satisfying continental-style breakfast to get hunters out in the field before dawn. The lodge will have a full kitchen that will be stocked with classic breakfast items like cereal, toast, hard-boiled eggs, pastries, yogurt, fruit, coffee, tea, and juice. Lunches are occasionally at a local diner, but often hefty homemade packed lunches are brought out with hunters, either in a nice picnic spot or in the field waiting on a stubborn gobbler. Dinners are filling, home-cooked, and catered. With a revolving menu of gourmet burgers, grilled pork loin, steaks, sausages, salmon, or pasta dishes with sides like potatoes, rice, coleslaw, with freshly baked buns and desserts. Snacks are available anytime, and clients are welcome to bring their own beer, wine or liquor. No one goes hungry while Wild Turkey hunting with us in Canada.

Destination City: The Ontario Turkey hunting areas are located within a 1-2 hours’ drive of either Toronto or Ottawa. Hunters are welcome to drive to the lodge, or otherwise arrive at the respective airport, where they will be greeted by the outfitters shuttle service, or make arrangements for a rental car and drive to camp.

Travel Suggestions: The international airports in both Toronto and Ottawa are easily reached by many North American airline providers, often offering direct flights with no connections. Niagara Falls and Ogdensburg NY, are the closest border crossing if driving to Toronto or Ottawa, with the Thousand Islands crossing being equidistant.

Basic meat or trophy preparations are done by the outfitter or his guides after any successful hunt. Turkey meat is deboned, and tail fans, beards, and spurs can be carefully removed, labeled, and frozen upon a client’s request. If wishing for life-size turkey taxidermy, there are several local taxidermists, as well as the world-acclaimed Advanced Taxidermy Studios nearby, focusing on high-end products. Advanced Taxidermy oversees all aspects of domestic and international shipments. They can certify, crate, and deliver trophies to a shipping agent or expeditor in Toronto to be shipped internationally. Turnaround time for life-size mounts is approximately 12 months.

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