Nuisance Wild Turkey Removal Authorizations

[Rick Teal]

I'm a member of the Grenville Fish and Game Club (GF&GC), and this has come to our attention chiefly through the efforts of one of our members - Darcy Alkerton. In his letters, Darcy is recommending certain actions with respect to this problem that I'd appreciate it if you'd all consider joining in as well.

Subject: Fw: Nuisance Wild Turkey Removal Authorizations


Hi everyone

Well I received a call this AM from Deb Stetson about this issue and she assures me that there has not been any permits issued and that they will not be issued with out a inspection of damage to the concerned properties. She asked me to contact Alex Gardner, the DM at Kemptville which I did and he confirmed her statement. Mr. Gardner was very supportive of his staff at Kemptville and very knowledgeable about what was happening.I still have a problem with even the thoughts of a nuisance turkey permit. If these are ever issued it is strictly for $ and not for the control if needed at all.
Sarah Baker called me and informed me that she has never given support to any issues regarding the nuisance turkeys and asked if I could send an e-mail to everyone to insure this and to try control the amount of calls coming into her office in regards to this topic. She stated that all callers were very professional and polite but was over whelmed with calls. She did however research our concerns and stated there has been no permits issued and they will not be until a crop damage inspection has been completed. She understands the importance of our topic and if I ever make her phone # public she would like to be informed first. I would have if we had time, but this development was going to be in place the same way that the DRAs were enforced. Peterborough MNR gave the OK for these DRA permits which should have never happened. The nuisance farmer has made a statement in the Ottawa Citizen but has not been published yet. Wonder what he is going to state when he finds out that we are standing up to him and his BS? Mike Gatt never called me back so I cannot state his views but Karen Belamy was in his position when she approved the DRAs and maybe he is the one that has caused great concerns in what is happening in eastern Ontario. Vanderspank did use his name and Stetson as his contacts in Peterborough. I believe that these are the people we should be watching and making sure they let our local MNR manage our area. I have asked Scott Smithers to give me a statement on this topic and if there is any issuing of DRAs and WTRAs, we want to know and not at the last second which happened this past week. The nuisance farmer could not keep quiet and leaked out his acheivement before he obtained it. Even NWTF members did not know of the nuisance farmer wanting permits. I found out from the reporter at CBC when he was at my house less than 2 weeks ago. He went from my place to Spanky's for the interview. As soon as I receive a statement from Scott I will forward it to all.
I think that anyone that cares and has the time should e-mail Deb Stetson and Mike Gatt about this issue and how they feel about the DRA in regards to such a harsh winter. There e-mails are posted at the bottom of this page.

To everyone that has called, Thank you. You were probably put off and told that this was not close to being permitted but that is not correct. I asked you to respond quickly to stop Peterborough MNR and make sure that Vanderspanks's request did not get passed and we did stop it. Now we have to be organized to face him if he shows up at Kemptville and keep everyone aware of what is happening. I will keep in touch as soon as I receive anymore info.

Again make sure to forward this to your contacts to advise of our progress and proceed with e-mails about our concerns.

Thanks for supporting our wildlife and the future of the Wild Turkeys in Eastern Ontario!

Darcy Alkerton


Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 8:17 AM

Subject: Nuisance Wild Turkey Removal Authorizations


Good morning everyone and Happy St.Patrick's Day

As many of you have heard, Friday the Peterborough MNR staff told Mr. Vanderspank(A nuisance farmer from Lanark) that he was going to be issued Wild Turkey Removal Authorizations(WTRA). This is terrible news for our turkey population in Eastern Ontario! This farmer is bragging how he can manipulate MNR in Peterborough and does not have to have any inspections from MNR in Kemptville to obtain these permits. He has also related to women in office not fighting him and being more lenient (puppets) to accepting his comments on problems that seem to only be occurring on his farm. He is also stating that he does not have to let MNR on his property anymore to obtain the 80 Deer Removal Authorizations. He has stated that no one comes on his property and he makes the rules.
The good news is that some of you called on Friday to the following phone numbers and put a hold on this utterly ridiculous decision made by someone on MNR that does not care about wildlife and should not be in that position of power. So for now the word from a Mike Gapt is that he promised to get more info from interested parties before any decision is made.
FYI-
Vanderspank has 80 agents listed on his DRAs and cannot legally sell these permits but he can give Land Access Permits in exchange for $$$ and then provides a DRA in this package. He now wants to provide WTRA to this land use package and again make more $. You do not need a permit to shot any nuisance animal in Ontario other than deer, moose. elk and caribou, if they are endangering your property. So why is MNR supporting this farmer and granting him these WTRAs? This is unbelievable. Without inspection of the damage! What a joke but this is way to serious to laugh.
Does anyone need to buy a turkey license if this gets passed? NO! Does the OFAH need to have turkey seminars anymore. NO! This will be as devastating to the turkeys as it has been to the deer.
There have been excessive deer and turkeys found dead from this record breaking snowfall this winter. Anyone that has been in the bush has found these animals perished. We need to stop this ridiculous decision and stop the DRAs until an assessment is made on the impact of this past winter.
STOP THE DRAs and DO NOT ISSUE THE WTRAs. As hunters, trappers, bird watchers, wildlife lovers and farmers, we need to send a powerful message to MNR in Peterborough and your MPP.
Mr.Vanderspank is threatened to close the MNR office in Kemptville as he did with the LLOA 5 years ago to obtain the DRAs. I say let him try. I have contacted the OPP and have found out what we can legally do to stop him but we will need to be organized a ready to go. If he has 20, I would say we should have 100 people. How many of us enjoy hunting and seeing these animals and now MNR in Peterborough is treating them like trash. This is not a lot to ask and if we spread the news we may get thousands of letters and phone calls to their office today and tomorrow and the next day if necessary.

Here are the names of the people Vanderspank states are helping him achieve his permits. I may not have the spelling correct as it has come from sources close to Vanderspank. I was a landowner and still have connections there but decided to leave when the DRAs were granted. Mr. Vanderspank was ejected from the LLOA and does not have their support now.

Mike Gapt- 705-755-3285
Debra Stepson 705-755-1925

Another person that has to be contacted is Sarah Baker from the Minister's office. 416-314-2210.
Vanderspank states he has her support.

Pass this on to everyone and anyone that you know that would support us. Even if they are from another area other than Eastern Ontario. I have friends in the US that are calling.
We all have to do this for the future of wildlife on Ontario!
Please call! Stop the DRAs and do not permit the WTRAs!

Thank you for supporting our wildlife!

Darcy Alkerton

PS, I will attach the proper e-mails when obtained.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Return of wild turkeys sparks Ontario debate
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 | 12:48 PM ET
CBC News
Wild turkeys have returned to eastern Ontario in unprecedented numbers, a development that has conservationists cheering but some farmers crying "fowl."


Wildlife expert Darcy Alkerton lets turkeys feed on his farm near Spencerville, Ont.
(Chad Pawson/CBC)
Having almost vanished because of logging and unregulated hunting, the birds were re-introduced to Ontario 20 years ago.

The provincewide population of wild turkeys has now reached 100,000, with 13,000 of them in the Ottawa area.

"[It's a] very wise bird. That's why they've existed so well. It's because they are smart," said Darcy Alkerton, a wildlife expert in the Spencerville, Ont., area.

Alkerton built his house in the middle of a cornfield so he could watch turkeys feeding there.

But Lanark farmer John Vanderspank said the turkey flocks are expanding at the expense of his crops. He wants the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to issue turkey-hunting permits.

He said it's something the ministry did five years ago to reduce the number of deer in eastern Ontario.

"I've proved it with the deer, that if you hunt them a little early — and … you don't have to go silly, just get a few here and there — the rest will move," Vanderspank said.

Compromise proposed
Alkerton said doing the same with turkeys would be a mistake that would ruin the flock. But he also felt that way about the deer.

"I don't think that the nuisance deer permits should ever have been given out," he said.


The eastern Ontario flock of wild turkeys has surged to about 13,000.
(Chad Pawson/CBC)
Alkerton also is not enthusiastic about a compromise by the Natural Resources Ministry, a proposed fall hunt to go along with the already existing hunt in the spring.

A wild turkey hunter in Carleton Place, Ont., is even more emphatically against introducing the fall hunt.

"A fall hunt includes the killing of hens. When you start killing hens, that has a really long-term effect on your population base of wild turkeys," said Paul Ross, president of the Carleton Place chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

"They're still a fragile population here, and this winter will be a true tell of how they are going to react," he said.

In addition to the fall hunt, some farmers want special permits to cull the flocks of turkeys and financial compensation for crops they say the turkeys are eating.

Biologists with the Ministry of Natural Resources say the birds only eat what has already fallen to the ground.

__________________________________________

Dear GF&GC members:

The two e-mails pasted below are of great concern to me and I feel it will be to you after you read them.

CONTACT DARCY ALKERTON AT [email protected]


Good morning everyone
I was recently contacted by CBC Radio in regards to a nuisance turkey problem in Eastern Ontario. I was not sure what angle I was to give as I am a full time Nuisance Wildlife Controller owning the business, a hunter, a trapper, a turkey trapper that has relocated over 600 turkeys, a bird watcher(Having over 140 turkeys in our back yard for NWTF/OFAH/MNR), a wildlife lover and a farmer owning almost 100 acres.
The journalist asked me some questions as you will here if you listen to the following link. The major question was if I thought that wild turkeys in Eastern Ontario were out of control and the need for nuisance turkey permits to be issued to farmers with turkey problems. For those of you who do not know, you do not require a nuisance permit for turkeys if they are threatening crops. You have the right to protect your property if subject to destruction or predation. The reason this Lanark County farmer is asking for special permits is for the following reason. In Ontario you need to required a permit to remove nuisance white-tailed deer, if again, a threat to property has occurred. The gentlemen that is asking for the turkey permits has acquired 80 white tailed deer removal permits. You cannot sell these permits, but you can sell land access permits to the public, listed on a list, to access the property where the deer removal authorizations are permitted. You can figure out your selves what is happening here. $$$$$$$. Male deer are the only animal to be harvested before Aug. 15th and majestic bucks are being removed before breeding season, in the velvet. This is going to hurt our quality of deer tremendously. I am totally against this control of deer as there are other ways to control the population using hunters. I do not have enough time to write about this, as I would like to stay on the topic of the turkeys.
This farmer gained access to these permits by picketing the MNR office in Kemptville and is threatening to do this again to get nuisance turkey permits. This is terrible. If the permits are issued, this farmer will again be able to offer these permits with land use permits in exchange for $.
I have never shot a turkey as I hunt with my 2 sons and have enjoyed this greatly. I have had the chance to be hired to remove nuisance deer at least 3 times and have never and will never treat white-tailed deer like trash. The same goes for turkeys and any other wildlife that we can control with out waiting them. Proper education and management are essential.
This is very political and if any of you have the time to comment on the link or send a e-mail to your local provincial politician, I would appreciate it very much.
FYI- there are nuisance deer removal permits being give out in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, where there is no hunting season, due to the safety of the public. Not even a archery season. The deer are being removed with modern firearms. The deer are being dragged into the drainage ditches and left there to rot. I have witnesses that are willing to state this. How can the politicians approve this? How come the general public is not aware of this waste?

I care very much for wildlife, that is why I hunt and trap. We are the tools needed to manage! After all we did not kill deer for more than 20 years without an antlerless permit to get this majestic specie to thrive so well here in Eastern Ontario. Why can we not be used again to decrease the herd with out a cost to us? Why can we not be used to control the turkey problems, if any?
Thanks for taking the time to read this and hope that you can find the time to respond and copy this to any one you think cares about wildlife.

Darcy Alkerton
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2 ... rkeys.html


Good morning everyone

Yesterday was a roller coaster ride as far as the nuisance turkey issue here in Eastern Ontario. It seems that our farmer friend from Lanark is bragging about the puppets he has on strings in Peterborough in the MNR and from his counterparts we found out that these upper management puppets are guaranteeing his wish of nuisance turkey permits. This is terrible news. I could not eat yesterday and now cannot sleep, for this cowardly move by MNR in Peterborough to allow this to happen.

FYI, this farmer will not allow the local MNR on his property to inspect the damage caused by wild turkeys. As you have heard if you listened to the radio link I provided, this farmer states that upon killing a turkey on his property he found 3-4 lbs of grain in his crop. Either those turkeys in Lanark are as big as an Ostrich or this farmer is a top gun bull ****ter. You tell me?

As I stated in the previous letter that there is no need to issue permits for nuisance turkeys in protection of property. So why is this farmer asking for specific permits then? To include them with his authorized deer removal permits and include these with his land use permits which he can sell legally to make $$$$$. How can our MNR staff in Peterborough do this!

Fact- I have asked the local feed dealer here in Spencerville how much corn he is selling right now and he told me that he sells 70 bags per week. I asked him how much of that corn is going to feed deer and turkeys and he told me 65 of the 70 bags are for deer and wild turkey feed. I was shocked at this figure. So many people here from hunters to bird watchers to wildlife lovers are buying feed to feed the animals. This has to increase the price of corn with this much going back to the animals. The farmers are already reaping the benefits of having turkeys here. That is not including all the wild bird seed he sells.

Good news? A couple of you on this list were so concerned about this yesterday, you called the cowards in Peterborough and demanded this issuing of permits be put on hold, until more information can be given about this problem with the turkeys. The MNR staff there has given a verbal guarantee that there will be no issuing of permits until there has been time to talk to a few concerned parties. This is good, but I hope they stick to their words.

What to do???? Well this farmer has threatened to picket at MNR in Kemptville if he does not get those permits. I think we should get names of persons, hunters, trappers, bird watchers, wildlife lovers and farmers that do not believe in this action and have them ready to be at the Kemptville MNR office the same day to lobby against this. We do not need to be violent, but we do have the right of entry to a public building and if we are stopped then we can ask the OPP to remove the obstructers. This means we need to have a list ready to send out by e-mail or phone. If there are 20 in favour of these nuisance turkey permits, I would like to see 60 opposed. We need to be ready to stand up quickly and act.

A more preferable way is diplomatic. We need to get our hunting groups, bird watchers associations and who ever is opposed to this to be ready for following e-mails to sign and send to the proper persons of interest e.g.. MNR in Peterborough. We may not have time for this though and we may need to have a spokes person for each organization ready to receive further e-mails which contain phone #s to direct offices of the MNR and politicians.

One of the most important things to do is PLEASE PASS THIS ON to anyone that you have on your e-mail list that is concerned and have them ready to forward info as quick as possible.

Yesterday when I found this out about MNR in Peterborough issuing permits, I was with friends and my two sons and I directly asked my youngest son who is 17, what he thought about this and his reply was, "Dad, I guess I will never have to buy a turkey license again, as the ones on our farm must be a nuisance, if MNR states so". What do you guys think about this statement? Do we, if this passes? Should we keep buying deer licensees when MNR in Peterborough treats them like trash and punishes all hunters by buying several licenses to decrease the herd. I believe that the deer removal authorizations should have never happened. Never. The hunters obeyed the laws in the 1970s, 80s and 90s to allow the deer herd to increase. Now we should have to pay more money to harvest them. I do not agree with this. We should have to pay $50 for 3 tags, 2 of which should be antlerless deer. We are the necessary tool to control deer and not treat them like trash! Do we need to picket an MNR to be heard? STOP THE D.R.A.!
By the way as I write this letter, deer and turkeys are outside starving here, in Eastern Ontario. It has been a very hard winter on any animals here with this much snow. The coyote population is the highest I have ever seen it. I really think there should be a total stop to any Deer Removal Authorizations until an assessment of the population has an accurate count. Also this year has been terrible on the turkeys and no way should there be any permits issued until we see how the turkey population here is doing as well. NO FALL HUNT! You may want to address this in any talks or by writing MNR.

Sorry for sounding so upset but I am! I froze mya**trying to trap turkeys here and I let 67 go that MNR never paid me for. I never regretted it once, until this!

Again, I love and respect wildlife that is why I hunt and trap.

Good luck everyone and I am hoping for the best!

Darcy Alkerton

[DropTine]

Good read Rick. I do agree that we shouldn't have the Fall Hunt, I don't think our Turkey population is strong enough. I would rather have a two bird limit in the spring than a fall hunt. There are going to be way too many poults shot and were going to see the affects down the road. Also, there are going to be guys creaping around with shotguns hunting for turkeys while im hunting for deer, it's going to be like a 2nd shotgun hunt where the deer go nocturnal for that period.