Turkey Hunting Spots

Bill Kemp · Post by **Bill Kemp** » Sat May 09, 2009 6:33 am

Hello out there.

I don't know if you are all in the same position as I am in regards to hunting turkeys. I do not own land myself and am having a really tough time finding areas to hunt for Turkeys in the Toronto and surrounding area.

It seems that everyone I speak to will not allow people on their property to hunt turkeys.

Do any of you know of a place where myself and a friend could go to hunt with our excaliburs.

I would really like to bag a Turkey as I have never got one yet.

Any help with places to hunt would be greatly, greatly, appreciated.

Regards and thanks

Bill Kemp

[email protected]

DirtyGun · Post by **DirtyGun** » Sat May 09, 2009 7:06 am

If you're in Toronto, the Simcoe County Forests are an option. They're about an hour drive to get to. You need to be a member of the OFAH to hunt there.

They do get quite busy on the weekend, especially around turkey season.

If it's your first crack, maybe a guide service is an option? You can check out unclefester's post in the Trading Post but I'm unsure if he has any dates left for the season.

The only other option is to pull up the regional maps for spots close by and spend a day with the GPS knocking on doors. It's frustrating, but, it's the only way.

Brampton Mike · Post by **Brampton Mike** » Sat May 09, 2009 7:21 am

Bill Kemp wrote:Hello out there.

I don't know if you are all in the same position as I am in regards to hunting turkeys. I do not own land myself and am having a really tough time finding areas to hunt for Turkeys in the Toronto and surrounding area.

It seems that everyone I speak to will not allow people on their property to hunt turkeys.

Do any of you know of a place where myself and a friend could go to hunt with our excaliburs.

I would really like to bag a Turkey as I have never got one yet.

Any help with places to hunt would be greatly, greatly, appreciated.

Regards and thanks

Bill Kemp

[email protected]

If you are interested in a top notch guide, contact Adrian [email protected] luck....Brampton Mike

one shot scott · Post by **one shot scott** » Sun May 10, 2009 12:59 am

good luck with the search Bill. I fear its going to get harder for hunters to gain permission to hunt. Bad publicity speaks volumes, even though it is a minority. I often offer a service in exchange for permission, but I am a tradesman and not everone has the ability to do so, however offering to help when a farmer needs it most (hay) goes along way. Knock on enough doors and you will find a spot im sure.

saxman · Post by **saxman** » Sun May 10, 2009 8:10 am

Down here all the spots that we hunted as young folks are leased out by doctors and lawyers and the cost of admission is HIGH.

Good luck with all that.
I have just joined my club again for next season so at least I have a 4,600 acre spot

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Sun May 10, 2009 8:23 am

I am blessed.

I can access at least 16,500 acres of private farms and woodlands, just by hunting on the land of two friends of mine. One buddy owns 3,500 and leases 7,000. One farmer friend of mine has 6000 acres.

If I added up the total private acreage I can hunt, I feel sure it would be somewhat more than 25,000 acres.

There is also more than 300,000 acres of local wildlife refuge, game lands, and preserve land that I can hunt. I live right next to more than 100,000 acres of refuge.

Our own farm is 104 acres, and I can hunt both neighbor's farms, which amounts to another 2000 acres or so.

I guess I've got enough land to hunt, but that being said, I can kill the limit of deer, bear and turkey right here on my place. I haven't hunted anywhere else for about five years!

I'm sorry it's so tough on so many of you.

It's really just a matter of where you live.

NewGuy · Post by **NewGuy** » Sun May 10, 2009 9:41 am

Where are you located?

Bill Kemp · Post by **Bill Kemp** » Sun May 10, 2009 4:54 pm

I am located in Toronto.

DForester · Post by **DForester** » Sun May 10, 2009 8:59 pm

Wow Griz that is great, count your blessings but keep in mind that can change in a matter of years. I live in the Kalamazoo area in Michigan and I grew op on a small 80 acre grape farm. We always had someplace to hunt if not at home we are close with a farmer with well over 2,000 acres we could hunt, all that changed in a matter of 5 years. The grape farm is now a subdivision with huge $800,000 dollar homes on it and ironically a doctor (a anesthesiologist) who lives in one leased out the farmers land to hunt. We are still close to the farmer but when it comes down to dollars the dollar seems to win every time. We have a local game area that use to be great but now is seems to have been over run with hilljackers. I have bought a 20 acre plot next to a 100 acre horse farm and a 200 acre farm things are nice now but I know it all could change in the flip of a switch. I would like to but a cabin up north once my boys get older. Seems to be allot of land still in the upper lower peninsula.

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Sun May 10, 2009 10:56 pm

wow grizz you should be a guide

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Mon May 11, 2009 8:07 am

DForester wrote:Wow Griz that is great, count your blessings but keep in mind that can change in a matter of years.

I know what you're saying, DForester. It's happened to lots of people.

Ours is a very unique situation, for the Eastern US.

One thing we've got going for us is terrain and geographic isolation. We're a long way from anything close to an urban center (more than 3 hours) and we're a long way from any population centers, too (about 1.5 hours). Our population is very small (4100 last census), and we have no countywide water or sewer system. Our infrastucture for development is very limited. Our road system is limited. Lots of land isn't suitable for development, or has no access.

Leasing has become a bit of a problem, but I can hunt some land that's leased to big money people anyway. It's all about who you know.

The refuges, game lands and coastal reserve lands will remain available (by law) unless some radical upheaval of the US takes place.

At least I've got the farm, where I'm the "Big Cahuna"

... and I think I'll let myself keep hunting here. It's as good as anywhere around, in most cases!

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Mon May 11, 2009 8:13 am

mikej wrote:wow grizz you should be a guide

Funny you should say so!

In fact, I have done some for a local outfitter (deer), and remain on call to help in tracking situations.

I've done a little bit on my own.

But, a full-time guide I'm not. Don't have the time, I'm afraid.

Around here, being a "guide" means you do all the grunt work for people with more money than you, anyway!

mikej · Post by **mikej** » Mon May 11, 2009 8:32 am

Grizzly Adam wrote:
Around here, being a "guide" means you do all the grunt work for people with more money than you, anyway!

i think its like that anywhere

Peach · Post by **Peach** » Mon May 11, 2009 9:26 am

I agree with the post about using a guide...I might do this next year, not so much to have someone call in my bird, cause I can do that, but just the access to huntable land...getting real tough and with more and more turkey hunters every year, it's going to be even tougher

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