Man fined for unlawfully killing more than one wild turkey in a day

[Ahuntr300]

I am not against the one bird per day rule and I support punishment for whoever breaks this or other hunting rules, but ... if you are allowed to buy 2 tags at the same time, why can't you harvest 2 birds in one day? What is the reason for the one bird per day rule?

For deer you are allowed to use as many tags as you legally possess (e.g. extra tags) in the same day, so why is it different for wild turkeys?

[smokin'stoegie]

I agree with you on that and I'll raises you 2 more questions. Why not make the unused spring tag also good for the fall and the other point to ponder in essence you can purchase 3 tags a year so why not make all 3 good for the spring hunt too?
But until the rules change follow them or be subject to the fullest extent of the law.

Of course one needs to comply with existing law but there are a number of rules that are antiquated and need updating. That one in particular.
There is no rational justification for it.
As far as using spring tags in the fall.. I agree also but we all know that's just a cash grab,, plain and simple.

[rick_iles]

I am not against the one bird per day rule and I support punishment for whoever breaks this or other hunting rules, but ... if you are allowed to buy 2 tags at the same time, why can't you harvest 2 birds in one day? What is the reason for the one bird per day rule?

For deer you are allowed to use as many tags as you legally possess (e.g. extra tags) in the same day, so why is it different for wild turkeys?

The one per day rule was to limit the harvest. It’s very easy to kill two birds in one day, when multiple birds show up.

[smokin'stoegie]

The one per day rule was to limit the harvest. It’s very easy to kill two birds in one day, when multiple birds show up.

If that's the MNR's position ( and as I said previously I have never heard what their party line was on that rule) then it's without any scientific basis whatsoever.

If taking 2 birds at once is going to jeopardize local turkey populations then they need to reduce tag allotments to 1 tag per hunter. The fact is there is no difference if someone shoots a bird at 7:00pm one day and then returns 11 hours later and shoots a second one in the same location.
Turkey populations in this province are not that fragile but if they were to become less populated due to over harvest then go to the one tag system.
I've hunted turkeys for 20 or so years and honestly do not believe that opportunity to shoot 2 birds comes as easy as one might think. Not to mention a lot of people would choose not to do that as it ends their season or they don't actually have two tags with them.
The vast majority of turkey hunters in this province are lucky to even harvest one and most never fill a single tag.

[rick_iles]

If that's the MNR's position ( and as I said previously I have never heard what their party line was on that rule) then it's without any scientific basis whatsoever.

If taking 2 birds at once is going to jeopardize local turkey populations then they need to reduce tag allotments to 1 tag per hunter. The fact is there is no difference if someone shoots a bird at 7:00pm one day and then returns 11 hours later and shoots a second one in the same location.
Turkey populations in this province are not that fragile but if they were to become less populated due to over harvest then go to the one tag system.
I've hunted turkeys for 20 or so years and honestly do not believe that opportunity to shoot 2 birds comes as easy as one might think. Not to mention a lot of people would choose not to do that as it ends their season or they don't actually have two tags with them.
The vast majority of turkey hunters in this province are lucky to even harvest one and most never fill a single tag.

Really....that has not been my experience. I hunted turkeys in New York before we had a season here. Even there, we had multiple birds. From my experience, it would be very easy to take two routinely, and have done so many times with two shooters. But then, who ever said the MNRF based their Regs on science!

[Fox]

If that's the MNR's position ( and as I said previously I have never heard what their party line was on that rule) then it's without any scientific basis whatsoever.

If taking 2 birds at once is going to jeopardize local turkey populations then they need to reduce tag allotments to 1 tag per hunter. The fact is there is no difference if someone shoots a bird at 7:00pm one day and then returns 11 hours later and shoots a second one in the same location.
Turkey populations in this province are not that fragile but if they were to become less populated due to over harvest then go to the one tag system.
I've hunted turkeys for 20 or so years and honestly do not believe that opportunity to shoot 2 birds comes as easy as one might think. Not to mention a lot of people would choose not to do that as it ends their season or they don't actually have two tags with them.
The vast majority of turkey hunters in this province are lucky to even harvest one and most never fill a single tag.

A few years back my wife or I could have shot 3-4 with a single shot, there were 5 toms in a group and they would not split up to give my wife a safe shot so she did not shoot.

I have shot birds and had other birds attacked that bird, would had been an easy double.

It is not limiting the numbers shot it is making it harder to shoot 2, you have to get them in again, not just once.

[Ahuntr300]

A few years back my wife or I could have shot 3-4 with a single shot, there were 5 toms in a group and they would not split up to give my wife a safe shot so she did not shoot.

I have shot birds and had other birds attacked that bird, would had been an easy double.

It is not limiting the numbers shot it is making it harder to shoot 2, you have to get them in again, not just once.

So in a way, it's an effort for conservation / reducing the success rate of using both tags? Then why not just sell one tag at a time - after the first one is used and harvest reported, then you are allowed to buy a second tag.

[smokin'stoegie]

I'm sure there are a lot of stories about opportunities of shooting multiple birds at once, I've experienced it several times myself.
I could have shot a dozen jakes one year providing I had 10 rounds in my gun, I was able to shoot them all accurately, they were stupid enough to stand around (which they sometimes are) and finally because I was a friggin poacher !!!!

Realistically,, having the opportunity to shoot both tags on the same day, providing you purchased them would result in maybe a 2 % increase turkey harvest rate due to all the factors mentioned earlier, which would amount to maybe a few hundred birds throughout the province based on the harvest rate of 7-9,000 birds annually. (Estimated population- 80,000- 100,00 birds)

Fall turkey hunting has been a bust from a marketing/tag sale aspect ( very few tags sold annually- about 250 birds harvested) due to the timing of the hunt. That's why the MNR changed the season from 10 days to one month as of last year. To sell more tags!! More turkeys are killed in a single WMU annually by cars than harvested by fall hunters.

I'm just saying when the MNR announced the 2 tag system they said that the turkey population can now support the harvest rate.
Again.. another provincial money grab. They want to sell the tags, just don't want an increased success rate.

[Fox]

So in a way, it's an effort for conservation / reducing the success rate of using both tags? Then why not just sell one tag at a time - after the first one is used and harvest reported, then you are allowed to buy a second tag.

This is how it used to work, you had to have a reference number proving that you had taken your turkey in to a check station to register the turkey you shot, then you could get a new license.

They went away with this along with taking the bird to a check station.

[guts88]

the person didn"t have any tags and was driving down the road,seen the turkeys in the field . He tried to shoot one and hit them both . he was seen and reported by a hunter near by