Seasons Greetings from Southern Ontario Outdoors

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my hunting friends. Thanks to all who are following this blog; your comments and suggestions will help me provide you with even better items throughout 2009

I had been planning to head to the bush this morning for what may well be my last chance to hunt deer in Southern Ontario before the bow season ends. Alas, Mother Nature often has the last word on venturing out this time of year, and as the snow continues to pile up outside my door hopes are fading fast.

It’s been a strange combination of below seasonal temperatures, above seasonal temperatures and lots of snow this fall and it has me just as confused as it does the birds and animals. Oh well, I’m not packing up yet. My bow and backpack are ready to throw in the back of the car at a moments notice.

Southern Ontario deer hunters; mark your 2009 calendars right now to remind you that the antlerless deer draw closes on June 30 this year. That’s a full month earlier than normal and I’m sure it will take some hunters by surprise.

I hope everyone is in a festive mood and getting ready to chow down on some of that wonderful wild game that has accumulated over the past couple of months. Within the next month I will have added a large interactive database to http://www.sooutdoors.ca/ that will make it very easy for you to zoom in on specific destination and hunting related information.

“Peace on earth; good will toward men.”

Lloyd

What Happened to Fall!

Well the shotgun season ended and I thought I’d give the deer a few days to settle down before heading back into the bush with my Excalibur crossbow. I have nothing against the gun hunters but I have always preferred the silence of hunting alone. It gives me the feeling that all of my senses completely in tune with nature. I also don’t have a lot of time to practice so the hunting crossbow allows me to combine the stealth and solitary aspect of archery with the benefits of a stock, trigger, and scope.

Whatever your hunting preference, you have to be wondering what happened to fall in Southern Ontario. The week of the shotgun hunt in early November saw temperatures in the low to mid 20s (Celsius that is) and a mere two weeks later we have temperatures well below the freezing point and snowfalls of between 20 and 80 cm depending on your location.

I don’t know what this did to the deer but I do know what it did to my hunting (*#%9%^&$)!

I don’t own a truck or SUV and the bush I hunt is at the bottom of a long, steep hill with a road that is mostly used by tractors. It’s an interesting drive at the best of times but impossible when it’s slippery or snow covered. So there goes plan A. Even if I managed to peg a deer I’d be calling 911 before I could drag it back to the car.

The other option is a small swale that acts as a funnel to a smaller bush – lots of tracks but really hard to setup and find a good shooting lane. The abundant rainfall and sudden onset of winter means that the farmer still hasn’t taken the corn off. I guess I could try the swale but would be much more optimistic if the corn were off.

Well that’s enough whining for now. I guess I’ll be content with pounding the keyboard and hoping that I can still get in a few late season hunts.

Lloyd

5 Important Hunting Tips

Well, after months of staring longingly at the gun cabinet our time of the year is finally here. No matter what your preferred game species is now is the time of year to head to the fields, marshes, or bush to harvest wild game to enjoy over the long winter months.

Although it almost seems to be a contradiction it is proven that hunting is one of the safest activities that you can participate in. Perhaps that’s because of the extensive training required and the regulations that surround hunting in Ontario, or perhaps it’s because the modern day hunter realizes that perception is reality and every hunter shares in the belief that they have a duty to keep our hunting heritage perceived in a positive light by the general public.

To that end let me offer a few tips that will enhance your hunting enjoyment and preserve our great Southern Ontario hunting heritage for generations to come.

1. Respect private property! Always ask permission.

2. Never consume alcohol before or during a hunt!

3. Be as unobtrusive as possible and never leave litter behind. Another visitor to the same location should never know you were there.

4. Do anything in your power to retrieve wounded game.

5. If you’re hunting a public area be courteous to other hunters and especially to other users of the resource like hikers and cyclists.

Remember that perception is reality, so let’s all do our part as hunters to ensure that the non hunting public gets the right message and perception of hunters.

SD

Students Pawns in School Board Politics

O.F.A.H. calls refusal of outdoor club donation blatant hypocrisy

In an unprecedented move, and apparently based solely on his personal opinion, the Education Director of the Thames Valley School Board has refused to allow a high school to accept a donation of five thousand dollars from a local outdoor association. The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.) is appalled at the action taken against its member club, the East Elgin Sportsmen’s Association, and is calling the move highly offensive and hypocritical.

“Education Director Bill Tucker has unilaterally decided, after the fact, and after an established history of carrying out this event, that the legal, sanctioned provincial shooting competition doesn’t follow his personal moral compass,” said Jack Hedman, President of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. “Mr. Tucker’s decision, on behalf of the school board, to refuse the generous donation from the East Elgin Sportsmen’s Association implies that its members are not valued or respected within the community, and frankly, that attitude is deeply offensive to the club, the O.F.A.H., and every law-abiding firearms owner in this country.”

The East Elgin Sportsmen's Association was established in 1955, and runs a family sporting club near Springfield. For the past three years it has hosted the provincial competition of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (I.P.S.C.) as a fundraiser for the East Elgin Secondary School drama program. In exchange, several students have volunteered at the five-day event, for which they have received community service hours.

Mr. Hedman noted that the O.F.A.H. delivers a mandatory hunter safety education program that includes firearms safety training, and that the province has a long history of safe hunting. The timing of Mr. Tucker’s newfound opposition to target shooting is no doubt connected to the misguided and uninformed campaign by Toronto Mayor David Miller to ban handguns in Canada.

“Handguns are already classed as prohibited firearms in Canada. Banning their legal use will not fix the real problem, which is illegal guns in the hands of criminals,” added Hedman. “What a ban may do is encourage more of the same kind of knee-jerk reaction taken by Mr. Tucker, which is to unfairly discriminate against Canada’s law-abiding hunters, target shooters and collectors.”

With 82,000 members and 655 member clubs, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is the largest nonprofit fishing, hunting and conservation organization in Ontario. For more information visit www.ofah.org.

Oops! I Missed the Whole Flock!

Well I hope everyone enjoyed our 10 days of summer as we glide swiftly into fall. The temperatures have dropped during this the second week of September and I may even have to consider lighting the wood stove in the beautiful cottage we are renting near Tobermory.

It might be too cool for a dip in the lake but the geese sure are getting lively. I hope those of you that are out for the early goose hunt are putting lots of meat on the table.

I guess the true sign of a hunter is looking at things from a hunter's perspective. I had just such a moment earlier this morning as I sat gazing at the water and a huge flock of Canadas made their way right towards me. As I sat wishing I had my shotgun at my side I watched the flock approach with thoughts of how I would line up on each bird and have goose breasts for dinner.

However, the problem with that scenario is that one of the main purposes for this trip was to get some good wildlife and waterfowl photos for www.sooutdoors.ca. It wasn't until the flock was well past that I looked down at my camera and had to laugh at the missed opportunity. Oh well, I guess there's always the evening shoot...I mean photo op...to come.

Lloyd

Time for Pre Season Scouting

We'll it's nearly here! The birds are gathering, the big bucks are staking their turf, and the rabbits are nibbling at farmer Jones vegetable patch. And me, I'm sitting here slogging away on the old keyboard fighting the urge to head to the bush for some early season scouting.

This is the time of year that every hunter's heart starts to pound a bit harder as the sights, sounds, and smells of autumn get us thinking fondly of our shotgun, rifle or bow and everything else takes on a bit of a background blur.

Ease that pre season anxiety by getting outdoors. Now is the time to fix up the tree stands, look for new rubs and trails, look for waterfowl feeding areas, patch up the duck blind and make sure your firearms are in perfect working condition.

It won't be long now and a bit of pre season activity might be just what you need to hold you over until opening day.

Lloyd

SO...Outdoors Hunting Blog

Welcome to the Southern Ontario hunting blog sponsored by www.SoOutdoors.ca. Here I will explore our great Ontario hunting heritage as well as bring you relevant news, views, and interviews related to hunting opportunities in Southern Ontario.

For more information about where to, how to, and when to hunt, visit www.SoOutdoors.ca/hunting.