Toronto Sportsmen's Show Moving to New Digs

It hit me like a hammer; the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show is moving! That’s right folks after 63 years at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) grounds Southern Ontario’s largest outdoors show, the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show, is moving to the Toronto Convention Centre.

I’m going to give this a while to sink in before wading in with my personal opinions of the move but I’m sure there will not be many fence sitters when it comes to the new venue. For those in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) the Convention Centre is very accessible and convenient for those that use public transit. For those of us coming from out of town it’s nothing more than a logistical nightmare. Oh well, decisions are made and this was likely not a knee-jerk reaction.

For now let’s take a trip down memory lane.

The Toronto Sportsmen’s Show has been a part of my life for just about as long as I can remember, so that means that I’m only a few years shy of having been there from the beginning. My grandparents lived in the east end of Toronto when I was growing up so events like the Sportsmen’s Show provided a great, low cost way for my parents to keep us kids amused for a few hours when we made the trip from Wingham to the big city.

Up until a few years ago the Toronto Sportsman’s Show occupied the Coliseum building at the CNE. Although the larger venue provided by the Direct Energy Building was greatly needed, it did in my opinion, loose all of its character and became just another show when the move took place.

Some of my fondest memories are of jostling crowds, the smell of hay in the arena, creaking floorboards, and a multitude of stairways and hidden corridors. And then there was the ever present smell of pipe smoke. Those were the days when Brigham pipes used to sell their factory seconds for a very cheap price and were set up right across the aisle from a tobacco vendor. No, I’m not a smoker and certainly don’t advocate smoking, but that was a different era and like everyone else I became a pipe smoker for a day. To this day the smell of pipe smoke conjures up images of camping supplies, fishing tackle, and creaking floors.

I remember buying my first upscale fishing rod there; it was a Berkley Bionix and when you bought one you got a Berkley Lightning Rod for free. I never did care for the Bionix, but the Lightning Rod has accompanied me on every fishing trip since the mid 70’s and has landed – and lost – tons of fish.

Over the years we have bought tents, backpacks, fishing tackle, and every new gadget on the market. You know, now that I think of it the move to the Convention Centre may not be that much of a stretch. The move from the Coliseum for me was like loosing an old, albeit smoky, friend.

The great outdoors is still very much alive in Southern Ontario and the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show, regardless of the venue, will always be a memorable part of it.

©2009 Lloyd Fridenburg – All rights reserved click here for copyright permissions

Southern Ontario Pre Season Turkey

It really is hard to believe that winter is finally gasping its last few breaths in Southern Ontario. With a constant snow cover ever since mid November I for one was beginning to think winter would never leave. With the sudden temperature change – -25c at the beginning of the week to +16c by the end of the week – my thoughts have turned quickly from ice fishing to turkey hunting.

April 27th marks the opening of our Southern Ontario spring turkey hunt and by the size of some of the flocks that were reported over the winter it seems that the long winter had little affect on turkey populations and hunters can look forward to a productive hunt this spring.

Now is the time to head off to your favorite bush to do a bit of pre season scouting. The ground is soft right now and it should be easy to pick up signs of foraging turkeys. You can often save yourself a lot of time by asking the landowners if they have seen any birds, or sign of birds.

Don’t assume that birds will follow the same trails or roost in the same locations as they did last year. Snow cover, floods, downed trees, etc. may have encouraged birds to seek out a new location. Conversely, don’t assume that because a certain area didn’t hold birds last year that it won’t this year.

A good pre season turkey tactic is to follow the edges of the bush until you find tracks or other sign of turkey, then sit and quietly watch and listen. Look at the base of hardwoods for telltale signs of roosting birds and plan your ideal ambush location. Don’t use a turkey call to check out an area. Stick to predator calls like crow or owl. You don’t want to make birds wary before opening day.

Once this is done mark your location so you can easily find it on opening day and then leave the birds alone and don’t keep checking back.

Make 2009 your best Southern Ontario turkey hunt ever and remember that time in the field in March will mean birds in the bag in May.

©2009 Lloyd Fridenburg – All rights reserved click here for copyright permissions