With a growing number of visitors to the Northumberland County Forest, County Council has voted to prohibit the Fall Turkey Hunt in the forest to reduce risk and improve user safety.
“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the County Forest has seen an increase of 10 to 30 per cent in trail use,” states Warden Bob Sanderson. “Ensuring the safety of forest users remains the County’s top priority. With the increase in forest users, and with the deer hunting season set to coincide with the proposed turkey hunt, Council has determined that prohibiting the Fall Turkey Hunt is in the best interests of public safety.”
The Fall Turkey Hunt proposed by the Government of Ontario will take place from October 1 to November 2, at the same time as deer hunting season, which runs from October 1 to December 31. These two simultaneous hunting seasons would result in increased hunting activity in the County Forest. There is also often an increase in vehicles illegally parking in the forest during hunting season, risking damage to forest trails and habitats. Considering the growing number of visitors to the forest and increased risk of damage, staff recommended prohibiting the Fall Turkey Hunt to mitigate the otherwise considerable risk to forest users, trails and habitats.
County Council will further review the impacts of all hunting in the County Forest on other users, wildlife, plants and unique habitats at a future meeting. For more information about the Northumberland County Forest, visit Northumberland.ca/Forest.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
