Hunting Turkey During Closed Season in Ontario:

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Last Updated: September 16 2026

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Question:Received a hunting ticket for hunting wild turkey during a closed season in Ontario, what should I do next?

Answer:If you got a summons or ticket for hunting wild turkey during the closed season in Ontario, don’t panic and don’t miss your response deadline, because the case usually turns on the exact date, location, and WMU (plus whether any permitted exception applied) rather than just having a turkey tag and licence; verify the precise wording and section number on your document (often referencing the closed season rule), match it to the applicable spring or fall open season in Table 7.2, preserve all evidence from the incident (GPS, photos, videos, tag records, and the Conservation Officer’s notes), and avoid altering or deleting electronic records;  then contact DefendCharges.ca™ by phone at (647) 559-3377 for Ontario paralegal support to review what the prosecutor must prove and discuss defence options, including preserve-related exceptions if your hunting was on a properly licensed game bird hunting preserve.

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Hunting Turkey During Closed Season in Ontario

Received a hunting ticket or summons for Hunting Turkey During Closed Season in Ontario?  You have been charged with a provincial offence under Ontario hunting law.  The charge concerns whether you hunted wild turkey in a place or during a period when Ontario did not have an open wild turkey season that applied to your hunting activity.

Note: Please contact DefendCharges.ca™ by phone at: (647) 559-3377 to discuss any specific questions that you may have.

Do not panic.  Many people also refer to this offence as hunting out of season.  Regardless of the wording, the allegation is the same—you are accused of hunting wild turkey when there was no legal open season for that activity.  The date, location, Wildlife Management Unit, and applicable spring or fall season can therefore be central to the case.

This page explains what a Hunting Turkey During Closed Season charge means, how Ontario's wild turkey seasons affect the charge, what must be proven, the current fine, evidence that may matter, possible exceptions and defences, property consequences, and what may happen next.  This offence is part of Wild Turkey Hunting Charges.

I Received a Hunting Turkey During Closed Season Ticket or Summons.  What Should I Do?

Read every document carefully and do not miss the response deadline or required court date.  A summons is a court document requiring you to attend court or respond as directed.  Your documents may describe the offence as Hunt during the closed season — wild turkey.

Start with the exact offence wording and section number.  Record the date, time, exact location, and Wildlife Management Unit (WMU), meaning the numbered geographic area Ontario uses to administer hunting seasons and other hunting rules.  Also record whether the activity was during the spring or fall, what hunting method was being used, and what the Conservation Officer says you were doing.

Keep your ticket, summons, Outdoors Card, Licence Summary, Small Game Licence records, Wild Turkey Tag, maps, GPS information, photographs, videos, messages, hunting equipment information, and documents provided by the Conservation Officer.  Preserve electronic records and do not delete or alter information that may help establish the date, location, season, or purpose of your activity.

Should I Pay the Ticket?

Paying the ticket will generally be treated as pleading guilty and will result in a conviction.  A conviction means a finding of guilt.  Before paying, compare the date and location on your ticket with the wild turkey open season that applied there and review whether the evidence actually establishes that you were hunting.

Having a valid Small Game Licence and Wild Turkey Tag does not by itself answer a closed season charge.  Those documents can authorize turkey hunting only within the season and other conditions that apply.  A separate issue arises if your ticket concerns a prohibited time of day, firearm, licence, or tag rather than a closed season.

What Is Hunting Turkey During Closed Season?

This charge concerns hunting wild turkey outside an open season that applied to the place and circumstances of the hunt.  An open season is the period during which the law permits hunting the species in the applicable area, subject to the other rules that govern the hunt.  A closed season is the time when no applicable open season permits that hunting activity.

Ontario Regulation 665/98 requires a person hunting game wildlife to hunt the species in an area listed for that species and during the open season applicable to the person and area.  Ontario Regulation 670/98 then identifies the wild turkey open seasons in Table 7.2.

Wild turkey has spring hunting opportunities in specified WMUs and fall hunting opportunities in a smaller group of WMUs.  The fall rules distinguish between bow and shotgun opportunities, so the location, date, and hunting method should be compared with the season that actually applied.

A Wild Turkey Tag does not create an open season where none exists.  Similarly, an open turkey season in one WMU does not authorize hunting in another WMU where no turkey season is open.  Other wild turkey offences are organized within Wild Turkey Hunting Charges.

How Do Spring and Fall Wild Turkey Seasons Affect the Charge?

The correct season must be matched to the date, location, and method involved in your charge.  Ontario's open season regulation establishes a spring wild turkey season in specified WMUs and separate fall bow and shotgun opportunities in specified WMUs.

The spring and fall seasons do not apply everywhere in Ontario.  Some WMUs have a spring season but no fall season, while other areas may have no wild turkey open season at all.  A charge can therefore depend on the exact side of a WMU boundary where the Conservation Officer says the hunting occurred.

The applicable season also matters when the fall bow and shotgun opportunities differ.  If the issue is only that a firearm type was not permitted during an otherwise open turkey season, that can involve a separate firearm offence rather than the closed season offence discussed on this page.

Does a Valid Wild Turkey Licence or Tag Make the Season Open?

No.  A valid licence and tag provide hunting authority only within the open season and other legal conditions that apply.  They do not extend the season or create a season in a WMU where wild turkey hunting is closed.

This distinction matters because the licensing records may be completely valid while the charge turns entirely on the date or location of the hunting.  Conversely, a hunter can also face separate licence or tag issues during an open season.  Each charge should be identified from the exact wording and section number on the ticket or summons.

Is Hunting Outside the Daily Turkey Hunting Hours the Same Charge?

Not necessarily.  Ontario's open season table places a daily time limit on the spring wild turkey season.  Hunting outside a daily time period specified in the open season table is addressed separately under subsection 25(4) of the Hunting Regulation.

The current set-fine schedule separately lists Hunt during prohibited time of day under subsection 25(4).  If your ticket uses that wording, the issue is different from a charge of Hunt during the closed season — wild turkey under subsection 25(2).

The exact time may still be relevant to both the investigation and any other charges arising from the same incident.  The section number on your ticket is the safest starting point for identifying which rule the prosecutor says was broken.

Is There an Exception for a Licensed Game Bird Hunting Preserve?

Yes.  Ontario has a specific season exception for wild turkey hunted on a properly licensed game bird hunting preserve.  A game bird hunting preserve is an area licensed by Ontario for the release and hunting of specified game birds.

Under section 98 of Ontario Regulation 665/98, wild turkey on a game bird hunting preserve may be hunted at any time of the year, and the ordinary Table 7.2 season restrictions do not apply.  The preserve must be licensed for wild turkey, and the other preserve requirements must still be met.

If your charge arose on or near a game bird hunting preserve, preserve boundaries, the preserve licence, species authorization, and evidence showing where the hunting occurred may be important.

What Law Applies?

The principal closed season rule is subsection 25(2) of Ontario Regulation 665/98, the Hunting Regulation.  It provides that, except where the regulation says otherwise, a person must hunt game wildlife only in an area specified for the species and during the open season applicable to the person and area.

Table 7.2 of Ontario Regulation 670/98, Open Seasons — Wildlife, establishes the wild turkey open seasons and identifies the WMUs and permitted firearm types associated with those seasons.  Section 98 of the Hunting Regulation provides the game bird hunting preserve exception described above.

Other turkey rules can apply to licensing, tags, firearm types, bait, decoys, calls, daily hunting hours, bag limits, possession, and reporting.  Those rules can result in separate charges, but they do not need to be taught in detail to understand whether the closed season charge on this page is proven.

What Must Be Proven?

The prosecutor, meaning the lawyer or representative presenting the government's case, must prove the required parts of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.  Beyond a reasonable doubt is the high legal standard that must be met before the court can find you guilty.

For a charge of hunting wild turkey during the closed season under subsection 25(2), the prosecutor will generally need evidence establishing that:

• You were the person involved;
• Your conduct legally amounted to hunting;
• The wildlife involved was wild turkey;
• The hunting occurred at the date and location relied upon in the charge; and
• No open wild turkey season applicable to you and that area permitted the hunting at that time.

The main dispute may therefore concern the date, the WMU or boundary, whether the activity amounted to hunting, whether an open season actually applied, or whether the game bird hunting preserve exception operated in your favour.

If your defence relies on an authorization, exception, exemption, or qualification prescribed by law, Ontario's Provincial Offences Act generally places the burden of proving that it operates in your favour on you.  This can be important where the game bird hunting preserve exception is relied upon.

Does a Wild Turkey Have to Be Shot or Killed?

No.  A successful harvest is not required for this closed season charge.  Ontario defines hunting broadly, and the definition includes conduct beyond actually killing wildlife.

Hunting can include lying in wait for, searching for, being on the trail of, pursuing, chasing, or shooting at wildlife for the purpose of killing, injuring, capturing, or harassing it.  It also includes capturing or harassing wildlife.

A missed shot, pursuit, or other conduct that legally amounts to hunting can therefore be relevant even if no turkey was killed.  Merely seeing a turkey, travelling through an area, photographing wildlife, or being present with another hunter does not automatically prove that you were hunting.

What Common Situations Lead to This Charge?

Hunting Before the Season Opened

The Conservation Officer may say you began hunting before the applicable spring or fall season started.  The date, WMU, hunting activity, photographs, messages, GPS records, and officer observations may be important.

Hunting After the Season Closed

The charge may involve continued turkey hunting after the final day of the applicable season.  Timestamps, electronic records, witness evidence, and the exact season applying to the location may matter.

Hunting in a WMU With No Open Turkey Season

You may have been close to a WMU boundary or relied on the season dates for a neighbouring WMU.  Maps, GPS tracks, property records, road locations, and officer location evidence may become central to the case.

Relying on the Wrong Fall Season

Fall turkey opportunities can differ by method and location.  If the actual issue was use of a firearm type that was not permitted during an otherwise open season, the ticket may involve a separate firearm provision rather than subsection 25(2).  The offence wording should be checked carefully.

What Is the Fine?

The current Ontario set fine for "Hunt during the closed season — wild turkey" under subsection 25(2) is $250.  A set fine is the preset fine used when an offence is dealt with by ticket.

The $250 set fine is not necessarily the total amount payable.  A victim fine surcharge is an additional amount Ontario adds to a fine after conviction.  Applicable court costs may also be added.

The set fine is different from the maximum penalty available after conviction.  Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997, the general maximum penalty for an individual is a fine of up to $25,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.  Those are statutory maximum penalties and are not the automatic or usual result of an ordinary closed season ticket.

Can This Charge Affect My Hunting Licence or Hunting Privileges?

A hunting licence cancellation or prohibition is not automatic simply because you have been charged.  A charge is not a conviction.

After conviction, Ontario law permits the court in appropriate circumstances to make a discretionary order affecting a licence or authorization related to the offence and the activity requiring it.  If such an order is made in respect of a kind of licence or authorization you already hold, cancellation can follow as required by the Act.

Whether a licence related order is sought or made depends on the circumstances and should be considered separately from the amount of the ticket.

What Evidence May Be Used?

Closed season turkey cases often depend on the date, location, WMU, hunting activity, and the official season that applied.  Relevant evidence may include:

• The ticket, summons, offence wording, and section number;
• Conservation Officer notes, observations, photographs, videos, recordings, and location evidence;
• Maps, GPS tracks, property boundaries, WMU boundaries, road locations, and other geographic evidence;
• Photographs, videos, phone records, messages, timestamps, trail camera images, and other electronic records showing when and where the activity occurred;
• Your Outdoors Card, Licence Summary, Small Game Licence, Wild Turkey Tag, and other hunting records;
• Firearms, bows, calls, decoys, blinds, clothing, or other equipment relevant to whether you were hunting; and
• Game bird hunting preserve records or witness evidence where an exception or disputed location is involved.

Disclosure is the relevant information and evidence in the prosecutor's possession or control that you are entitled to receive, subject to the law.  Disclosure should be obtained and reviewed before important decisions are made about a disputed charge.

What Possible Defences or Legal Issues May Apply?

The defence depends on the date, location, applicable season, hunting activity, and available evidence.  Not every defence or legal issue applies to every Hunting Turkey During Closed Season charge.

An Open Wild Turkey Season Applied

The date and WMU may show that a legal spring or fall turkey season was open.  The applicable open season regulation should be compared with the precise location and date alleged by the Conservation Officer.

The Hunting Occurred in a Different WMU

The officer may have identified the wrong side of a WMU boundary or relied on an incorrect location.  GPS information, mapping, roads, property boundaries, photographs, and witness evidence may help establish where the hunting actually occurred.

You Were Not Hunting Wild Turkey

Your activity may have involved scouting, photography, travel, retrieving equipment, or accompanying another hunter rather than legally hunting wild turkey.  The prosecutor must establish conduct that falls within Ontario's definition of hunting.

The Game Bird Hunting Preserve Exception Applied

Wild turkey may be hunted at any time of year on a game bird hunting preserve where the preserve is properly licensed for wild turkey and the applicable preserve requirements are met.  The preserve licence, boundaries, species authorization, and other required records may therefore be important.

The Ticket Identifies the Wrong Offence

The evidence may concern hunting outside a permitted daily time, using a prohibited firearm, or another turkey rule rather than hunting during a closed season.  The exact section on the ticket should be compared with what the evidence actually alleges.

Due Diligence or an Honest and Reasonable Mistake of Fact

Due diligence means taking all reasonable care in the circumstances to prevent the offence.  An honest and reasonable mistake of fact means honestly and reasonably believing facts that, if true, would make the conduct innocent.  Ontario law recognizes these defences where their legal requirements are established.

A factual mistake might concern the WMU boundary, the date, or another fact affecting whether an open season applied.  Simply not knowing the season dates or misunderstanding the law is different from a reasonable mistake about a fact.

Evidence, Search, Seizure, or Statement Issues

Conservation Officer observations, location evidence, photographs, electronic records, searches, seizures, and statements should be reviewed for accuracy, completeness, reliability, context, and lawful use.  An incorrect timestamp, location assumption, or attribution of hunting activity may affect whether the charge is proven.

Could the Turkey, Firearm, or Other Property Be Seized or Forfeited?

Yes, where the legal requirements are met.  Conservation Officers can seize wildlife and other property in circumstances authorized by Ontario wildlife law.  Depending on the investigation, this may include a turkey, firearm or bow, hunting equipment, vehicle, electronic device, or other property connected with the charge.

Seizure means property has been taken into official custody and does not itself establish guilt.  Forfeiture means permanent loss of ownership and is different from temporary seizure.  Following conviction, wildlife and other seized property may be subject to forfeiture where the statutory requirements are satisfied.

What Happens Next?

Your ticket or summons should identify the next procedural step and any response deadline or court date.  Do not miss that deadline while obtaining legal advice, requesting disclosure, or deciding how to respond.

After disclosure is obtained, compare the charge with the applicable wild turkey season, WMU, date, officer observations, maps, GPS information, electronic records, hunting equipment, and any game bird hunting preserve evidence.  If the incident also produced a licence, tag, firearm, time of day, or other charge, each offence should be reviewed separately.

The prosecutor may withdraw the charge, meaning the charge is no longer being pursued, or the matter may be resolved by a guilty plea or another agreement, or proceed to trial.  The appropriate response depends on the evidence, legal issues, possible consequences, and circumstances of your case.

How Can DefendCharges.ca™ Help?

DefendCharges.ca™ can review the wording on your ticket, summons, seizure notice, or other documents and compare it with the wildlife, records, and activity involved.  This can help identify the exact charge, the legal requirements that apply, and the factual issues that may be important to your case.

If the matter proceeds through court, DefendCharges.ca™ can explain the court process, review the available evidence and legal issues, discuss possible penalties or other consequences, and help you understand your options for responding to the charge.

Have Questions About Hunting Charges?

Whether you have been charged with one hunting offence or several, understanding your legal options is important.  DefendCharges.ca™ can review your case, explain the charges you are facing, and help you understand your legal options and the best course of action.  Contact us today to discuss your situation.

Key Takeaways

• A Hunting Turkey During Closed Season charge concerns hunting wild turkey when no open wild turkey season applied to the date, location, and circumstances of the hunt;
• A valid Small Game Licence and Wild Turkey Tag do not extend the open season or create a season in a WMU where turkey hunting is closed;
• Spring and fall wild turkey opportunities differ by WMU and, in the fall, can also differ by hunting method;
• Hunting outside a specified daily hunting time or using a firearm not permitted during an otherwise open season can involve separate offences;
• A turkey does not have to be shot or killed because Ontario's definition of hunting includes conduct beyond a successful harvest;
• Wild turkey may be hunted at any time of year on a properly licensed game bird hunting preserve where the applicable preserve requirements are met; and
• The current set fine for Hunt during the closed season — wild turkey under subsection 25(2) is $250.

Conclusion

Your Hunting Turkey During Closed Season charge should be reviewed using the exact offence wording, date, location, Wildlife Management Unit, applicable spring or fall turkey season, and evidence showing what you were doing.  The fact that you held valid turkey hunting documents does not by itself establish that an open season applied.

Before paying the ticket or entering a plea, review the disclosure, official season rules that applied on the offence date, maps and GPS evidence, any game bird hunting preserve issue, and whether the evidence actually proves hunting during a closed season rather than a different turkey offence.  Legal representation can help determine what the prosecutor must prove and whether the available evidence establishes the charge.