Hunting

Welcome hunters!

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the area and invite you to take part in the Hunting club at CFB Borden.

The Base has approximately 81 square kilometers of prime wildlife habitat where deer, turkey, coyote, rabbits and birds of all species as well as fish inhabit.  The area offers the hunter and outdoors person a great challenge and a chance for many rewarding experiences.

Our lodge (Sugar Shack) offers a relaxing atmosphere, where you can sit back and listen to the tales about the big one that got away. If you are interested in hunting at Base Borden, your hunting directors offer our services to help get you on your way and we look forward to meeting you in the future.  To all existing members of the Base Borden Rod & Gun Club, we wish you good luck and happy hunting on the upcoming hunts and activities.  If you are new to the club or just not comfortable and or familiar with the area and looking to be mentored in club activities then see our new member’s corners for our mentor list.

Jason Killion,
Hunting Director

Steve Martin,
Assistant Hunting Director

Justin Brady,
Assistant Hunting Director

Guide to hunting on base

  1. First you have to have a valid Ontario Outdoors Card and valid PAL if you wish to hunt with a shotgun and the valid license (tag) specific to the species that you wish to hunt for. If you already have a hunter’s education course or license from a different province, you can take your certificate to Service Ontario and they will issue you an Ontario hunter’s certification.
  2. Become a BBRGC member in good standing with the club (refer to membership page).
  3. Make certain that you have attended a shooting qualification and safety brief which expires every December 31 and then you will need to be re-qualified and re-briefed the following year. You must use the firearm(s) and/or bows/crossbows that you plan on hunting with. As a reminder, all bows are considered firearms in the province of Ontario.  NOTE that rim fire and centre fire rifles are not allowed to be used for hunting on the base. Shooting qualifications in the morning are followed with a mandatory safety brief (SB) in the afternoon.  There are only a few shoot quals/SB’s per year, so make plans to attend as early as you are able. They are forecasted on the calendar page (click on the event for details) and there will be news bulletins posted on the news bulletin page of this website leading up to each event.
  4. Join a team!  There are 16 areas we have access to for hunting but will be denied access if base ops or trg are taking place in that area at that time.  We split the club into teams to ensure the areas available to us are divided fairly. There are two shotgun controlled deer hunts (CDH) the first week of Nov and the first week of Dec as well as a spring and fall turkey season. Teams are required for these hunts and there is a draw the Sunday before the hunt at the sugar shack where the teams will get to pick their areas based on areas that are available for that week. There are more hunts that are not a draw system, explained below.  New members are encouraged to come out to events and work parties to meet the club and find a team to join.  If you don’t have a team and the season you wish to hunt in is approaching, let your hunt directors know and we will assist you in getting on a team.
  5. Download the Avenza maps app and import the CFB BBRGC map (instructions are at the bottom of this page). This will allow you to note coordinates for tree stands, harvests and points of interest.
  6. IF archery hunting, refer to the tree stand and homepage for info on scouting locations.

FAQs

  • Go to the news bulletins page and read the 3 BBRGC hunting regulations for the three seasons/hunt types as well as the BComd hunting letter.
  • Archery includes bow and crossbow
  • When afield, or heading to and from the field, please ensure that you do not disrupt the hunting activities of another BBRGC hunter. If during your scouting or time afield that you come across another members tree stand or location then you should consider just moving on once you have established in your mind that this location is occupied or being used by another BBRGC member. It is generally accepted that a novice hunter may take a quick look around just to get a better feel for the area, but do not disturb the area or remove any items that do not belong to you.

When hunting on base:

  • Go to Range Control, located at the corner of River Road and Range Road.
  • Sign in.
  • See which areas are open/already have hunters in them and if there are any restrictions. You may also phone ahead to confirm which areas are open to avoid wasting your time driving to RC.
  • Range Control will issue you a radio and a gate key, in the event that Range Control cannot provide a radio, the use of a personal cell phone (radio if no cell phone) may be approved by Range Control.
  • Have in your possession at all time’s proper identification and hunting documentation as you may be challenged at any time by base staff or the local Ontario conservation officers who perform routine verifications.

Upon return from hunting:

  • Stop at range control and return equipment.
  • Report any animals that you have harvested and or problems encountered to the range control staff.

Training on Base Borden takes priority and hunting in any area may not be allowed at any given time. Please respect Range Control personnel as the decision on what areas are open and closed to hunting is not open for debate and can be changed at any time. All hunting on the Base is subject to the regulations of the Ontario fish & game act as well as BBRGC and base rules.  It is the responsibility of all hunters hunting on Base Borden to understand the current Ontario Hunting Regulations and the Base Borden Hunting rules. Any misconduct/infractions by hunters may result in a suspension or revocation of membership.

Hunting is permitted on the base during the following seasons:

These are approximate forecasts, refer to the annually updated BBRGC hunting regulations for accurate dates.

Deer:

  • Archery, October 1st until December 31st. (minus the two 5 day CDH’s below) Stalking deer with archery is not permitted.  Only hunting from tree stands/blinds registered with the tree stand director is permitted, as per annual safety brief.
  • Shot Gun CDH (Slugs only) /Muzzle Loader the first week of November for 5 days.
  • Shot Gun CDH (Slugs only) /Muzzle Loader the first week of December for 5 days.
  • Note:You can possess multiple deer licences (archery antlered, archery antlerless, CDH antlered, CDH antlerless) However you may only participate in one CDH per year (77A Nov or Dec).  If you already have a CDH license for a different WMU then you can’t also apply for Borden 77A Nov or Dec CDH.  A licence allows you to participate in a hunt but it does not allow you to harvest an animal.  Only one deer tag is issued per season so you may only harvest one deer per season. 

Small Game and Turkey Hunts:

  • These hunt dates vary slightly each year but are on the SB and the BBRGC hunting regulations found on the news bulletins page.
  • Note: Only shot number 4, 5, 6 or 7 is allowed as per Ontario turkey regulations.

Method of reporting road kills to the MNR

http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/ssb/forms/ssbforms.nsf/FormDetail?OpenForm&ACT=RDR&TAB=PROFILE&SRCH=1&ENV=WWE&TIT=018-0427&NO=018-0427E

If there are any improvements you would like to see to this page or have any questions they can be directed to the Hunting Directors, refer to executives page for contact info.