Hunting and Trapping Newsletter

Spring Turkey Season Starts May 1

Spring turkey season opens May 1 in all of upstate New York north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary.

Hunters are reminded that they must have a turkey hunting permit, in addition to their hunting license. Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day. Hunters may take two bearded turkeys during the spring season, but only one bird per day. Successful hunters must report their harvest within seven days of taking a bird. Call 1-866-426-3778 (1-866 GAMERPT) or report harvest online. For more information, see the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or visit the DEC website.

Poor reproductive success in summer 2017 may mean that hunters see fewer adult gobblers this spring compared to last year, but this may be offset by opportunities for jakes resulting from improved reproductive success in 2018 and good overwinter survival. The estimated turkey harvest for spring 2018 was about 19,000 birds.

When you head afield, be sure to follow the cardinal rules of hunting safety: assume every gun is loaded, control the muzzle, keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot, be absolutely sure of your target and what may be beyond it, and don’t stalk. Set up with your back against a large tree and call birds to you.

DEC Seeks Turkey Hunters for Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey

Turkey hunters in pursuit of that wary gobbler in the spring are ideally suited for monitoring ruffed grouse during the breeding season. Turkey hunters can record the number of grouse they hear drumming while afield to help DEC track the distribution and abundance of this game bird. To get a survey form, visit the DEC website, e-mail wildlife@dec.ny.gov, or call (518) 402-8883.

New York Hunters Interested in More Crossbow Opportunities

DEC recently conducted an e-mail survey of 10,000 licensed hunters to gather more information about crossbow use and preferences regarding big game hunting with crossbows in New York. Over 3,800 people responded to the survey. When asked in which wildlife management unit (WMU) they hunt most often, respondents named 81 of the 89 WMUs in the state.

Most survey respondents who don’t currently own a crossbow said that they would get one if crossbows could be used during the entire big game bow season. By a more than 3-to-1 margin, respondents are in favor of purchasing a bowhunting privilege rather than a muzzleloading privilege to hunt with a crossbow. Most respondents are also in favor of allowing 12 and 13-year-olds to hunt with crossbows and allowing crossbow use in archery-only WMUs. With respect to the latter question, respondents who hunt primarily in those WMUs support allowing crossbow use there by a 4-to-1 margin.

The full report on the survey results is available on the DEC website.