Hunting and Trapping Newsletter

Spring Turkey Season Opens May 1!

Spring turkey season opens on Sunday, May 1, in all of upstate New York north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary. Licensed hunters are also required to have a turkey permit.

Turkey hunting is a safe activity and will continue getting safer each year as long as you remember to point your gun in a safe direction; treat every gun as if it were loaded; be sure of your target and beyond; and keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. Remember, stalking stinks! Sit with your back against a tree or other object wider than your shoulders and call birds to you. DEC also encourages all hunters to wear blaze orange or blaze pink when moving between hunting spots to make themselves more visible to other hunters. A blaze orange or blaze pink vest or other material can be hung in a nearby tree when you are set up and calling birds so other hunters are alerted to your presence.

Spring turkey harvest in New York averages about 19,000 birds and varies based on the number of participants and turkey productivity in the previous few springs. This spring, DEC biologists expect hunters to take more turkeys than last year. Hunters prefer to take toms (2 or more years old) over younger male “jakes,” so typically wildlife managers see a two-year lag between summer productivity and spring take. Overall, turkey populations are lower now than a few years ago due to below-average reproductive success in two of the last three years; however, the good news is that improved turkey productivity in 2020 will mean a greater proportion of toms available to hunters this spring compared to last year.

Important Details for the Spring Turkey Season:

• Hunting is permitted in most areas of the state, except for New York City and Long Island;
• Hunters 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;
• The bag limit for the youth hunt is one bearded bird. This bird becomes part of the youth's regular season bag limit of two bearded birds. A second bird may be taken in upstate New York (north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary) beginning May 1st;
• Hunters may not use rifles or handguns firing a bullet. Hunters may hunt with a shotgun or handgun loaded with shot sizes no larger than No. 2 or smaller than No. 8, or with a bow or crossbow (except crossbows may not be used in Westchester County);
• Successful hunters must fill out the tag that comes with their turkey permit and immediately attach it to any turkey harvested;
• 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 at DEC's Game Harvest Reporting website; and

For more information about turkey hunting in New York, see the 2021-22 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or visit the Turkey Hunting pages of DEC's website.

Photo courtesy of K. Moss

Citizen Science Opportunity: DEC Seeks Turkey Hunters for Ruffed Grouse Drumming Survey

Turkey hunters in pursuit of a weary gobbler can help DEC track the distribution and abundance of ruffed grouse. During the spring breeding season, male grouse are “drumming,” beating their wings in the hope of attracting a mate. Turkey hunters can record the number of ruffed grouse they hear drumming while afield to help monitor this game bird. To get a survey form, go to DEC's website or call (518) 402-8883. To participate in DEC's Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey or other wildlife surveys, visit the Citizen Science page of DEC's website. 

Photo courtesy of J. Major

Tracking Timberdoodles

Since 2018 the NYSDEC has been a partner in the Eastern Woodcock Migration Research Cooperative, led by the University of Maine. The goal of the larger collaborative is to understand the migration ecology of this diminutive migratory game bird. During this study, 40 woodcock have been marked in NY and over 500 for the project overall. This year, DEC is expanding our efforts by partnering with SUNY Brockport and the University of Maine to better understand habitat usage of woodcock during the spring breeding and summer brood rearing seasons. As part of the expanded effort, DEC biologists and technicians will be out trying to capture woodcock in early May. The information from this study will help guide habitat management on state and private lands in New York to benefit woodcock and other species that rely on early successional forest habitats. Watch a video on DEC's YouTube channel for more information on this interesting research.

Photo courtesy of M. Noome

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in New York Wild Birds

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus has been found in multiple wild bird species in several areas of New York State. No known HPAI human infections are documented in the U.S., and according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these recent cases of HPAI do not present an immediate public health concern.

Avian influenza (AI) is caused by an influenza virus carried by free-flying wild birds such as ducks, geese, gulls, and shorebirds. Generally, influenza viruses can infect some wildlife species without causing signs of disease, but new strains can emerge that cause illness with high mortality in both wild birds and domestic poultry. These strains are designated as highly pathogenic, or HPAI. HPAI outbreaks in wild birds are often cyclical and tied to migration when birds are concentrated in large numbers. As birds spread out on the landscape during the nesting season, disease transmission is expected to decrease.

While the risk of a person becoming infected is low, individuals can protect themselves by only harvesting game that appears to be healthy and properly cooking any game meat being eaten to an internal temperature of 165° F, which kills the virus. If handling wild birds, particularly waterfowl, gulls, and raptors, individuals should follow precautions such as using personal protective equipment like masks, gloves, and eye protection, and washing hands thoroughly.

To assist DEC's efforts to track HPAI in wildlife and provide an early warning to the State Department of Agriculture and Markets and local poultry or game bird operations, please report any suspicious deaths of species listed above to your local DEC regional office.

Read DEC's press release for more information regarding the HPAI outbreak.