NY numbers

[mikejd]

Albany DEC says preliminary numbers show that harvest numbers are down 25% for the 2014 spring season.

Im glad its been pretty dry so far this spring. Lets hope it holds up.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

They'll still let the NY hunters pound away at the hens this fall and there will be more threads here next spring about guys not seeing or hearing turkeys.

[snapper1982]

Just because the harvest was down does not mean the birds are not there.

[mikejd]

Yep, Don't forget all the young gobblers that get whacked in the fall as well.

[mikejd]

Just because the harvest was down does not mean the birds are not there.

They actually predicted population down 20% going into the season. Its been declining for years now. DEC says they are trying to figure out why. I have been watching turkey hunter numbers dropping for years due to the lack of birds.

[snapper1982]

Well where i hunted it seemed that the birds was just getting started when season ended alot of the locals did not kill birds because they could not figure them out

[mikejd]

Well where i hunted it seemed that the birds was just getting started when season ended alot of the locals did not kill birds because they could not figure them out

What does that have to do with actual numbers. Glad you have a good spot.

[njdevilsb]

We had more birds, especially toms, on the farm we hunt this year than normal.  We did notice that surrounding areas seemed to have less birds.  I've been noticing a lot more coyotes around the last few years.  I used to rarely see them and this year we had 2 come out.  I don't know if predation is becoming a bigger problem than in the past between them and egg robbers.  We had a pretty tough winter up here too with a lot of snow and some brutal temps for a couple weeks.  I know not all of this is common in all of New York but it's just my observation.

[mikejd]

We had more birds, especially toms, on the farm we hunt this year than normal.  We did notice that surrounding areas seemed to have less birds.  I've been noticing a lot more coyotes around the last few years.  I used to rarely see them and this year we had 2 come out.  I don't know if predation is becoming a bigger problem than in the past between them and egg robbers.  We had a pretty tough winter up here too with a lot of snow and some brutal temps for a couple weeks.  I know not all of this is common in all of New York but it's just my observation.

For the past few years I have seen dozens of coyotes during turkey season. Even out in the fields during the day but the last 2 yrs I have not seen any. So who knows the real culprit. I do know that a few back to back very wet springs will do it.

[Dearhunter3450]

I think it was just a hard year to hunt NY for some reason. I worked hard for my birds, harder then usual it seemed. Our winter may have hurt bird numbers.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Talk to any local in rural NY and they will drive you around for miles pointing into empty fields echoing the same message: "That field used to always have a bunch of birds using it and I haven't seen any there for several years."

You used to go to the better areas in NY (Oswego, etc) and hear 10-15 birds on a good morning.  Now, if you hear 4-5, that's a stellar AM.

The turkey hunting skill of the locals isn't germane to the conversation.  What is valuable is their insight and most local farmers and hunters will tell you.... The birds ain't just there like they once were.

And btw, I'm pretty sure NY is down 30-40% from 5 years ago. Anyone disputing the the trouble the NY flock is in is in denial.

[mikejd]

Talk to any local in rural NY and they will drive you around for miles pointing into empty fields echoing the same message: "That field used to always have a bunch of birds using it and I haven't seen any there for several years."

You used to go to the better areas in NY (Oswego, etc) and hear 10-15 birds on a good morning.  Now, if you hear 4-5, that's a stellar AM.

The turkey hunting skill of the locals isn't germane to the conversation.  What is valuable is their insight and most local farmers and hunters will tell you.... The birds ain't just there like they once were.

And btw, I'm pretty sure NY is down 30-40% from 5 years ago. Anyone disputing the the trouble the NY flock is in is in denial.

100% agree.

[WNY Bowhunter]

I don't think that a statewide decline in turkey numbers can be attributed to one single factor...

Sure, the fall season does take hens out of the population but fall turkey hunting in my area doesn't open until the 3rd week of October and coincides with bowseason starting to heat up and very few people fall turkey hunt because of this. Coyotes do kill some turkeys but they have been numerous in my area of the state for at least two decades now and certainly don't make a living preying on turkeys. IMHO neither has reduced the turkey pop across the state to the extent that were are seeing. No doubt there are way too many coons, skunks, oppossums, crows, hawks, etc that take their toll during the nesting season and cause lower recruitment rates.  Another thing that wrecks havoc during the spring brood rearing season is that most farmers start mowing hay around the later part of May or early June when the majority of the nests are hatching out and many nests get destroyed as a result (not to mention all of the fawns that getting chopped up during this time).  In my area we have the same amount of agriculture that we have now since I can remember...there has been lots of logging going on over the past several years that creates brood rearing habitat. We don't experience any winter kill here. I really don't know what has happened? Honestly, I don't think that it is something that is going to be fixed by the DEC...hopefully, the numbers will rebound over time.

Let's just hope that we have a decent hatch this year... .

[WNY Bowhunter]

Talk to any local in rural NY and they will drive you around for miles pointing into empty fields echoing the same message: "That field used to always have a bunch of birds using it and I haven't seen any there for several years."

You used to go to the better areas in NY (Oswego, etc) and hear 10-15 birds on a good morning.  Now, if you hear 4-5, that's a stellar AM.

The turkey hunting skill of the locals isn't germane to the conversation.  What is valuable is their insight and most local farmers and hunters will tell you.... The birds ain't just there like they once were.

And btw, I'm pretty sure NY is down 30-40% from 5 years ago. Anyone disputing the the trouble the NY flock is in is in denial.

I guess I haven't persionally seen a drop off in turkey numbers like this but...this spring the sightings in the fields were very sparse indeed.   I have never had to worry about hearing 10-15 birds a morning in my stomping grounds anyhow.  Hearing 3-4 birds per morning has always been a "good morning" for me...

[jordanz7935]

The numbers of birds here locally has been at a decrease for years. IMHO, i think consecutive poor nesting years is the big problem. Predators are definitely a factor too though. There's more predators here than ever and i personally witnessed and filmed a nest robbing fisher with the audacity to walk by my setup with a turkey egg in its mouth. And don't forget the birds of prey. There's more hawks and eagles around here now than there ever has been and they have no problem picking off the young poults. I dont think fall hunting has much of an effect on the population here locally. I know of maybe 2 people that actually fall turkey hunt. Most hunters like myself are too busy bowhunting or waterfowling at that time of the year. But i would be all for a 1 bird fall limit. It definitely stinks that the population isn't what it used to be but all the REAL turkey hunters I know including myself filled their tags this year.