Lousy Season in Southern NY

[Dr Juice]

Hello Gents and congrats to those who were successful in turkey slaying this year. I have put in the most time and covered the most land in my 25+ years of hunting gobblers and my results are nil. Thus far, I have heard two on the roost and set up once for a jake over the course of 9-days of hunting until noon on all days. Birds are silent including the hens which I have been unsuccessful in firing one up this year. I believe it's a first for me.

I cannot believe the poor conditions. I will give it another try or two before we end on the 31st of May.

Best regards all.

[RutnNStrutn]

You ain't the only one. Sounds like the exact conditions I experienced in FLA and SC. Hang in there Doc, and bust one before the end of the month. You still got time.

[Deputy 14]

That's how it was here in WV. I heard more birds the last two days than I did all season.

[Twowithone]

Thats my season also. Their gobbling on the roost good fly down and go the other way with the hens. Next time I switch to where they went and again they go the other way. Ive seen 2 gobblers on private property that I cant hunt and then heard of some bad mentored youth hunter poachin turkeys on this property.Im still in the game the gobblers are still out there their just tired of my calling I guess. 

[RutnNStrutn]

Keep at it man!!!

[TURKEYWHACKER]

Keep on em Doc, you'll get it done. 

[Sir-diealot]

I am hearing the same thing from my friends in Western and Central NY I am hoping it will improve at the end of the month because I won't be able to get out there until then I think.

[Hayudog]

Stay the course. It's a long time til next year. Good luck closing it out.

[mikejd]

Same thing for me central NY. Found a few birds. They would gobble on the rooste and shut up imedietly on flydown. Never to hear another gobble again. And these birds never circled back later in the day.
This is pretty much the norm nowadays. I have not heard an afternoon gobble in years.
But I do think the numbers are down. I do a lot of driving during the season in the afternoons and I did not see to many birds around. I just spent 9 days myself with 4 of us. Only turned up 1 jake.

[Sir-diealot]

Same thing for me central NY. Found a few birds. They would gobble on the rooste and shut up imedietly on flydown. Never to hear another gobble again. And these birds never circled back later in the day.
This is pretty much the norm nowadays. I have not heard an afternoon gobble in years.
But I do think the numbers are down. I do a lot of driving during the season in the afternoons and I did not see to many birds around. I just spent 9 days myself with 4 of us. Only turned up 1 jake.

The DEC's numbers say they are way down as well. I was unable to hunt for 17 years and returned 2 years ago and could not believe the difference. Not even close to what it was.

[Dr Juice]

[/quote]The DEC's numbers say they are way down as well. I was unable to hunt for 17 years and returned 2 years ago and could not believe the difference. Not even close to what it was.
[/quote]
What do you think attributed to the decrease in numbers? I bet it is a combination of poaching and predation 

[TauntoHawk]

What county are you guys in, I only have experience in one county in NY but I have hunted all over that county for 12 years. I can't honestly say if there's more or less birds as a whole property by property but it's still fantastic turkey hunting. It always surprises me that other parts of the state aren't doing as good

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[Dr Juice]

I hunt Sullivan and ulster counties.

[Sir-diealot]

The DEC's numbers say they are way down as well. I was unable to hunt for 17 years and returned 2 years ago and could not believe the difference. Not even close to what it was.
[/quote]
What do you think attributed to the decrease in numbers? I bet it is a combination of poaching and predation
[/quote]Well quite frankly in my area it has been Mennonites and the way that they rape the land. They cut down every hedgerow in sight, knock down every tree they can put a saw to and plant to the very edge of the road not caring that they are endangering both animals and drivers by their practices and that they are destroying habitat. I drive for a Mennonite and he is one of the very few I know that gets mad when he sees his own people doing this. Then you have so called regular farmers here that have started to do the same.

You then add predators and modern farming techniques/equipment that no longer leave as much behind as some older styles did as far as say maybe ears of corn that may have fallen to the ground with older style combines that the animals would eat or other farm equipment for gathering grains that is newer and gather more efficiently than in years gone by and there is not as much left laying in the fields as in older times and that all adds up.

Progress is not always the best thing, it means the farmers make more and are able to gather more but that means the animals suffer the consequences.

Back to the predator thing you figure in that 17 years that I was gone was when the whole anti fur thing was going on full bore so many people stopped trapping or hunting fur bearers because the money dropped out of it so yes they took a toll on all our wildlife as well.

Also there have been a lot more homes going up and land cleared for that in my area and I am sure all areas and that comes back to the whole habitat thing.

All that adds up. I really don't think that poaching has put as hard a hit on wildlife as all the things mentioned above. Not that it has not hurt it at all.

[Sir-diealot]

What county are you guys in, I only have experience in one county in NY but I have hunted all over that county for 12 years. I can't honestly say if there's more or less birds as a whole property by property but it's still fantastic turkey hunting. It always surprises me that other parts of the state aren't doing as good

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Yates County.