Has your NY turkey season got better?

[Dr Juice]

Not for me in Sullivan and Ulster counties. I'm giving it one more shot this weekend. Good luck.

[NYlogbeards]

Well, things are getting better in my area, had about 4 different gobblers gobbling their tail fans off, and they didn't shut up till about 9 am, so looks good maybe the rest of the week will be the best of the season.

[mikejd]

Well, things are getting better in my area, had about 4 different gobblers gobbling their tail fans off, and they didn't shut up till about 9 am, so looks good maybe the rest of the week will be the best of the season.

That's good to hear. I havnt had it like that in about 10 yrs.

I hope it pics up for everyone. Weather has been good.

[Turkeyman]

Due to a serious illness with my wife, I cancelled planned hunts to MO and KS. I didn't think I'd be hunting here either. It was her decision for me to hunt and, as she was feeling better, pretty much chased me out of the house! My first day was the 4th...I went a known good spot with no scouting. I heard 2 birds on roost, positioned on the closest and called him in. Though in range, I couldn't tell if he was an adult or jake so let him go. After he got out of range he fanned out...darn! I worked on him and got him to come back to 20 yards. Two-year old, about 18#, 8" beard.

I decided to hunt a different spot on Tuesday, the 5th, where I've had good luck in the past. On my way there, about 10:00, I spotted 3 adult gobblers, alone, feeding in a field. I stopped at a farm down the road and got permission to hunt. Swinging back to the field a good bird and hen crossed the road right in front of me...almost road kill! Tuesday morning I parked down the road a ways, walked to the field and cut across...about 300 yards to the woods. At gobbling time, I heard one just inside the woods about 200 yards away. I positioned as close as I dared because he only gobbled twice and I couldn't get a good fix. I made a call, he never responded. I figured I'd better set up where I was...didn't want to bump him and made a call. Right behind me a bird flew down. I knew it wasn't him, figuring it was a hen. Two things...I have no idea how it didn't see me and I didn't want it to come right in behind me,  figuring it was a hen, and she'd go bananas! Well, it was a jake with a gobble very much like a fall jake. I gave it a bit before making another call, not knowing what he was doing. Well, from the direction I heard the initial bird, here comes a hen legging it along the edge of the field looking for me; pretty much explains him not gobbling any more. I just sit there until she goes away then make another call. Now, from across the field and road, I hear multiple gobbles. Looking out into the field there are 5 jakes legging it right toward me. They come into the woods straight at me...I'm only 20 yards off the field. One of them makes me out and goes to light putting...all the other 4 did was continue gobbling, but they all left anyhow. Due to the activity I decided to go back to where I was in the first place, keeping the original bird in mind for later. I set up just off the field and called every so often. Behind me quite a ways two different birds gobbled at me. Off I went for the closer one. I kept him answering as we closed in on each other. I set up...he was just over a knob, then a hen started yelping non-stop to my right, his left, but closer to him. He shut up and she just kept coming...I can't see either one of them due to the knob. Then there she is walking straight toward me. She stopped 15 yards away and just stood there, yelping and looking. Then, I hear more yelping off to my right..two more hens end up 15 yards away...I can just see them out of the corner of my eye. In the meantime, I hear him drumming just over the knob where hen #1 came from. Then #1 charges #2 and #3  and they're fighting. Good fight...wing thumping, bighting, fighting purrs et al. Watching them to my right, he's still drumming and coming. Then there he is pretty much where hen #1 was. He's in full strut, walking and drumming to my right, looking for me and starting to quarter away. He's going to go behind a big tree, easy to get the gun in position, but the girls are still at it just off my right shoulder. Well, I figure I'll give it a try...if they go bananas he'll just live for another day, at least! I swing to the other side of the tree...hens are too busy with their squabble...as he exits all I can see is his snowball head, not even his wattles. He walks into the red dot and BOOM! I go running up there because he went out of sight...he's laying there stone dead. With him angling away, it ended up being 38 yards. Another two-year old, heavier than yesterday's, with a 8" beard. The other gobbler was still a ways off but was closing the distance until I shot. I think I've come upon another good spot...never did have to go to the area I intended to. I've talked to several guys that haven't had much action but I can't complain.

[turkaholic]

This season has been a strange one. Just got back from Cooperstown area and this is the 3 rd week of really poor hunting. I have over 40 miles logged on my GPS. The first week there was some gobbling on roost, but now even that has tapered off. I know there are still birds around but not as many as past years. This morning I was after a big tom that has givin me the slip a few times. No gobbles a first light but an hour after ,5 jakes came in silent. Even the jakes are silent. I did get a bird,he shock gobbled to some Ravens flew down in front of me and Died. I was planning on going back up on Sunday but to my surprise I closed up the camp. I don't think I can take another week ,it's to damn depressing. It will be a long winter with very few good memories of this turkey season.

[Bowguy]

Mine has been decent all year. Somewhat. More often than not I'm hearing, seeing n even calling birds into range. They've been mostly jakes though. Been tough trying to find Longbeards. Hunting in Orange County NY. Same situation in Sussex co NJ. Last Sunday was one day I never got a bird to work. They were off property but yacking up a storm. Unfortunately hens flew down w em n they went instantly the wrong way. We still have time. Last weekend alone I called 2 jakes, than 7 more. Than 5 more on dif parts of same farm n on dif sides of road. All good gobbling birds but all shorties

[TrackeySauresRex]

  I've hunted Chenango county for at least 12 years or better. I didn't hunt there this year. Last year was brutal putting a lot of miles on my boots. With the only gobbling I cought was in a thunder storm from long off. One sit we were lucky enough to call in a silent hen.
  Most of the seasons I hunted were only 4/5 day hunts. But that's all it took. It really wasn't all that tough to get on some birds.
  There was a post last year similar to this one. Reading this again makes me believe there has been a real bad drop off. Bad winters and predation are laying a beating on the birds. Hopefully it rebounds. That was my favorite place to hunt. Beautiful country that part of NY.

[jperch]

I am lucky that my job allows me to get into the woods most mornings for 2 or 3 hours before work.  What I have been seeing in northern Cayuga County is that any turkey that makes much noise (hens or gobblers) is quickly harassed by coyotes.  I have hunted this same property for 15 years and have never seen anything like this.  One day, during the first week of the season, I saw 5 coyotes.  No wonder they are so quiet!  perch

[turkaholic]

I also noticed a big rise in coyote sign. I had a yote come into my calls but turned as I tried to give him a blast. I would think that this can put a damper on the amount of gobbling you hear and why they shut down so quick. We had 4 or 5 groups of birds we were working but the birds got quiet after the first week, and even that was a few gobbles and then clam up. Very disturbing !

[mikejd]

I also noticed a big rise in coyote sign. I had a yote come into my calls but turned as I tried to give him a blast. I would think that this can put a damper on the amount of gobbling you hear and why they shut down so quick. We had 4 or 5 groups of birds we were working but the birds got quiet after the first week, and even that was a few gobbles and then clam up. Very disturbing !

2 mornings out of 8 I called in a coyote at first light. Never could get a shot at either of them. 2 different spots by the way.
one morning I saw 1 coyote running around in a field trying to get a bead on were the gobbling was coming from.
thwre was a bird gobbling on the rooste and he was going crazy trying to find him.

[Bowguy]

Guys I've said it before but the coyotes are def keying in on turkey noise. Remember that on predator hunts

[WNY Bowhunter]

I can honesty say that after spending 21 seasons in the spring turkey woods here in Steuben County, I have never called in a coyote with a turkey call or seen them stalking turkeys in the field. If I did, I would probably have to shoot it...er wait...they aren't in season... .  I did call a couple of coyotes in during a fall hunt several years ago and one of the little dogs paid dearly for it. IMHO, there is a far more deadly turkey predator out there that can definately impact gobbling activity and they carry shotguns...

[fallsflight]

I can honesty say that after spending 21 seasons in the spring turkey woods here in Steuben County, I have never called in a coyote with a turkey call or seen them stalking turkeys in the field. If I did, I would probably have to shoot it...er wait...they aren't in season... .  I did call a couple of coyotes in during a fall hunt several years ago and one of the little dogs paid dearly for it. IMHO, there is a far more deadly turkey predator out there that can definately impact gobbling activity and they carry shotguns...

We used to call in yotes every spring while turkey hunting.  Haven't in several years now for some reason.  I'm sure some probably started coming in down wind and split before ever seeing them.

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[steinea286]

I have been towards the eastern portion of the state and the western portion and in the southern finger lakes region and it seems about the same no matter where I have been. Gobbling on the roost then it gets quiet and I have never seen more gobblers with hens this late into the season. I did get my first of the season last friday (a week ago) and he came in alone gobbling his head off. I had birds gobbling very good on the limb this morning but am saving them for this weekend when I have more time. Hopefully with the leaf cover, I'll be able to slip in nice and quiet and try to bag this bird that I have been playing cat and mouse with. Still hoping it gets better, usually love hunting the late season!

[njdevilsb]

I don't have any first hand experience on coyotes going after turkey or stalking their calling.  I do know that we have a healthy population of coyotes where I am and I had one roaming around the plowed field I was hunting last weekend for about 15 minutes just as I was starting to be able to see decent.  The bird I had roosted the night before only gobbled once on the limb.  His 3 hens came down at their normal time, 5:45, and acted very spooky.  They would run a little bit, stop and look, run a bit more until I lost sight of them.  The tom came out, did a half strut on top of the hill, turned around and started putting and went back in.

I'm sure they had to have seen the 'yote because they were only about 10 yards inside the woods on the limb.  He definitely had those birds spooked and it kind of ruined our hunt that morning.  I was only about 60 yards from where they were crossing.  Had the tom continued on the same path that the hens went, there was a good chance he was going to cross paths with my dad.