Two new regulation changes are being proposed to the landscape of wild turkey hunting regulations. In a nutshell, they are looking to include shot sizes as small as #9's and add a spring turkey season to Suffolk County on Long Island. As always, your opinion only makes an impactful difference if you voice it directly to those crafting legislation and regulations.
I'll state this bluntly- Responding in those never-ending echo chambers is a fool's errand. Pause the back and forth chatter on social media and take a few minutes of your time to voice your support or opposition to proposed regulations. Public comment on these regulatory proposals runs through June 5, 2022.
Send your comments by email to
wildliferegs@dec.ny.gov with "Proposed Turkey Regulations" in the subject line or mail to: Joshua Stiller, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754.
https://www.dec.ny.gov/press/125107.htmlAs to the #9 shot, you get my thumbs up as long as it stipulates heavier/more dense than lead. As I read the regulation change, it does not. Hevi Shot and TSS loads are a huge upgrade to smaller than 12 gauge bores and with the right choke, deliver an ethical ballistic solution when reviewing comparative observation of expected pattern/energy on target. If proposed regulations opt only for TSS shot, it can be argued reasonably as it is yet heavier and denser than Hevi-13. I would recommend #9 shot in TSS for .410 shotguns as an optimal choice. My opinion however does not support or suggest the longer ranges that some promote.
Suffolk County has plenty of turkeys, and suitable habitats to hunt them. The downside is the access as much of it is private holdings. To those that have hunted and fished on Long Island, it is abundant in opportunities, but it is different. There are folks that are not opposed to hunting but do not want to see it directly. Discretion and sportsmen's best behavior in these settings would be essential to the success of opening a season there. Much of the public access in Suffolk County is multi-use and well-used and you can be assured that those groups will voice their opinions without reservation.
You can find info on public grounds at
https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/40399.htmlThe following is the currently proposed text:
6 NYCRR 1.40(c)(2) is amended as follows:
(2) Spring. A permittee may hunt wild turkey only during those open seasons and in
those wildlife management units (as described in section 4.1 of this Title) listed below.
Open season Wildlife management units
Closed 1A[, 1C] and 2A
May 1st to May 31st Rest of the State
6 NYCRR 1.40(d)(2) is amended as follows:
(2) Spring. A permittee may take:
(i) two bearded turkeys during the spring season as defined in paragraph (c)(2) of
this section; however
(ii) no more than one bearded turkey per day; and
(iii) no more than one bearded turkey in WMU 1C
6 NYCRR 1.40(f)(3) is amended as follows:
(3) A permittee may hunt turkey with a shotgun or handgun loaded with shot no larger
than number 2 and no smaller than number [8]9.
-MJ
© 2022 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
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