NY numbers what's your take.

[mikejd]

So you guys hunting NY. Whats your feelings on t he turkey numbers after this winter.
I have been up for 5 days now and have spent every legal minute in the woods
and have just about put 1000 miles on my truck driving and scouting the afternoons.
I am seeing virtually no birds at all. Usually while I drive around the farms are loaded
this year only a handful. I have found close to 50 deer carcasses so no doubt the winter was rough.
What's your take.

[hunter-b]

The outdoor newspaper predicted a slite increase in kills this year . I'm not so sure . My friends have been doing well but lady luck has not been on my side .

[troutfisher13111]

In 8f and 7a I am seeing more this year than I have in the previous 3 years.

[tomstopper]

Here in Steuben county it appears that winter had done little to the birds. I hunt on an old no winter maintenance road with the land on both sides being hardwoods with pipelines at the top. It was logged this last year and the birds love it. This being said I have never seen as many birds on it as I have this year.

I believe (IMO) that the bird numbers haven't changed due to winter. I do know that about 6 months ago, our local newspaper had an article that said turkey numbers were down. This might be true but one of the factors that they based this on was the harvest reports that we are supposed to report as hunters when we harvest a bird. I know a bunch of guys that don't call in their harvests at all so I don't know how much stock to put into that article.

I am not an expert but I see turkey's on all the farms around here as well. I just hope if winter did put a hurting on them, that they bounce back soon. Our local farmers don't always let people on their land for deer, turkey, bear hunting etc. but I have never seen one around here turn down coyote hunters or trappers. This might also be the reason that I see more birds. In the end, who really knows. Good luck the rest of the season fellas and ladies......

[wcerin]

Here in 7S the winter didn't seem to do any damage. Our party killed 5 longbeards and a jake in the first 4 days, and there is still birds on the farms we hunt. Good Luck, stay after em'.

[MACHINIST]

I don't think we lost any during winter but I can tell we don't have as many as the last 2 spring seasons.I am hunting 7A,last year most night I didn't have a problem roosting a few birds for the next morning.This year I am roosting birds about 1/4-1/3 of the time.After that I am just going out and waiting for them to gobble off the roost in the am and running for them.This year with my daughter I cant really do that between setting the blind and her up takes a bit of time.

[steinea286]

I have had a harder time finding birds this year as well, but time and effort in scouting can go a long way. The 2006 turkey harvest in NY was 36000 birds, where as last year the recorded take was down to 18,000. I wouldn't put populations down based on the winter, but rather predators and poor nesting seasons. We have really only had 1 outstanding nesting season in the last 5 years! Stay after em!

[MACHINIST]

I believe your right,the predation on eggs and turkeys has gotten bad around us.Throughout the deer season or group usually finds a few turkey kills a piece each year.From what I heard fishers will cause big problems with roosting bird by going in and killing them on the roost at night.My daughter and I found a nest with 15 eggs in it the other day.There is now a trailcam watching them to see what happens.As soon as I get pics I will post them up.

[2much2loud]

I think nesting plays more of a part in population than weather ... Hey New York had a bad winter but so does Mn Mi and states way up there every year. I think coons and opossums ruining nest play the biggest roll in population... I have heard more birds this year than the last 5 years or so. I also live and hunt in Steuben county ....Looking forward to see what you get on the trail cam....

[troutfisher13111]

I am sure that there are several pieces to the puzzle. I do miss the number of birds that there used to be and hope they start to climb again.

Machinist, great idea with the trail cam! It's funny that you mention fisher, I have seen quite a few lately. Their number are definitely growing in our area.

[jordanz7935]

I hunt 4f/6s. I've been lucky enough to fill both of my tags so far this season. I'd say that we have around the same amount of birds we've had for the last couple years. We definitely have fewer birds now than say 8-10 years ago. I don't think the winter took a toll on them this year. I think it has more to do with the poor nesting seasons we've been having in the past few years and the amount of predators we have now. Me and a buddy saw first hand today just how bad the fisher problem is around here. @ 8:30 we were calling to a flock of birds that went silent on us and i caught movement. I got the video camera ready in time to get video of a fisher with none other than a turkey egg in his mouth! That nest robbing S.O.B.! He disappeared into the brush shortly thereafter and i was like i cant believe what i just saw! Then 5 minutes later my buddy alerts me to more movement. Here he comes again back the way he came but no egg in his mouth. We look at each other and were like hes goin back for more eggs! Well all im gonna say is that we "scared the S!@# out of him" and i dont think he'll be robbing nests or harassing the turkeys anymore! Never seen anything like that before thats for sure. A lot of the better hunters i know think that the fishers are the worst predator that we have for turkeys. I've heard that they can and will sneak up a roost tree and take birds off the roost @ night. I hope to never see another.

[arrow1]

 :character0029:This is what a fisher is like.  One bad a** predator.  Tooth, Fang and Claw!!  I have skinned a couple that for friends that trapped them and they are pure muscle.  I have also heard they make an impact on turkeys.  Hopefully they expand the current trapping zones for them and begin to allow trapping in the central leatherstocking region and southern tier because there are plenty of fisher in these areas but no open season on them at this point in time.  Perhaps this will soon change.

[Houndstooth Game Calls]

If it's anything like it was in the south driving around looking in fields wasn't a option to find turkeys. Due to a late spring last 2 weeks it warmed up a bit bugs came out and saw a few in fields.. Imagine if spring was behind here its behind there.. Wich means there scratching around in the woods..

[hunter-b]

If it's anything like it was in the south driving around looking in fields wasn't a option to find turkeys. Due to a late spring last 2 weeks it warmed up a bit bugs came out and saw a few in fields.. Imagine if spring was behind here its behind there.. Which means there scratching around in the woods..

X2 I do think predators are a bigger factor than most think .

[mikejd]

Well im glad most of you guys are seing good birds. I do know our hatches have been lousy
and I read that NY was at its 20 yr low with its bird numbers. I really feel this winter did some hurtin. Only time will tell.