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turkeY Hunting tips

Successful turkey hunters sit and call.

Dont wear red, white, blue or black.

Most turkey hunting injuries happen

when one hunter stalks

another hunter. dOnt trYtO stalk turkeY!

Assume anything that

sounds like a turkey is a

human (calls, footsteps).

i yo oh h do move, or wave or nod.

do make turkey or

animal sounds.

do speak up clearly, sayingSTOP.

i yo y

Be 100% sure of your target

and beyond.

general infOrmatiOn You may buy only one turkey permit per year. I you have lled your bag limit, you may call

turkeys or another hunter, but you may notcarry a bow or rearm.

I you have taken a turkey that is unt orconsumption, authorized DEC staf may issuea special permit to take another. You will haveto surrender the carcass. Call your wildlie

or law enorcement oce (see page 8).

manner Of taking You must carry your hunting license and

turkey permit while you hunt. You may hunt with a bow. You may hunt with a shotgun or handgun

only when using shot no larger than #2 andno smaller than #8.

You maynot take a turkey with a rife, orwith a handgun ring a bullet.

You may use a muzzleloading shotgun. You may not hunt with a dog during the

spring season. You may hunt with a dogduring the all season.

You may not use bait to hunt turkey. You may not use an electronic calling or

ampliying device to locate or hunt turkeysduring the open season.

You may use decoys. A scope o any type is al lowed.

tagging and pOssessiOn Immediately ater taking a wild turkey, you

must ll out the appropriate carcass tag inink, mark or cut out the date and month okill, and attach it to the carcass.

Te carcass tag must stay attached to theturkey carcass until it is prepared or eating.

You may give your turkey to another person. You must attach a tag with the following

inormation to the turkey carcass:

1. Your name2. Your address3. Your hunting license number4. urkey permit carcass tag number5. Te recipients name6. Te recipients address

You must report your harvest within 7 daysvia phone (1-866-GAMERP) or internet(www.dec.ny.gov).

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Hen Or gOBBler?

Only bearded wild turkeys may

be taken during the spring

season. This regulation helps

protect female turkeys during

the nesting period. Yes, some

hens do have beards, but they

represent only 36% of thefemale population.

Although few hens are

taken, their loss reduces the

reproductive potential of the

population.

That loss is avoidable, if you

remember these tips:

feature gOBBler Hen

Head red, blue and white colors blue-gray color

Body dark, brown-black light, rusty-brown

Beard long bristle-like beard usually no beard

Spurs usually -inch or longer spurs usually no spurs

Calls gobble, drum yelp, cluck, cut

Strut strut with tail fan and wing droop no strut

Size larger than hen to size of gobbler

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fall turkeY seasOn

You may take a bird of either sex. In a two-bird area, you may take both birds

in one day. Tere are two carcass tags or the all season.

Use statewide tag in any turkey huntingarea. Use two-bird area tag only in an areawith a two-bird bag limit. Immediately atertaking a turkey, you must fll out the carcass

tag in ink and attach it to the bird. If you take a turkey, save one leg from each

turkey you take.You will receive instruc-tions about what to do with the leg when

you report. Te legs are used for age andsex information.

spring turkeY seasOn

In the spring you may take two beardedbirds. You may only take one bird per day.

Fill out the carcass tag and attach it to the bird. You do not need to save and send in turkey

legs in the spring. You do need to take careulspur, beard, and weight measurements forharvest reporting.

1. Spur measurements: Spurs should bemeasured from the tip of the spur to thebase of the spur, where it emerges fromthe scaly part of the leg. Measure to thenearest inch. Do not measure to theforward edge of the leg, only to the baseof the spur.

2. Beard measurements: Beards should bemeasured from the tip of the beard tothe base, where it emerges from the skin.Put the end of your ruler against thebase of the beard and extend the beardalong the body of the ruler. Measure tothe nearest inch.

3. Record the weight of the turkey to the

nearest pound.

6F

5F

6J

5A

5H

6K

5J

6S

4A

7F

4F

4O 4P

7J

4R

7S

3H 3J

3K

3M

8F

8J

8S

8Y

9P7R

9H

9J

9A

9A9C

9F

9G

9K

9S

9M9W

9N

8A

8G

8H

8M 8N

8P

9X 8X

8T 8W

8R

7A

7H 7M

4W

4G 4H

4Y4Z

4T4U

4B

4J

5R

4K

4L

5S

5T

6R6P

3A

3C

3F3G

3N

3R

3P

2A1A

1C

3S

5G

6H

6G

6C

5C6A

9Y

8C

4C

4S

6N

9R9T

7P

FALL TURKEY SEASONHunting Hours: Sunrise to Sunset

Season Dates 2012

Oct. 1Oct. 19

Oct. 1Oct. 19

Oct. 1Nov. 16

Oct. 20Nov. 2

Oct. 20Nov. 16

Closed

Season Bag Limits

1, either sex

2, either sex *

2, either sex *

1, either sex

1, either sex

Nov. 17Nov. 21 1, either sex

SPRING YOUTH HUNTSeason Dates

April 2021, 2013

Area Open

Same as regular spring season

plus Suffolk County (WMU 1C)

Eligible hunters

Youth 1215 year s of age

Bag Limit

One bearded turkey

* In 2-bird areas, you may

take both birds in one day

SPRING TURKEY SEASON (no map)Hunting Hours

One half-hour before sunrise to noon

Area Open

All of upstate New York north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary

Season Dates

May 1May 31

Season Bag Limits

Two bearded turkeys (one bird per day)

turkeY Hunters needed

fOr grOuse surveY

DEC is seeking spring turkey hunters

to participate in a survey to help

monitor grouse populations. For

more information, email us at

fwwildlf@gw.dec.state.ny.us and type

Grouse Drumming Survey in the

subject line, or call 518-402-8883, or

visit www.dec.ny.gov and search for

"drumming survey."

reward

Protect Wild Turkeys against illegal

hunting. Their future depends on you!

The National Wild Turkey Federation

is offering $200 reward to anyone

giving information and testimony

leading to the arrest and conviction

of anyone illegally hunting or killing a

wild turkey in the State of New York.

1-800-tipp-deCDaniel McGahey, age 12; Youth Turkey Hunt 2012, Oneida County; Daniels First Turkey

24 lbs., 11 in. beard, 1 in. spurs; Mentored by ECO Corey Schoonover and Deputy Jon Ford

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Cameo Coy, ae 13Yoh tkey H 2012, Clo Coy

Cameo' f key 19 lb., 1 . , 10 . bead

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HeaDerturkeY HuNtING

spring YOutH HuntEligible hunters are 1215 years o age andhold a Junior Hunting License and a TurkeyPermit.

All youth hunters must be accompaniedby an adult, as required by law or a JuniorHunting License (see pages 13 and 15).

he accompanying adult must have acurrent hunting license and Turkey Permit. He/she may assist the youth

hunter (including calling), but may not carry a frearm or longbow, orkill or attempt to kill a wild turkey during the youth hunt.

Te bag limit for the youth hunt is one bearded bird. Tis birdbecomes part o the youths regular season bag limit o two beardedbirds. A second bird may be taken beginning May 1.

All other wild turkey hunting regulations remain in efect.