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            (4/21) New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis reminded prospective turkey hunters that the 2008 spring season opens for all hunters on May 1, and the special Youth Turkey Hunting Weekend will take place April 26-27. 
                                   
            “Spring turkey season is one of the most popular hunting activities in New York, and I’m certain that hunters are already feeling a great sense of anticipation,” Grannis said.  “DEC has embarked on several new initiatives in support of sound, scientific management of our wild turkey resource and we are pleased to report on some of those efforts as hunters look forward to another season in pursuit of this outstanding game bird.”
                     
            It was another exciting year for wild turkey management and research in New York State.  In 2007, DEC staff continued with the winter flock survey and a banding study designed to assess turkey survival and harvest rates.  The spring 2007 season saw the second straight year of increased harvest, followed by an above-average nesting season where warm, relatively dry weather positively impacted nest success. The good production years during summer 2005 and 2007 combined to produce an exciting fall hunting season with an abundance of both juvenile and adult birds in the field.
 
            Highlights of 2007 wild turkey research and management and a forecast for the Spring 2008 season is outlined below.
                       
            Winter Turkey Survey - In the winter of 2006, DEC started a pilot program to assess the  feasibility of a standardized winter turkey survey.  Like the spring and early summer where weather can have significant impacts on turkey production and poult survival, winter weather (temperature, snow conditions) can limit turkey survival, particularly for juvenile birds.  The goal of the survey is to use DEC staff and volunteers to conduct a harvest-independent survey to help determine long-term trends in turkey populations and to provide information to the public regarding the prospects for the spring hunting season. 
 
            During the first three years of this survey we have compiled over 1,500 observations from every county in the state (with the exception of some counties that comprise New York City). We are currently compiling results from the winter 2007-08 survey.  Over the coming months, we plan  to examine results from the first 3 years, and see if we can design a useful and efficient long-term winter monitoring program to begin in 2008-09.
           
            Wild Turkey Banding Study -  In January 2006, DEC began a 4-year wild turkey banding project designed to estimate harvest and survival rates of male wild turkeys ("gobblers") in New York.    This study is being done in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, researchers from Pennsylvania State University, and the National Wild Turkey Federation.  
 
            During the first two winters of the study, DEC staff and volunteers banded 679 gobblers and 753 hens in 43 counties and 96 towns in DEC Regions 3 through 9.  Since that time 200 gobbler bands have been returned by hunters (about 30%).  Only 21 hen bands (about 3%) have been returned, 11 of which were hunter-killed birds.  During winter 2008, DEC staff and volunteers banded another 352 gobblers and 303 hens in 31 counties and 60 towns, including 8 counties and 52 towns not sampled during the first two years. This brings the three-year total to 1,031 gobblers and 1,056 hens banded in 51 counties and 148 towns throughout upstate New York.  Next winter will be the final field season and a report will be prepared by late 2009.
 
            DEC thanks all of the volunteers and cooperating landowners for their invaluable assistance in the field.  This project would not be possible without them.
 
            Spring Harvest 2007 - Estimated wild turkey harvest during spring 2007 was 35,625 birds, close to the 10-year average (about 36,000).  This is an increase of 28% from spring 2006, and is the highest harvest since spring 2003.  The spring 2007 season is the second straight year we have seen an increase in the statewide harvest after four years of declines (2001-05).
                                                                                               
            Harvest was up from 2006 in most counties (Table 1), with the greatest increases observed in DEC Regions 8 and 9 (western NY).  The exceptions to this were moderate declines (5-16%) observed in Regions 5 and 6 (northern NY). 
 
            As anticipated, based on excellent production during summer 2005, a relatively mild winter in 2005-06, followed by below-average production in summer 2006, a large proportion of birds taken during the spring 2007 season were adult gobblers (2+ years old).  About 68% of the harvest was comprised of toms (vs. 32% jakes), which was the highest proportion of adult birds in the spring harvest since 2003.
 
Youth Hunt 2007 - DEC established a youth hunt for turkeys in 2004.  More than 5,000 junior hunters have taken to the woods each year with their adult companions to take advantage of this special season.  In spring 2007, we observed in increase in both participation and harvest, with roughly 7,000 junior hunters harvesting about 1,500 birds. Unlike spring 2006, both days of the youth hunt had excellent weather this year likely contributing to the boost in both harvest and the number of young hunters taking advantage of this great opportunity.
 
            Summer Productivity 2007 - DEC conducts the Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey annually during the month of August to estimate the average number of wild turkey poults (young of the year) per hen statewide and among major geographic regions of the State.  This index allows us to gauge reproductive success in a given year and allows us to predict fall harvest potential.   Weather, predation, and habitat conditions during the breeding and brood-rearing seasons can all significantly impact nest success, hen survival, and poult (juvenile) survival.           
            Statewide productivity as measured by poults per hen was up 30% from 2006 (3.5 vs. 2.7 in 2006) and was above the 10-year average (1997-2006) of 3.2 for this index (Table 2). About 69% of the birds observed were young of the year.  This is an increase from 2006 (60%), but is the same as 2005.  An increase in the poults:hen ratio was observed in five of the eight DEC regions in which flocks were recorded (Table 2).  The only declines were seen in Regions 3 and 9.
 
            The spring and early summer of 2007 were warm and relatively dry in most of the state. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service indicate that from April 1 through the end of June (the critical nesting period for turkeys) average rainfall was about 0.63 inches below normal and average temperature was about 3̊F above normal.  These favorable weather conditions likely contributed to the above-average nesting success in much of the State.     
 
            Fall Harvest 2007 - Estimated wild turkey harvest during Fall 2007 was 12,654 birds.  This represents an increase of 38% from 2006, and is the highest harvest since fall 2003, but is still below the 10-year average (about 16,000) for fall harvests.
 
            Harvest was up from 2006 in most counties (Table 3), with the greatest increases observed in DEC Regions 4, 5, and 6 (east-central and northern NY).  The exceptions to this were declines (7-40%) observed in Regions 8 and 9 (western NY). 
 
            Based on the above-average production observed during the summer sighting survey, we expected an increase in both the overall harvest and in the ratio of juvenile birds to adult hens in the fall harvest. While we did observe an increase in the overall harvest, this was not the case for the ratio of juvenile birds/adult hens.  Since the summer survey started in 1996, this is only the second time that the trend in juveniles/adult hen from the fall harvest did not mirror the trend in poults/hen from the summer survey.  One reason for this may be that there was a large proportion of 2+ year-old birds from the summer 2005 hatch and hunters actively selected these older birds.  This idea may be supported by the decline in the overall juveniles/adult harvested over the last 3 years.
 
            Although we observed an increase in harvest this fall, the number of turkey hunters continued to decline with an overall decrease of about 30% over the last five years.  Despite this decline in participation, the hunter success rate has remained relatively stable at about 3 birds/100 days effort.  Reasons for the decline in participation are uncertain, but may include changing demographics of New York’s hunting population and the variety of other opportunities available to hunters in the fall.
 
            Forecast for Spring 2008 - The fifth annual Youth Turkey Hunt will be held on April 26-27, 2008. This is an excellent opportunity for youths ages 12-15 to spend time afield with experienced adult hunters gaining the necessary knowledge and skills to become safe and responsible members of the hunting community. We look forward to the great stories and pictures we receive from young hunters and their adult companions and wish everyone a safe and enjoyable hunt.
                                   
            Turkey Hunter Safety - New York has an extremely safety-conscious generation of hunters, largely due to the annual efforts of over 3,000 dedicated volunteer Sportsman Education instructors.  While hunter numbers have declined in New York over the past decade, the decline in hunting-related shooting incidents is primarily attributable to improved hunter safety. The rate of hunting incidents (incidents per 100,000 hunters) is declining much faster than the number of hunters. During the 1960s, the incident rate was 19 incidents per 100,000 hunters. Since 2000, the incident rate is one-third of that, averaging 6.3 incidents per 100,000 hunters.
 
            With 37 hunting-related shooting incidents, 2007 was the 5th safest year since such records have been maintained. Of this total, 5 were related to turkey hunting (2 during the spring season, 3 during the fall season). This is below the ten-year average for turkey hunting-related shooting incidents, and is the lowest number of incidents on record for spring turkey hunting.  However, it is a reminder that even one accident is too many, so be sure to identify your target and beyond, and have a safe and enjoyable season.
 
            For more information about turkey hunting in New York, see the 2007-08 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or go to the DEC website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/29461.html             .