THE fall turkey-hunting season kicks off in New York on Sunday, and despite the weather this year not being conducive for reproduction of many more birds, their numbers remain at decent levels throughout the state.
The cold, wet weather experienced during most of the spring and fall, say state’s wildlife biologists,
held down the turkey population, but their report also adds there are a healthy number of birds, and opportunities for those looking to bring home their own Thanksgiving dinner are many.
The number of turkeys harvested each year during the fall hunting season varies due to population levels and the amount of natural food available to turkeys during the year.
New York’s biologists say there were poor reproduction conditions this year caused by the wet weather which will result in fewer turkeys being taken by hunters. In 1999, hunters took a total of 8,078 turkeys.
Because turkey hunters are covered in camouflage and because they have increased in numbers over the past 10 years, they have become more prone to hunting accidents.
Half of all turkey hunting injuries are caused by one hunter stalking another. Hunters should wrap an orange strip or vest around a tree near their calling location. If you do see another hunter, never wave, whistle or make animal sounds, instead, speak up in a clear loud voice to identify yourself. Never wear red, white or blue while turkey hunting because they are the colors of a cobbler’s head. And, finally and most importantly, always assume any movement is another hunter.
The DEC also announced that more than 20,000 adult pheasants will be released on lands open to public hunting prior to and during the fall pheasant hunting season, which also begins on Sunday in parts of the state.
Approximately 12,500 pheasants raised at DEC’s Reynolds Game Farm in Ithaca and 7,800 pheasants purchased as an interim measure pending expansion of the game farm’s production capability next spring are slated for release. The majority of the pheasants will be released on state wildlife management and cooperative hunting areas.
Two popular cooperative pheasant-rearing and release programs, the Day-old Pheasant Chick Program and the Young Pheasant Release Program, provide additional opportunities for pheasant hunters. Birds from these programs are released before the season opens and disperse widely, presenting a greater challenge for experienced hunters.
The Day-old Chick Program, developed in the early 1900s, provides day-old pheasant chicks to cooperating 4-H groups and sportsmen and women. The chicks are distributed to successful applicants in May and June, and hosts incur all costs rearing the birds, including feed, water, utilities and facility construction. This year, nearly 60,000 pheasant chicks were distributed statewide.
The Young Pheasant Release Program was developed in 1992 with assistance from organized hunters, and provides an opportunity for them to help enhance pheasant hunting in New York State. Pheasants 5-to-8 weeks old are distributed to cooperating groups and landowners for release at pre-approved sites in June or July. The cooperators provide a release pen and make food available for two weeks following release. Approximately 7,225 young pheasants were released on 289 sites this year.
For those wishing to pursue these pheasants when the hunting season opens, a list of release sites is available from any DEC regional wildlife office.
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THE New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife will stock more than 50,000 trout in the state’s major trout waters Oct. 3-19.
Standard production trout (approximately 10-11 inches and weighing a half-pound each) will be stocked along with 1,500 breeders to be released during the second and third weeks of the stocking schedule.
You can call the division’s computerized, 24-hour New Jersey Trout Stocking Hotline for a weekly, updated list of state waters slated for fall stocking. The number is (609) 633-6765.
