2 weeks early, or all day hunting..

[wooly]

Just for kicks, I'm curious what you guys would prefer after seeing the early opener idea being brought up in a couple posts.

If there was going to be a change in spring turkey regulations, which would you like to see?

I pick "d", but I wouldn't have a problem if one of the other options came to be eventually. Totally opposed to "c" though.

 

a) 1/2 hr before sunrise till sunset for the entire month of May.(all day spring turkey hunting)

b.) April 15'th opener through the end of May. (still only hunt till noon)

c) Early opener AND all day hunting.

d) No change- it's all good the way it is.

Edited May 6, 2015 by wooly

[Culvercreek hunt club]

D, Give them a rest in the afternoon.

[grampy]

d.....no change

[The_Field_Ager]

One week early would make all the difference. Take the last week off May. In fact I would be OK with a 2 week season. The Turkey get a lot of pressure during this period.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Papist

[phade]

Two week season, one week earlier. Til Noon the first week and all day the second. One tag.

 

 

[jjb4900]

I know it's not one of your posted options, but we were just discussing an all day 1 bird limit, or something along the lines of what Phade suggested..........but keeping to your post I'd go with D.

[alloutdoors]

I'll take A, but outlaw decoys and popup blinds.

[deerpassion]

I would do April 15 - May 15 till noon ... Would be a much more exciting "typical" turkey hunting ... Miss hunting those osceolas cause we got to hunt them just as things were getting fired up. Even though they typically don't gobble as much as easterns , I've heard way less gobbling throughout the season here especially when they hit the ground!

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[Nomad]

B

[adkbuck]

I would stick with D.  Not only for the bird's sake but for the mental well being of hunters.  A full day hunting gobblers would take a heavy mental and physical toll on us guys over 40 and could lead to strained domestic relationships as well as job performance issues.

Edited May 6, 2015 by adkbuck

[ATbuckhunter]

Ill go with D because I have limited experience with turkey hunting in April although option B is sounding good.

[First-light]

D its a good time to get work done around camp after noon sets in.

[Otto]

Why eliminate pop up blinds? I can only sit on the ground for about a half hour before I lock up and can't move. I can sit in a blind all day if I want.

I like the month of May for the season, it offers the early spring and changes in the woods almost daily, which I find one of the awesome things about hunting turkeys.

[turkeyfeathers]

I'll take A, but outlaw decoys and popup blinds.

I choose D

Why ban decoys or pop up blinds ? Anyone using pop ups are either not capable of sitting on the ground for a long period of time , hunting with their kids or a bow. All of which is a challenge in itself.

Don't get no decoys either ?

[alloutdoors]

I don't think it's the blind that let's you sit all day, it's the chair you are in. Get a Gobbler Lounger and you can accomplish the same thing. My point was I would rather have a longer season, but to offset that I would get rid of some of the things that have made turkey hunting less challenging to balance out the hunting pressure.

[Red]

I like b and d

[mike rossi]

d

[MACHINIST]

I like having 2 tags,I also would like the population to grow.So that being said I would give up a tag but keep the season the same to let the numbers grow.

[Woodjr55]

I'd like to see a early season starting on April 15 but have it be bow only still only get 2 tags thou

[maytom]

Was going to pick "D" as well, but now thinking "A" might be good too. This way you can sleep in on some days to catch up on your sleep and then head out later in the day.

As far as "not disturbing the hens on nest" theory, that is and was the thinking for many years, I say hogwash. The odds of you stumbling onto a nest is like finding a needle in a haystack.

So what if your walking around in the woods during the morning hours and stumble onto a nesting site? Same difference right...........Many states have all day hunting hours now, if their DEC departments noticed any bad results of this time frame, they would of canceled. I go for "A"

[genesee_mohican]

D works just fine. I hope they don't change it.

[dbHunterNY]

limited vacation and busy at work means I don't take time off now.  despite 2 weeks sooner would yield lots of action that doesn't help me get into the woods any easier.  I'm sure others with vacation and dedication spread thin are in the same predicament.  weekends are shot with stuff going on to dedicate each week morning to go chase turkeys.  I'm for A.  Nothing wrong with ground blinds or decoys.  I'm not going to dictate how someone hunts.  I'd be completely fine with one bird, give the fact more opportunity might arise... it's not like you're getting a ton more food with two.  want to continue hunting?  take a kid or someone else out and call for them.  feeling of accomplishment is still there for most.  Phade's ultimatum isn't bad.  I'd be good with that.

[LI OUTDOORSMAN]

May 1-31 1/2 hour before sunrise till sunset 1 bearded bird

Fall season 1 bearded bird no hens

[Terry]

What about April 15 to May 31, but drop down to one tag until numbers bounce back?

[Pygmy]

Gobbler harvest has little to do with total population...

Hence, why limit hunters to one gobbler per season?

If you want to increase population, curtail hen harvest in the fall.

Whatever you do, Mother nature is really the boss..A good nesting season means LOTS of turkeys for a couple of years.A cold, wet nesting season means less birds next year.

Edited May 10, 2015 by Pygmy