I am new to this forum, but would like to share my experiences related to turkey behavior during this exciting but rather young Central New York turkey season. I am not sure how birds have been reacting elsewhere in the U.S. but in New York the birds have been extremely receptive. We had a relatively mild winter for New York standards and leaf out was about two weeks earlier this year. Due to these weather conditions I believe the mating season began earlier than in years past and the majority of the toms aren’t "henned up" making them receptive and workable throughout the day. This is uncharacteristic, but engaging as my turkey hunting experiences thus far have resulted in working birds off the roost and then only again in the later part of the morning. My efforts are usually aimed at getting a bird hot early on roost but often times the morning may be centered around enticing the hens as they, as many hunters probably know, are the leaders of the pack. If the birds don’t cooperate I usually initiate aggressive hunting with a Chalk N’ Talk (Cuttin N’ Runnin) approach to cover as much land as possible. However, I rarely hear any response until the unwritten golden hour of 9 am approaches. This seems to mark the end of the anticipated low experienced after fly down and the separation of flock resulting in receptive bachelor toms. This year, however, is much different as I can focus my approach primarily on the toms throughout the day because the hens do not represent much competition due to early nesting. Opening day I was not able to bag a bird, however, worked a variety of birds at three separate times in three separate locations; off the roost, between 7 and 8 am, and again at 11 am. The 7 to 8 am time period was unexpected but well received as I called in three jakes to about thirty yards before deciding to wait for a long beard as it was only the first day of the season. I guess this experience has once again solidified the fact that when hunting turkeys; every day, hunt, year, and location will provide unique and unanticipated scenarios that call for adaptation, patience, persistence, and sometimes a bit of luck to seal the deal.

s.e.