Spring turkey hunt set for this weekend

This weekend, young hunters on Long Island will get a crack at something long denied adults: the opportunity to hunt Suffolk's wild turkeys in the spring, when hot-blooded toms roam the woods with one thing on their minds.

The annual youth turkey hunting weekend has long been a tradition upstate, giving hunters 12 to 15 years old a chance to hone their skills.

"This is the first time we've ever had any spring hunting down on Long Island," said Chip Hamilton, a senior wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. "The hunt is to help control the population of turkeys, provide a new recreational opportunity . . . and to get out in the field and enjoy wildlife on Long Island."

News of the spring hunt delighted local teenage hunters, including Anastasia Elliott, 15, of Shirley.

"Being it's so close, it is pretty exciting," said Elliott, who landed a 17-pound tom last year during the spring youth hunt upstate.

Over-hunted, turkeys disappeared from New York State more than a century ago. The population has since bounced back, thanks to state efforts to reintroduce the birds. An estimated 3,000 wild turkeys are now on Long Island, most along the William Floyd State Parkway and on the East End.

In 2009, the DEC opened up Long Island's first official fall turkey season. Hunters in Suffolk bagged 102 birds that year and 104 the next, according to DEC records.

Hamilton said those hunts demonstrated that Long Island's wild turkey population was robust enough to sustain an additional spring harvest. No full-scale turkey season is planned locally this spring, but the DEC may consider lengthening the fall season beyond its current five days.

Sharp-eyed and flighty, male turkeys let their guard down a bit in spring, when they're on the lookout for hens, or other males who may be muscling in on their territory.

Hunters use a range of calls to lure them, according to the National Wild Turkey Federation website. The cluck tells male turkeys a hen waits nearby. There's the purr -- "a soft rolling call turkeys make when content" -- and the gobble, which alerts hens that their Casanova has landed.

"The idea is to develop a conversation between you and turkey," Hamilton said. "Eventually, in a perfect world, the bird would come into where you are, strutting and flailing its tail feathers around, really showing off."

Elliott has been practicing her turkey calls and readying her 20-gauge shotgun. A longtime outdoorswoman, she's fished since age 4. Three years ago, her grandfather showed her how to shoot.

"She's a better shot than I am," said her father, Mark Elliott. The pair plan to be in the woods by sunrise Saturday, so they can set up before the turkeys leave their roosts.

Junior hunters this weekend are limited to one "bearded bird" -- a male turkey, which can weigh as much as 25 pounds. Eligible hunters must have a junior hunting license and a turkey permit. They must be accompanied by an adult with a current hunting license and turkey permit.

For more information, visit the DEC's website.
 

Youth turkey hunt facts

WHO: Eligible hunters 12-15 years old who hold a hunting license and a turkey permit.

Adult companions must also have a current license and permit. Adults may help the youth lure the turkeys but cannot carry a firearm or bow.

WHAT Junior hunters can bag one male bird over the weekend. It counts toward their regular spring season limit of two. A second bird may be taken in upstate New York beginning May 1. or kill or attempt to kill a turkey.

WHEN April 23 and 24. Shooting hours start 30 minutes before sunrise. Ends at noon.

WHERE Suffolk properties where hunting is permitted, including state-owned Otis Pike Preserve in Riverhead and Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area in Brookhaven.

SOURCE: NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION