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Ready for tommorrow?

Are you at your hunting cabins or properties for the Turkey opener?

Gobblers are already henned up and quiet in my area... interested in your responses. Good luck and watch for ticks... scentman.

Hopefully sneak out for a few hours. Hope weather clears up.

The last nice day we had last week we had birds gobbling until lunchtime. The weather looks lousy until next weekend. Definitely prepare for the ticks, be careful and good luck.

Went out this morning to a breezy, cold, damp opening day... Sun would come out and go right back behind clouds, even had snow for a bit, nary a gobble. I'm retired so I'll hit it hard this week... upcoming weekend looks promising but that brings out all the "part timers" lol! Good luck all. scentman

Ditto Scentman. I think turkey hunting is more negatively affected by crappy weather than deer are.

Turkey population is definitely down at least in Western NY. They really should eliminate the fall season.

I agree the fall season is a waste, but doubt that has much impact on the population. Here in Central NYS, predators like raccoons, fishers, coyotes, etc. are probably the biggest limitation except for weather which no matter what they say we cannot control.

I agree totally about the raccoons. They are out of control and have impacted greatly due to their egg eating. Closing the fall season would be a start but they should also open up a bounty on raccoons. Last year I saw over a doz raccoon hit on the road in a few mile stretch. I routinely get trail cam pics of 4 or 5 at a time on camera and see dozens during the archery season walking around in daylight.

Fur market what it is has caused a lot less trappers. So predator numbers will take off.

Jim, I totally agree with your point... 0 hunters kill birds in fall in my area... raccoons and other predation plus spring weather plays a big part in population.

Lots of predators around but I agree that egg robbing raccoons are the real problem.

A lot more than coons raiding nests, opossum, skunks, fox ,fisher. All take their toll on nests n hens on nests.

I'm getting soft... couldn't finalize the kill on a big fat Jake at 10 yds. I've hunted birds for over 35 yrs and this year I have changed... I do enjoy watching them!

Way to go Scentman showing restraint. No need to pull the trigger on the future if the numbers are down and you’ve been at this as many years as you have. I commend you Sir!!

Scentman, you are a hunter, not just a shooter or killer. I am too !

Thanks guys for the response... a young buck bought property next to mine, really good kid, I say kid he's 36 or so. He asks me if I want to go out hunting with him he'll call in a bird for me... lol... I call fall asleep wake up to a Tom gobbling 15 yds... I can't feel my legs because they fell asleep from my sitting position, therefore can't rest my gun to shoot the bird. That Tom watched me flailing to get the blood circulating in my legs and putted, putted, putted till I could shoot, then ran off unscathed! I laughed and shared the story with my wife, she said you would not have shot him anyway... it was a funny story. My point is yrs ago I'd have been so p'od at myself for losing out, now I just chuckle go home and mow the lawn.

Your story hits home. A sign that we have graduated to the Masters class, a PhD in hunting. Only years of life experience gets you to the place where you truly enjoy and understand hunting and the outdoors at that level. And it’s not only age because some never advance to that high, lofty level of appreciation.

Good to see quality gentlemen contributing to the NY forum, I've noticed that even though we have different views on some threads we do it respectfully, that goes along way to keep us contributing.

Just a follow up on the first week. As a group we did pretty well despite the bad weather. Not as much gobbling as in the past but all in all a great first week. Some of the feedback coming in from other acquaintances revealed the same MO; more gobbling later on in the morning than at daylight. Hopefully the second half of the season will be warm and dry!

Yes, same here in NE Chenango County. Much more gobbling and sitings than in the previous few years.

Not Archery, but glad to get one this spring!

Is that a remmington 1100?

I'd say Remington 870.

870 pump, that gun and choke can really reach out there... birds around here are educated early in season so ya need an equalizer!

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