ALBANY, NY (04/14/2008; 1100)(readMedia)– New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today reminded prospective turkey hunters that the 2008 spring season opens for all hunters on May 1, and the special Youth Turkey Hunting Weekend will take place April 26-27.

\”Spring turkey season is one of the most popular hunting activities in New York, and I’m certain that hunters are already feeling a great sense of anticipation,\” Grannis said. \”DEC has embarked on several new initiatives in support of sound, scientific management of our wild turkey resource and we are pleased to report on some of those efforts as hunters look forward to another season in pursuit of this outstanding game bird.\”

It was another exciting year for wild turkey management and research in New York State. In 2007, DEC staff continued with the winter flock survey and a banding study designed to assess turkey survival and harvest rates. The spring 2007 season saw the second straight year of increased harvest, followed by an above-average nesting season where warm, relatively dry weather positively impacted nest success. The good production years during summer 2005 and 2007 combined to produce an exciting fall hunting season with an abundance of both juvenile and adult birds in the field.

 Forecast for Spring 2008 – The fifth annual Youth Turkey Hunt will be held on April 26-27, 2008. This is an excellent opportunity for youths ages 12-15 to spend time afield with experienced adult hunters gaining the necessary knowledge and skills to become safe and responsible members of the hunting community. We look forward to the great stories and pictures we receive from young hunters and their adult companions and wish everyone a safe and enjoyable hunt.

Other details of the youth turkey hunting weekend are as follows:

• Eligible hunters are youth 12-15 years of age, holding a junior hunting license and a turkey permit;
• Youth 12-13 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or relative over 21 years of age, with written permission from their parent or legal guardian. Youth 14-15 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or an adult over 18 years of age, with written permission from their parent or legal guardian;
• The accompanying adult must have a current hunting license and turkey permit. The adult may assist the youth hunter (including calling), but may not carry a firearm or bow, or kill or attempt to kill a wild turkey during the youth hunt;
• Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day; and
• The bag limit for the youth weekend is one bearded bird. This bird becomes part of the youth\’s regular season bag limit of 2 bearded birds. A second bird may be taken beginning May 1.
• All other wild turkey hunting regulations are in effect during the youth turkey hunting weekend.

The regular spring season opens on Thursday, May 1 and continues through Saturday, May 31, as it has for more than a decade. Other details of the 2008 spring turkey hunting season are as follows:

• Hunting is permitted in most areas of the State, except for New York City and Long Island;
• Hunters must have a turkey hunting permit in addition to their small game hunting or sportsman license;
• Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day;
• Hunters may take 2 bearded turkeys during the spring season, but only 1 bird per day;
• Hunters may not use rifles or handguns. Hunters may hunt only with a shotgun and shot sizes no larger than # 2 or smaller than # 8, or with a bow and arrow;
• Successful hunters must fill out the tag which comes with their turkey permit and immediately attach it to any turkey shot; and
• Successful hunters must call 1-866-426-3778 (1-866 GAMERPT) within 48 hours to report any turkey shot.
• Hunters who take a bird with a leg band, in addition to reporting the bird via DECALS, are encouraged to call the \”800\” number listed on the band. The information you provide helps DEC staff better manage the wild turkey resource.

During spring 2007, due to excellent production during summer 2005 and a relatively mild winter, we observed a larger proportion of 2+ year old birds in the harvest than the previous year. This year, the above average nesting season during summer 2007 and another relatively mild winter throughout much of the state will likely result in good turkey numbers, but with a larger proportion of juvenile birds available to hunters than last year. Based on good productivity and winter survival, we anticipate that turkey harvest will be similar to last year.

Turkey Hunter Safety – New York has an extremely safety-conscious generation of hunters, largely due to the annual efforts of over 3,000 dedicated volunteer Sportsman Education instructors. While hunter numbers have declined in New York over the past decade, the decline in hunting-related shooting incidents is primarily attributable to improved hunter safety. The rate of hunting incidents (incidents per 100,000 hunters) is declining much faster than the number of hunters. During the 1960s, the incident rate was 19 incidents per 100,000 hunters. Since 2000, the incident rate is one-third of that, averaging 6.3 incidents per 100,000 hunters.

With 37 hunting-related shooting incidents, 2007 was the 5th safest year since such records have been maintained. Of this total, 5 were related to turkey hunting (2 during the spring season, 3 during the fall season). This is below the ten-year average for turkey hunting-related shooting incidents, and is the lowest number of incidents on record for spring turkey hunting. However, it is a reminder that even one accident is too many, so be sure to identify your target and beyond, and have a safe and enjoyable season.