Tag: Turkey
NWTF, UGA Establish First-Ever Endowed Wild Turkey Professorship
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — Taking its support of wild turkey research into new territory, the NWTF recently established the first-ever National Wild Turkey Federation Distinguished Professor position with the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
A prominent professor and researcher will be appointed as the school’s National Wild Turkey Federation Distinguished Professor later this year. That individual will be the recipient of a $500,000 endowment to facilitate wild turkey research endorsed and supported by state wildlife agencies in the years ahead.
“While we will always continue to allocate funds to critical wild turkey research projects through our National Wild Turkey RFP program, we need to also channel the momentum we’ve built around research into something a step further,” NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “This new endowed professorship with UGA will ensure that wild turkey research is funded and remains an area of focus into perpetuity.”
Once endowments are established, they are self-sustaining and create a dedicated funding stream to support and expand research with existing faculty or directly fund research faculty positions. As the $500,000 endowment grows, so too will its annual return, increasing its impact on the wild turkey throughout time.
The UGA endowment was financed by a $250,000 contribution from the NWTF and a $250,000 match grant from the UGA Foundation. NWTF’s staff leadership, the National Board of Directors and state chapter leaders endorsed this opportunity at the 48th annual Convention and Sport Show in Nashville in February.
The NWTF seeks to create similar positions at key universities across the country; this network of endowed professorships will promote future wild turkey researchers and ensure the study of the wild turkey remains an area of emphasis, during times of decline and during times of stability.
Similar university positions exist for waterfowl, quail, ungulates (deer) and other species, but the NWTF Distinguished Professor is the first of its kind for the wild turkey.
“As the first endowment of its kind in the country, this collaboration exemplifies our commitment to conserving wild turkeys and hunting heritage for future generations,” said Bridget Harden, senior director of development at UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. “The addition of this new distinguished professorship allows the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources to elevate wild turkey research to a higher level of excellence, achieving results that enhance our understanding of wild turkey management and ecology while honoring the vision and mission of the NWTF.”
The NWTF is working with the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia to appoint an individual to the position in August.
“The creation of these endowed professors and programs was the natural progression to ensure wild turkeys remain a focus in the future,” said Mark Hatfield, NWTF national director of science and planning. “In addition to our support through the Request for Proposals [research investment] program, we felt it was important to also invest in programs and opportunities that will create the next generation of wild turkey biologists.”
Importantly, any NWTF endowed professorships or programs will not be guaranteed additional funding each year through the RFP program. Endowed professors will still have to apply for research funding through the NWTF’s competitive RFP process, which includes evaluation and scoring of projects by the NWTF Wild Turkey Technical Committee.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 23 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The NWTF has also invested over $9 million into wild turkey research to guide the management of the wild turkey population and to ensure sustainable populations into perpetuity. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale through its Four Shared Values: clean and abundant water, healthy forests and wildlife habitat, resilient communities, and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF continues its work to provide Healthy Habitats. and Healthy Harvests. for future generations.
National Wild Turkey Federation
PO Box 530
Edgefield South Carolina 29824
United States
Girls, Girls, Girls -Late Season in New York
As the 2024 Spring Turkey Season is into its last days, our guest Viking Opera Diva is getting her wardrobe dry-cleaned and gearing up for Friday at high noon.
Unlike Mötley Crüe’s rendition of the song. These sexy feathered babes are out there with a mind of their own, and I have a unique late-season and somewhat perplexing story to tell.
After spotting a gobbler, two jakes, and two hens this past Sunday, and very near to state land I could access their core area with a little boot leather. The long walk to the first sit is far easier than the climb to return to the truck. I would be there early this Memorial Day to see what I could make happen. I sure did, but it was a far different hunt than I had in mind. We had a soaking rain last evening that tapered off right at first light this morning. It was a wet walk going in before daylight, but far more comfortable than sitting in a steady rain.
Super quiet start of the morning, and that included the turkeys. One of my favorite late-season spots in Cuyler, New York, and that added to my anticipation, along with the turkeys we spotted here the day before. I had worked my way down to a small flat along one of the finger ridges I like to check on. With the wet understory, it was a stealthy approach and got to where I wanted to go without disturbing any deer. No gobbling on the roost, or at all for that matter. No tree yelping or the usual small talk you hear as the morning light emerges. I gave a few tree yelps close to the time I thought they might fly down, short and sweet with no feathered responses. The chipmunks, however, loved it.
I heard the first wingbeats close to 6:30 a.m., followed by two more. The first hen landed within gun range off to my left. The next two landed out in front, also within range. They would cluck occasionally. Fast forward an hour and I had a fourth hen come in behind me and start clucking. She came up to the tree I sat at. Other than a very elevated heart rate, no pressure at all. Once she started, she never stopped until she left five minutes later. Her clucks were low volume, soft, and varied in pitch. No whips or whistles and no yelping. None of the four hens ever yelped at all. The other three hens would cluck here and there, with no specific pattern to it. They first came to attention when the fourth hen arrived, but quickly lost interest and paid no mind to her. Best described as akin to a teachers lounge, eat a little, stretch, sit for a bit and so on.
Despite being close to a known roost area with a large facing slope, and all that sweet girl talk, it failed to produce a single gobble for the duration there. As I sat and patiently let it all play out, It had crossed my mind that this might be a common meet-up spot and that a gobbler would come in silent, and as Murphy would have it, on my off-side as well. It never happened, but I sure thought about it. Another hour passed and the three hens drifted off the flat as they fed away, down to the creek. I would head back home once they dropped out of sight.
Despite having live hens with sweet voices to entice gobblers further, I could not buy a gobble, anywhere. The climb back to the truck was so worth being front and center to that many hens for 2-1/2 hours.
It is a first for me to encounter hens like this so late in the season. Still roosting without nests to tend to, and without suitors. So content to just hang with their beasties deep in the turkey woods. I have questions as to how this fits into the overall scheme of things, not to mention, where in the hell are the gobblers, and how they would leave these lovely ladies unattended.
Best of luck to all of you in the final days!
© 2024 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Father and Son Top 10 NY Turkey Records
A query into the possible record book gobbler taken by Cullen Fennessy this past April during the youth spring turkey hunt would lead to the discovery of four more record book gobblers taken by Cullen’s father, Michael Fennessy. Unlike so many of the stories I cover, I would have the opportunity to visit Cullen and his father en route to a planned trip to Maine this past week.
I would travel north to St. Lawrence County on a beautiful spring day to meet with them, conduct interviews for the Empire Limb Hangers book project, have a look-see at the gobblers, and check measurements and confirm the scales. I would notice with great interest the walls of Mike’s massive garage lined with trophy displays of gobblers, With that, I knew I might be there for a while. I would confirm Cullen’s first gobbler along with four more that Mike presented to me. The tasks were made easier as both, the father and son were concise in their stories and recollection of details. Lots of pictures helped document and confirm the record book entries.
As there are several good stories of the hunts, and will be published in full in the book project, I will outline the top record entries first and continue from there.
Cullen’s gobbler taken in April 2024 during the special youth season, ties at #5 with NWTF Typical Score of 81.1250 (SBP Typical Score 172,2500) in New York. Weighing in at 26 lbs 12 oz. becomes the 11th heaviest bird, vetted, and recorded. The beard taped out at 11.8750 and ties with several others as 13th longest beard makes for a grand gobbler in the Empire State. There is a wonderful back story to the hunt, one of father and son, the help of Steve VanPatten , and the chance encounters of a red Cardinal with a heartwarming connection to his great-grandmother. With the backdrop of a warm and inviting experience of a North County hunt camp, it is the start of a lifetime of memories to be made. Given the impressive qualities as a young adult that I discovered in interviewing Cullen, and the mentorship he is receiving as a young hunter, It would be little surprise to see him make a father proud in a path well taken and have his own collection of memories of the great turkey woods.
Michael’s gobbler taken in May 2017 comes in at the new #6 with NWTF Typical Score of 80.8750 (SBP Typical Score 168,5000) in New York. Weighing in at 30 lbs. 0 oz. this boss gobbler becomes the new 1st heaviest bird, vetted, and recorded. Beard measured at 10.1250, and sported 1-9/16″ and 1-1/2″ spurs to complete a grand father-son entry in New York Wild Turkey Records. It is the first to have found where a father and son have pulled a hat trick in the record books.
Michael has also entered three additional gobblers that place:
@ 14th with a NWTF Typical Score of 76.1250, (SBP Typical Score 159,0000,) #10 for weight of 27.0000.
@ 28th with a NWTF Typical Score of 73.7500, (SBP Typical Score 155,0000,) #10 for weight of 27.0000.
@ 32nd with a NWTF Non-Typical Score of 91.1250, (SBP Non-Typical Score 185,0000,) #5 for weight of 28.0000.
Several potential records are being looked into and hopefully vetted. One in particular would topple #1 Typical in NY and one I hope to verify soon. A thank you goes out to Keven Lothridge for the heads up on coming across these incredible stories!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Empire-State-Limb-Hangers/139342609441424?v=info
http://empirestatelimbhangers.com/
© 2024 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
. #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
Poor Hunt Experience @ Endorsed Destination Ranch in Texas…
True to the honest opinions, and transparency that you have come to expect from me and the musings I create here on Turkey Talk Blog; In a moment, I will dive into what can be summed up as negative review of Joshua Creek Ranch as a gained opinion from my recent experience there this past April. First I will lay out what are the norms, the expected circumstances a turkey hunter expects on a turkey hunt, and not from ranch hands and operators with little association or concern with the traditional turkey hunting experience. As one might expect, the reaction to reviews I have left on review sites as a courtesy and buyer beware for my fellow turkey chasers are countered with inadequate responses, and lacking of any genuine customer service while failing to acknowledge the very real problems they have in offering turkey hunts.
It is a given, a well known fact that turkeys are hell bent on not cooperating with our intentions and what any of us as turkey hunters can reasonably expect in a outfitter offering is to be where the birds are, and have an opportunity to work them into range. No guarantee of filling a tag. When my good friend and I booked this hunt, it was impressed upon us that there were plenty of turkeys to hunt on the ranch, and we could expect plenty of opportunities to work gobblers there. Due to multiple hunting operations going on at the ranch we would be guided. Neither of us need any one to do the calling for us or anything more than set us in a direction with a description of the grounds to hunt and where birds would be expected to be roosting and what land features we should be mindful of. Never the less, guides were required at the ranch. My guide was friendly, good company but not a dedicated turkey hunter or a savvy caller. To prefix against claims made in response to my online reviews, our guides used texting to maintain status updates with the hunt manager on the property.
Positives: Wonderful Ranch, great layout, fantastic food, great accommodations and warm and friendly staff. All the necessities to earn: Beretta Two Tridents-Upland Birds, Federal Select Outfitters, Orvis Endorsed Designation, and Shooting Sportsman Endorsed Lodge recognition. Like most of you, and in my view, those types of glowing accolades paints a picture, an expectation of excellence in world class service. As I will lay out further, this may all be true unless you happen to book a turkey hunt there as we experienced
When we arrived, we were informed that no gobblers had been seen or heard for two weeks on the entire ranch, followed by, only one gobbler taken on the ranch in two years. 5 gobblers, 4 jakes and a few hens were all they had seen that spring. That was not remotely the story when booking the hunt. Arguably, a small single flock is not enough to have a sustainable hunting program by any stretch on 1400 acres with maybe half of it at best due to daily operations, suitable to hunt turkeys.
A staff member laid claim in response that 10-20-30 turkeys crossed the ranch routinely and seen while driving the property and that we could have rifled/blind hunt them. One, that doesn’t jive with what we were told or saw. Two, we were not offered a rifle hunt other than an even swap for a whitetail doe as the ranch was aware the turkey hunting there was dismal at best, and non existent at worse. I came there to enjoy a quality turkey hunt in keeping with their reputation. Had the staff had any clue what a turkey hunter might think of using rifles to take a turkey is an affront when we paid to call them in and hunt them, not snipe them. Despite all this, no 10-20-30 sized flocks of turkeys were seen the entire duration while on the ranch property. What few turkeys were seen and heard, were off the property, on the other side of the river. I saw one right along the property border, couldn’t be sure what it was.
With three hunters there, had we filled two tags each, it would have decimated the flock, and represents no professional resource management given this scenario. Sad situation in my opinion. Guides had no direct bead on where birds were at the time or their daily patterns. Truth be told, during our time there, they were roosting off the property, and the Ranch had no backup parcels to cover unforeseen circumstances, or lack of birds. Hunts conducted in blinds, no slow hunting of any kind.
Despite all this, on the last morning of my hunt, I had one gobbler cross the river onto the property and closing under 200 yards by estimation of gobbling, never showed, only to go silent and never heard from again when the ranch truck pulled in directly in front of us a little over 100 yards to release pheasants for the soon to start bird hunt over dogs. My guide told me that the hunting manager is always aware of our location, and this is unacceptable and unprofessional for allowing ranch operations of one type of hunt to directly interfere with another.
This is not my first rodeo with nearly a dozen successful hunts in the great state of Texas, and thirty-one spring and fall turkey seasons under my belt, and this was a dismal hunting experience. I had not been contacted by anyone on staff until now and was told that the incident with the hunt interrupted was communicated at the time it occurred. Staff has since responded saying they were blind sided by my reviews, and they could have done something about it at the time, I say hogwash as communication was ongoing for the duration of our hunts.
I responded to their less than world class service response: “It is impossible to not know with abundant communications with your guides that no reasonable opportunities were presented during our entire time there. There was no observation of 10-20-30 birds traveling the ranch at any time observed by all three ( a third turkey hunter was also on the ranch at the time) of us hunting. Your guides stated that five gobblers total were seen the entire spring leading up to opening day. That is not sustainable on my 138 acres. much less than your 1400. This is not a quality offering for turkey hunts, and you would be negligent not knowing how depressed your numbers were. This includes when we booked. If anything, your winter counts should have alarmed you. My criticism of your business practices is reasoned and justified. You took our money without providing a reasonable opportunity and should have canceled the bookings, You had to know or ignored the circumstances entirely. Again, in my view you do not offer turkey hunts with the same world class customer service as you do your upland game hunts. I do not believe for a NY minute that any of your staff is blindsided by the criticism and that your comment is a diversion for not making it right. Any seasoned professional would see this coming. We treated your staff and the guides in a friendly and respectful manner to make the best of it as there was little to be done to salvage such a poor hunting circumstance. I have no faith that you would do anything to make it right, not while we were there, not now. To claim you didn’t know points to only two very poor conclusions and as a professional, as they say “that dog won’t hunt.”
Given what we learned upon arriving and not given reasonable choices to hunt gobblers where they actually are, the hunt should have been canceled and refunded. It has been made clear that no effort will be made by Joshua Creek Ranch to compensate or resolve this. They are not set up in so many ways, in my opinion to offer a quality turkey hunt. In view of all the praises for other offerings at Joshua Creek Ranch, there are uncomfortable questions that are left unanswered and unaddressed.
It is my learned opinion, and a stark comparison to the multitude of great ranches/outfitters I have thoroughly enjoyed in the great state of Texas, that Word Class Service and Endorsed Destination accolades are not extended to the turkey hunting experience at Joshua Creek Ranch .
-MJ
© 2024 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
#joshuacreekranch, #berettatridentlodges, #federal-select-outfitters, #orvisdestinations #ShootingSportsmanEndorsedLodge
New York Wild Turkey Records
The Empire State Limb Hangers book project is in the final phase of collecting the last few interviews, and getting the stories finalized. All current and known data and record listings per category is formatted and awaiting proofreading. It has grown past 400 pages in a 10×7 format This post will be reposted each pre season as there will be future editions as records are broken and those I attempted to include, catch up with the project. The more hunters that come on board that I originally sought to interview, the better. Records are made to be broken, eclipsed, and is expected.
If you tag a gobbler that meets the criteria listed below near the end of this post, I would love to interview you for inclusion in the project. Although your stories and photos will be captured for the book, you will retain rights to your photo’s and your story. Should you wish to have the story I write up used for other uses. Copyright permissions can be granted as needed.
The main issue with keeping it all legit for the project is typically weight as most of the small scales that are used to weigh fish can vary +/- 1 to 2 lbs or more. A weight coupon from a certified scale ensures accuracy and proof of measurement. Otherwise, it can be legitimately challenged. The scale should be suitable for products or goods for sale that are taxed in the state. I live in Cortland County and own several scales suitable for trade with a 25lb calibration weight with certification tracible to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology, formerly National Bureau of Standards,) and can also provide a video of calibration and the actual weighing of your gobbler. I will be glad to do so, and there is no fee.
Pics with tape measurement in the pics are required to show scale and accuracy for beards and spurs. There are several handy products to help measure spurs (including the curved outside edge) but as of this writing, none aside from a tape measure cover the spur measurements that have been described going back decades as published by the NWTF http://turkey-talk.com/scoresbpmeasure.html#spus As the decades long description covers the entire exposed spur that can occur below the outer edge of the leg, it is more often that the exposed spur is even with the leg edge. Anecdotal, as such, the differences observed have not exceeded 1/8″. As the calculation is x10 or x32 for each spur it is a detail to be aware of.
Anecdotal evidence unfortunately cannot be used to substantiate record book entries no matter how good the stories are.
Best bet if you think you have one for the books: weigh the gobbler on a certified scale and be sure to get a weight coupon. Take plenty of photos including those with a tape measure. NWTF requires witness signatures that also have to be an NWTF member if you wish to participate in their records program. Safari Club also has a program but is not viewable unless a member. I may include them if details can be worked out in the future.
Record entries not included in the NWTF system once verified can be accepted. You will note that the NWTF requires verifications that I have mentioned and I will accept their determinations for the project. I do support their system and would encourage you to enter your submission with the NWTF as well. NWTF submissions are now accepted online: www.nwtf.org/hunt/records.
Scoring tabulations for the project will include the NWTF system, and the SBP weighted system. for more info on SBP http://turkey-talk.com/scoresbp.html
For those that I have contacted or attempted to contact at the beginning of the project: Your stories will be available to review as I complete them.
If you have harvested a legally tagged wild turkey with one or more of the following attributes in NY during the 2023-2024 spring/fall seasons, or years prior, registered or not registered w/NWTF records, We would love to talk to you about being included in the book!
Please contact mjoyner@joyneroutdoormedia.com
Note: Non registered birds- measurable attributes must be verified for consideration.
Typical score greater than 75.000 (weight x1 + beard x 2 + L & R spur x 10)
Non-Typical score greater than 105.000 (weight x1 + beard(s) x 2 + L & R spur x 10)
Weight greater than 26.5 lbs. (verifiable certified weight)
Beard Length greater than 12″ (verifiable length)
Spur Length greater than 1.625″ (verifiable length)
Color phase variations, Hens with spurs
http://empirestatelimbhangers.com/
© 2024 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
. #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
A Must Have Book on the Era of Wild Turkey Restoration and Call Making Boom.
The latest book from turkey hunting historian, book and call collector Brent Rogers, is a fantastic addition to your turkey hunting library. Brent’s second book- Yelp & Gobble, Inc: How Restoring the Wild Turkey Spurred on a Game Call Innovation Boom, is a wonderfully written book. Brent offers his latest with quality color printing in a hard cover offering. A forward by Jim Casada starts off the friendly tone of the book and for those that collect turkey hunting books, you would be familiar with Jim’s musings and his turkey hunting book business.
I can attest to the fact Brent writes and speaks in the same warm and friendly voice that well conveys turkey hunting stories as well as making often dry historical facts much more interesting and engaging for the reader. If you started hunting turkeys before the turn of the century, you will recognize some of what he covers in the book. Coverage of these influential call makers are well captured in depth and there is something for all turkey hunters to enjoy. A golden era of exploding turkey populations and a call making industry that followed on the coattails of it. The author’s love and genuine interest in the time honored past time shines through in his writings, making this offering a most enjoyable read!
© 2024 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
NY Fall Turkey Season In Decline?
The Fat Lady has sung for the New York second season covering most of the southern tier region. Unless I get hooked up for a hunt for the 3rd season on Long Island coming up, the turkeys are safe for a few months, until May rolls around again. The last time I filled a fall tag in New York was back in 2015. It is most certainly not due to a lack of opportunities, in fact just the opposite. The truth of it is I had opportunities each year since, and would come up in range for a shot opportunity or could easily set up a plan on a fresh sighting and march forward with battle operations either with our beloved Weimaraners, who both have now passed over the rainbow bridge or could set up near a roost the following morning based on timely intel.
With the lack of sightings covering large areas, and many options of parcels to hunt, including fantastic state lands that have been great each spring season, I opted not to fill a tag on a jake, jenny, or a hen in flocks I did find and were no more than 5-10 birds in the flock. A flock of gobblers, say a half dozen or more would be fair game, but as witnessed, a couple here or there wasn’t rising to the occasion given how depressed the population is currently and the decline of recent years.
Before you draw any conclusions or respond hastily, my comments are at best anecdotal commentary. There is no scientific observation or proof of authority suggested, not by my intentions. It is one data point covering a specific set of parcels, my travels, and it is assumed Murphy is riding shotgun and thwarting my best efforts to spot them at will. Not seeing much for scratching’s or scat you would find in known roost areas. I know of other hunters in different regions who report decent sightings and are successful when all is said and done. For the past nine fall seasons, the scouting has shown little promise for flocks large enough to want to take a turkey out of. I still hunt the fall turkey seasons in New York, and as of late, it is more like catch and release without the ballistic event or just wading in the stream.
As I wrangle out my thinking here, It might be a thought to hunt them with a camera and satisfy my driven tradition of hunting fall turkeys. I will hold any opinion of what the past two years are looking to add up to once I do my winter scouting and hopefully will get more up-to-date data from the NYSDEC.
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Fanning & Reaping, Banned In Eight States
If you engage the fanning/reaping technique, here’s an up-to-date change of state regulations for this fall season. You’ll find that I repeat prior musings in part or in whole from past reports on the method.
A new book due out in 2024 will cover safety issues and current bans ReaperCide, Fatalism Defined https://www.joyneroutdoormedia.com/rfd.html
New Hampshire has now adopted a ban against Fanning and Reaping within the state https://nhfishgame.com/2023/08/25/fall-turkey-season-opens-september-15/
Eight states now have an outright ban on the practice. Nearly half of all US states either ban or strongly warn against stalking which encompasses fanning and reaping methods. The states are listed below. The NWTF and hunter safety education curriculums promote hunter safety in their published materials in all states which cautions specifically against the practice of stalking (fanning/reaping.) The list is based on what is officially published. It is a valid criticism of foreseeable risks.
There are recorded incidents that specifically report fanning/reaping/stalking, and I’m fine with it remaining only a few. The reporting is sparse and critical details are left out as an observed and learned opinion. Hunting incident reports site use of decoys, but not the manner used. No assumption is asserted here as I know of incidents where staked decoys were shot at, decoys shot at while sticking out the back of a turkey vest. Several seasons ago, a hen decoy sticking out of a turkey vest was shot with a crossbow at 8 yards. Trust me, it is a horrific wound. Having interviewed the victim directly, I can tell you the medical team miraculously reassembled his forearm, and he regained use of it. It is a credit to the advancements in modern surgical techniques and the capable hands of well trained surgeons.
Our hunting communities are polarized in keeping with national politics, with that in mind, this topic is a hot button for more than a few hunters. I’ll not apologize for opposing the method, nor more than I would for common sense, nor put respect and courtesy on the back burner in order to kill a gobbler that is giving me fits. Turkey hunting is life to a point… Unacceptable safety concerns associated with this method is the objection, no more, no less.
As a fraternity of turkey hunters, we abide by the ideal that all turkey hunting incidents are 100% preventable, and that one is far too many. 2023 was not a spotless record. To my knowledge, none that have been reported directly involve this method this past season. There are two, that remain unclear, no further details given, I’ll repeat, I am more than fine with that idea. Zero incidents are the acceptable number in any season.
List of States, Provinces
In a review on the various DNR’s, DEC’s, DWR’s etc, the following States enacted a ban on the practice of stalking, fanning, reaping, and specifically stated in their turkey hunting regulations:
Alabama, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
South Carolina (WMA’s only), Rhode Island, Tennessee (WMA’s only)
The following States, and one Canadian Province issue a statement of caution specifically in their hunting regs and or species-specific guides against the practice of stalking as a matter of safety:
Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Idahong
Kentucky (specifically fanning/reaping), Maine, Maryland, Missouri.
New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon.
Ontario, Canada. Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin
There may be more that publish separately as safe hunting tips, and hunting education courses. For my research, I used the published hunting regulations for each state or province. I will edit the list as others become known.
-MJ
© 2023
Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Turkey Hunter Privacy Primer
While working through hunter stories and interviews in both book projects (D.D. Adams, Empire Limb Hangers,) I comb through the details, mindful of what is useful in telling the stories, story of the hunt vs what might be a privacy issue or reveal too much information. What I hope to convey is some useful tips that you may find helpful.
Privacy issues arise from those looking to move in on our honey holes, either to thwart future hunting efforts or those underway in current season. It may be of those wanting in on great hunting or a big gobbler on your hunting grounds they found out about, the lesser human traits of jealousy, or just a rotten SOB. Over the years I’ve learned of or experienced more than a few instances of it. Other issues come by way of hunter harassment by non hunters or anti-hunters and being deluged with aggressive online marketing that looks at every detail you might disclose or mouse click you make.
Just as we track movements and location of deer and turkey for example, we are also tracked by others in our movements and locations where suspected trophy pursuits take place. There are several tactics we can employ to mitigate this.
Total data blackout- No Disclosure, No Online Postings, Only what is legally required for tagging. Cell Phone only powered on during an emergency.
Diversionary Actions, as executed by astute fishermen- GPS coordinates freely published as decoy coordinates with no discernable displacement or pattern. Post pictures with replaced backgrounds or pics taken on vacation where you never fish or hunt. Take lots of suitable pics in parks, public lands. Ever take a hero pic on your buddies hunting spot to mess with them? Yep, the concept works. I know of hunters that leave at all different times in the morning or get picked up at different times to throw off those following or trying to pin point their hunting spots. Far too competitive in my opinion. Social media is ideal for setting out your logistical decoys.
One thing that many of us do is share their pics of the hunt. It is immediate and is all kinds of fun for story telling and smack talk. However, what some may not know is that a bulk of shared pics are taken with modern smart phones and very convenient. Unless you are diligent in your settings or understand metadata, EXIF exchange data, you are literally providing time , date, GPS coordinates, and all photo exposure settings. Game wardens know this, law enforcement, and your jealous followers may also know this. You can turn off location data on your phone for each photo app you may have, photo files can be stripped of the data on your laptop or desktop computer. Some social media platforms also strip the data. I routinely strip/delete the EXIF GPS data in my projects as I assume that nobody wants that disclosed without an intended purpose. Personally, disclosing a county or plus and minus a thousand acres on state game lands is accurate enough, although I might mix the names up 🙂
Although this reveal can be alarming if you hadn’t given any thought to it, it is an admission that for all the conveniences of modern communication that are beneficial there is some privacy that is directly given up for it, or eventually in the form of big data that is used to decern patterns and activities. It has been in recent years a useful tool in catching poachers, as law enforcement can use cell tower data to triangulate a particular cell phone, and it is even easier to narrow the investigation when in remote areas, during evening hours, and less activity.
What I have found common in the stories that I have captured in the Empire Limb Hangers project, is most successful hunters are careful in their movements and their disclosure of them. I hope this gives each of you pause to think of what you intend to share and what you hadn’t realized that you do.
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
The Dilemma of Wild Turkey Records
Early on while conducting research for New York State Wild Turkey Records, it became evident that collecting the necessary data, tracking down possible records, and weeding out ghost stories of monster gobblers would not be a small task or an exact science. The abilities of turkey hunters to spin tall tales are as legendary as that of any fisherman.
The common issue in vetting any prospective entry; the weight of trophy gobblers is seldom accurate and is suspect in many unvetted circumstances. In most cases, spurs and beards can be retrieved, and a ruler applied. In pursuit of gathering an accurate as possible representation of trophy gobblers in the empire state, there are several hurdles to overcome, and I’ll have a request for your help in gathering additional data. The following describes some of the difficulties:
- Many hunters do not enter their birds into the NWTF system.
- Submission fee, not an NWTF member.Do not take the time to enter, or unless the gobbler is ranked high.
- Simply not interested in records
- NYSDEC does not maintain a database for recognizing trophy gobblers. They do log coarse data from required tag reporting. Unfortunately, the data is collected in broad increments, honor system only.
- Possible records are word of mouth and unverifiable.
- Overestimated and unverifiable body weights
- No definitive records are found prior to 1969.
- Prior to modern hunting seasons establish after the successes of conservation restoration efforts, post-market hunting era, very little distinction was given to the differences between jakes and gobblers with both referred to as gobblers.
Without a statewide system or database available that records trophy gobblers, one can only chase down reported stories, and contest results, and look to a national database for data. Currently, the NWTF record system for accessing trophy gobblers and merged data collated at turkey-talk.com are the only databases available.
During the exercise of parsing records by county, Cayuga, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Hamilton, Lewis, Niagara, Rockland, Warren, and Westchester have very few record entries or none thus far. In reviewing data that spans over three decades, the overall estimated harvest number in the state surpasses 1.4 million birds, with over twelve hundred records known, It is desired to have all the counties well represented and assume with good reason that many high-scoring gobblers can be found in all the huntable counties within the state. It is requested that if so inclined, register your gobbler with the NWTF or directly with the book project “Empire State Limb Hangers”. Although the NWTF database is duly recognized, it is not a requirement for inclusion in this records book project and future updated editions.
It is acknowledged that there are many gobblers taken in the great empire state that are not recorded which would easily ratchet the records upward. If it were possible to track down and verify a fraction of the stories, the rankings would be significantly affected. This essentially is the dilemma.
It is important to note that this project was initially started in 2008, and in all the delays, and life changes that occurred that delayed the books’ completion, active, periodic requests for inclusion, including both individual submissions and turkey contests that could be vetted were published and kept active through websites and social media. With over a decade of open invitations to participate, it is an inevitable aspect of human nature that will have some show up a day late for the party.
For future editions of this book, updates and additions will be based on available database queries from NWTF records database as well as verified gobblers from other sources. As many sportsmen’s clubs are coming online with their websites and publish historical data, it is thought to find additional record entries of notable distinction. I do encourage you to participate and would love to hear your stories.
Useful links
http://www.joyneroutdoormedia.com/elh.html
https://www.nwtf.org/the-lifestyle/turkey-records-home
NYSDEC – Game Harvest Reporting http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8316.html
https://www.turkey-talk.com/nyrec.html
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
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