Blog Posts
Our Viking Diva Has Sung, Left the Stage
Well, my fellow brethren turkey hunters, our infamous viking opera singer has sung her last note. In true diva fashion, she has left the stage, and with the last report, she has left the building. With that, it’s a wrap for the 2026 New York State spring turkey season. By many accounts, including my own, it was a damn hard season.
From my own anecdotal observations, I can say without reservation that 100% of my known honey holes, the places I monitor throughout the year, failed to produce any evidence of gobblers willing to reveal their location or loudly voice an opinion. Not at first light, not on the roost, and not at any point during the day.
In contrast, social media is full of fortunate hunters who still have access to places where gobblers behave like the gobblers we all remember: birds that talk, commit, and play the game the way it’s meant to be played. As always, it comes down to location, location, location. Being in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, only matters if you’re hunting where the gobblers are willing participants in our annual chess match.
In my own very subjective and patently unscientific observation, I hunted 14 mornings here in New York and heard a total of 19 gobbles. Fifteen of those were so faint that, had there been even the slightest breeze, or had I not been fully focused during that period of predawn light, I doubt I would’ve heard them at all. I can say with absolute confidence that those birds were at least within the same ZIP code, and most likely three parcels over at the very least. Half a mile with one or two gobbles is not the action-packed mornings I might have hoped for.
Even so, I did manage to fill both tags under somewhat strange circumstances. And, as always, each bird comes with a matching story far too long to cram into a single blog post. I’m certainly grateful to have made good on those opportunities without doing the one thing that would’ve convinced a gobbler to change his mind.
Without any official reporting yet from the state’s biologists, I do have a concern. My impression is that we had a very cool, if not outright cold and wet May. That’s never good. The worry, of course, is the likelihood of a poor or largely unsuccessful first nesting attempt.
This past week, I saw more hens out in the fields between 6:30 and 7:00 AM than I had seen during the entire season up to that point. That alone raised an eyebrow. And when I go back to the Roberts weather model, my first thought is that we may be looking at a generally poor breeding season. Unfortunately, this comes at a time when we could really benefit from the kind of warm, dry springs we had decades ago, conditions that helped boost productivity and rebuild numbers. That’s what we need now to bring the population back up toward what biologists might consider the carrying capacity for the available habitat here in New York. As data rolls out from the NYSDEC, I’ll be sure to share when it becomes available.
I have taken notice of a few record-book gobblers that really push the numbers upward, and would like to invite those so fortunate to tag these birds with exceptional attributes to contact me for possible inclusion in the Empire State Turkey Records Project. Click on the link for more information.
© 2026 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
#2026springseason #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
A Memorial Day Reflection from the Turkey Woods
There are Memorial Days that pass quietly, and there are others that settle deeper in my thoughts. This year feels like the latter, a day when remembrance reaches a little farther into what I honor, what I most revere in this life.
I’ve been fortunate in my life. Those in my family who served came home. As a boy, I never knew enough to worry when my father was at sea. He was simply my hero, and I assumed he always would be. We honor those like him on Veterans Day, but on this day, Memorial Day, we think of them too, the living heroes who walk among us.
But today belongs to those who did not.
Memorial Day is for the ones who gave everything, who sacrificed their tomorrows so that we could have ours. It is a debt we can never repay, only honor. And in that moment of reflection, gratitude becomes something more than emotion. It becomes a responsibility, a solemn duty. It becomes motivation to live as the best versions of ourselves, worthy of the gift they left behind.
This year, as in recent years, reflection carries another level of gratitude for what I have in this life. Five years ago, a near‑fatal bout with Covid nearly ended my time among the living. A year later, a gangrenous gallbladder nearly finished me. By all rights, I could have been denied my tomorrows with so much to do, so much unfinished. Yet here I am, another spring, another season, another dawn breaking over the hardwoods. The gift of second and third chances is not wasted in my efforts to be my best version, nor do I suffer any illusion of invincibility.
The turkey woods are my sanctuary, my church. They are where I speak quietly with my Maker, the God I believe in, where I find my bearings, where the noise of the world falls away, and the truth of things rises and reveals. To walk those ridges again this spring, the life I’ve built together with my wife, my children, my family, and friends is a blessing I do not take lightly. It humbles me to know that the fallen never again felt a cool May morning, never again heard a gobble thunder through the timber, never again returned home to family with muddy boots and a full heart. Life is preciously short, painfully too short for those heroes we honor.
Their sacrifice is the reason I still can. That we still can.
So on this Memorial Day, it is fitting that this old turkey hunter reflects, honors, and remembers. Everything I love- the turkey woods, the seasons, the family I return to, the life I’ve been allowed by the grace of God to keep living- came at a price paid in full by heroes who will never grow old.
-MJ
© 2026 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
NY Turkey Records 2026
If you tag a gobbler that meets the criteria listed below near the end of this post or in any anticipated future editions, I would love to interview you for inclusion in the Empire Limbhangers book project. Although your stories and photos will be captured for the book, you will retain rights to your photos and your story. Should you wish to use the story I write for other purposes, 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 traceable 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 (SBP) 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. Sworn testimony, under oath, from your pastor or favorite nun, still requires verifiable weight and photo evidence of measurements when reaching the thresholds stated here.
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 it 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 2025-2026 spring/fall seasons, or years prior, registered or not registered w/NWTF records, I 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)
Hens with spurs
© 2026 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
. #turkeyhunting #nywildturkeyrecords #wildturkey #nyturkeyrecords #recordbookgobblers
Book Review: The Origin and Evolution of Turkey Calls
The Origin and Evolution of Turkey Calls
by Brent Rogers, Danny Ellis, Chris McDonald, and Rick Powell
Available January 2026
An Essential Book for Any Turkey Hunter and Call Collector: The Origin and Evolution of Turkey Calls is a masterfully crafted tribute to the craftsmen, hunters, and storytellers who shaped one of America’s most enduring folk traditions. Building on Howard Harlan’s foundational work, Turkey Calls: An Enduring American Folk Art, this new title arrives at a moment when the firsthand knowledge of an entire generation of turkey hunters and call makers is slipping beyond reach, a generation whose firsthand knowledge during a period in our nation where wild turkeys nearly vanished on this continent, and roared back over the last eighty years is disappearing rapidly with time. Their stories, their craftsmanship, and their ingenuity form the backbone of this book.
Each year at Unicoi and the NWTF national convention, and on social media, we learn of the loss of those who pass with grand stories of a monumental time in the turkey woods. To those of us who have sat around those campfires at turkey camp, stayed up far too late swapping stories at these camps and annual shows, the loss is profound. In keeping with this, the book is essential to preserving this legacy in their honor.
Written by Brent Rogers, Danny Ellis, Chris McDonald, and Rick Powell, four men immersed in the culture and lineage of turkey call making, crafted a book that captures the evolution of the craft with clarity, respect, and a historian’s eye for detail. As we lose the Great Generation of wild turkey hunters and call makers, their stories, techniques, and handmade relics become more precious than ever. This book ensures their legacy endures.
The quality of the title is outstanding, the collectors offering features of a fine collectible and a handcrafted yelper, and now sold out, the standard edition is currently available. The reader will come across hundreds of high‑quality photographs, including rare pieces, private collections, and newly rescanned relics saved from fading into obscurity. Detailed illustrations trace the development of box calls, wingbones, scratch boxes, tube calls, pot calls, and regional styles. The title offers profiles of influential call makers, their innovations, and the cultural forces that shaped their work, along with historical forays exploring how geography, necessity, and ingenuity guided the earliest designs. The reader will be treated to a sweeping visual timeline documenting the transformation of turkey calls across generations.
On a personal note, it is truly gratifying to see this book come to life and to deliver a great title for the turkey hunting community. The quality of the printing is outstanding, and the turned yelper included with the special edition is a fine piece of craftsmanship; one I fully intend to road‑test this spring in the turkey woods.
What makes this release even more meaningful is knowing that it represents just one of many upcoming efforts to document the rich history of turkey hunting, restoration, and conservation. Plenty of familiar names will be involved in the months ahead, and that is good news for the future of our favorite game bird and for the generations of turkey hunters still to come. It is good to know that the right folks with the right talents and resources will be brought to bear in these efforts.
Also just released, and of great interest to anyone drawn to the history preserved in this book—is the newly launched Wild Turkey Archives at https://www.wildturkeyarchives.com/. It’s well worth a visit. You’ll find an impressive collection of media, photographs, and historical materials—many of which you may have assumed were long gone or forgotten. You’ll find Brent Rogers is also a part of that effort.
This is not just a reference book; it is a preservation of heritage. For hunters, collectors, historians, and anyone who appreciates the intersection of folk art and fieldcraft, The Origin and Evolution of Turkey Calls offers a lasting, authoritative record of how American call makers learned to speak the wild turkey’s language.
The Book is available directly from the authors @
https://turkeycallhistory.com/
© 2026 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
A Gobbling Genetic Frontier
How the Wild Turkey DNA Project Is Rewriting the Story of America’s Bird
For generations, the story of the wild turkey has been told in feathers, tracks, and the thunder of a gobble rolling through hardwood ridges. Today, a new chapter is being written in code, genetic code, and it may reshape everything we know about the bird that has become a symbol of both all things wild and a grand conservation recovery story.
The WildTurkeyDNA project, launched in 2025, is an ambitious genetic study undertaken for the wild turkey genome. It is a collaboration between the Wild Turkey Lab, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, the University of Texas El Paso, and the Low Country Game Bird Foundation. Its mission is bold and far-reaching: Build the first continent-wide genetic map of wild turkeys using hunter-submitted DNA samples.
Hunters at the Center of the Story
- One of the most compelling aspects of the WildTurkeyDNA project is its reliance on hunters. The 2025 program asked turkey hunters to submit samples from birds with unusual plumage to help researchers understand the origins of these traits.
- For 2026, Hunters who harvest a bird with normal, or unusual plummage, typical or non-typical can request a kit, collect a small tissue sample, and mail it in. There is no cost to participate, thanks to funding from NWTF, DU, and other partners. NY NWTF has provided funding to cover up to 100 New York hunters that will be selected to participate, with some receiving kits and others mailed vials to put a sample in. Due to limited funds and resources, there is a selection process.
- This study connects turkey hunters in contributing directly to the science that will guide future management. It also strengthens the bond between hunters and the resource they care about, a flashback of hunters helping‑science tradition that helped restore wild turkeys in the first place.
How It Works (source:wildturkeyDNA) click here download
- Go to wildturkeyDNA.com and register to participate or use the QR code below.
- Those that register will get an email asking them which county/counties they hunt in
- Hunters who are selected will be mailed kits and asked to collect a sample from birds they harvest.
- For each sample, hunters will upload an image of the bird and other information through their online wildturkeyDNA account.
- Samples will be sent to UTEP via pre-paid mail for genetic analysis.
- Hunters that don’t receive kits but want to participate will be sent a vial to put a sample in and asked to mail it to UTEP.Hunters receive a certificate of pedigree for their harvested turkey
Use your smart phone camera to capture QR code below to access the signup directly!
This work is powered and funded in part by state chapters like the New York State NWTF, whose funding helps keep the program free for hunters and ensures researchers can analyze thousands of samples from across the country.
Wild turkeys have roamed North America for thousands of years, shaped by geography, climate, and isolation. Each subspecies carries its own genetic fingerprint, from the white-tipped tail fans of the Gould’s to the deep chestnut hues of the Eastern. Understanding how these genetic signatures vary, overlap, or blend is central to the project’s mission.
Researchers are using DNA to answer the following questions that field biologists have debated for decades:
- Are rare color phases: smoke, white, or mixed plumage, natural mutations, or signs of domestic ancestry?
Early results show many are fully wild, though some birds do show hybridization with domestic or heritage turkeys. - How genetically diverse are today’s populations?
Restoration efforts in the 20th century often moved small, related flocks into new areas. Scientists want to know whether history left some regions with narrower genetic baselines. What level of diversity exists, and what are the implications of determinations? - How distinct are the five subspecies at the DNA level?
The project’s next phase will analyze samples from across the entire range to map subspecies boundaries and identify areas of overlap.
This work builds on the model of DU’s DuckDNA program, which revealed widespread hybridization and genetic drift in waterfowl, findings that reshaped how wildlife managers think about long‑term species resilience.
The New York State Chapter of the NWTF is among the organizations helping fund the WildTurkeyDNA project. Their support ensures that the program remains free for hunters and that researchers can expand sampling, increase lab capacity, and accelerate analysis. The state chapter has a long history of supporting wild turkey research, habitat projects, and the restoration of the American Chestnut, which was once a primary food source for wildlife
For New York, where turkey populations have fluctuated in many counties across the state in a downward trend in recent decades, this investment is both pragmatic and symbolic. It reinforces the state’s long‑standing commitment to science-based management, wild turkey research, and positions New York hunters as key contributors to a national conservation effort.
This funding aligns with NWTF’s broader research strategy. In 2025 alone, the NWTF and its partners allocated more than $4.5 million to wild turkey research nationwide, bringing total investments since 2022 to over $22 million a scale of support unmatched in the organization’s history.
What Early Results Reveal
Although the project is still in its early stages, several patterns are emerging:
- Odd-colored birds are often 100% wild, confirming evidence that rare plumage variants do occur naturally.
- Hybridization with domestic turkeys does happen.
- Genetic diversity varies by region, prompting new questions about long-term population resilience.
- A continental genetic baseline is forming, something wildlife managers have never had before. A unified map of wild turkey DNA across North America that reveals how subspecies, regions, and restoration histories connect.
This emerging foundation gives wildlife scientists a powerful new tool to track genetic diversity, identify hidden vulnerabilities, and guide future management with unprecedented precision. As the dataset grows, researchers expect to uncover deeper insights into subspecies boundaries, historical movements, and the genetic health of local populations.
Why This Research Work Matters
Wild turkey restoration is one of America’s greatest conservation success stories. But success is not the end of the story. We cannot rest on our laurels as the wildlife ecosystem is ever-changing. Populations in some regions are declining, and managers need better tools to understand why.
Genetics offers answers that traditional field methods cannot:
- It reveals hidden patterns of ancestry and diversity.
- It identifies hybridization that is not easily identified in plumage.
- It helps managers make informed decisions about trap and transfer and habitat priorities.
- It provides a long-term roadmap for sustaining healthy, resilient turkey populations.
In short, genetics is becoming the next frontier in turkey conservation—and hunters are helping lead the way.
© 2026 Joyner Outdoor Media
Book Release: J Ranch Wild Turkey Cuisine: Wild Turkey Hunter Recipes
Joyner Outdoor Media Proudly Announces the Book Release of a New Cookbook by Lee & Mike Joyner Celebrates the Hunt, the Harvest, and the Meals That Bring Hunters Together
McGraw, NY — Outdoor enthusiasts, wild‑game cooks, and turkey hunters have a new reason to gather around the table. Acclaimed outdoorsman and author Mike Joyner, together with co-author Lee Joyner, announces the release of J Ranch Wild Turkey Cuisine: Wild Turkey Hunter Recipes, a cookbook rooted in the traditions, flavors, and fieldcraft of the American turkey woods.
Drawing from decades of hunting experience and the culinary heritage of the J Ranch, this collection showcases the versatility of wild turkey through recipes designed for real hunters and real kitchens. From campfire staples to refined lodge-style dishes, the Joyners offer a practical, flavorful guide to making the most of every bird harvested. Non-hunters will enjoy these recipes as well with farm-raised birds. “Wild turkey hunting is more than a meal; it’s a story,” says co-author Mike Joyner. “The recipes in this book honor the hunt, the turkey woods, and the shared moments that make wild‑game cooking special.”
J Ranch Wild Turkey Cuisine features:
- Field-tested recipes for easy-to-make and flavorful cooking
- Camp-friendly dishes alongside elevated, dinner‑table favorites
- A celebration of the J Ranch tradition and the culture of wild‑game cuisine
Whether readers are seasoned hunters or newcomers to wild‑game cooking, this book offers a fresh, authentic approach to preparing one of North America’s most iconic game birds. J Ranch Wild Turkey Cuisine: Wild Turkey Hunter Recipes is now available for hunters, cooks, and anyone who believes the best meals begin in the woods.
About the Authors
Lee Joyner is a wonderful cook, a comfort food champion that brings a passion for wild‑game cooking and a deep connection to the J Ranch tradition, making this collaboration a natural extension of their marriage and shared love for the outdoors. Mike Joyner is an unruly force of nature in the kitchen, full of culinary surprises, and an award-winning outdoor writer, lifelong turkey hunter, and author of eight books celebrating America’s turkey woods.
All book formats are available on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GLDVZNFW
© 2026 Joyner Outdoor Media
Tales From the Roost- 2025 2X Award-Winner
In the world of outdoor storytelling of the turkey woods, few voices capture the spirit of the wild with as much warmth, wit, and authenticity as Mike Joyner. His latest work, Tales from the Roost, Roost’n Time Tales, has not only resonated with readers and listeners alike—it’s earned top honors at two prestigious outdoor writer events in 2025, solidifying Joyner’s place among the turkey hunting story genre in outdoor literature.
A Storytelling Triumph
In May 2025, Tales from the Roost clinched 2nd place in the EIC audiobook category at the New York State Outdoor Writers Association (NYSOWA) Excellence in Craft (EIC) Awards, held in Niagara, NY this past May. This is a recognition that celebrates outstanding contributions to outdoor communication.
Just several months later, the book earned another 2nd place award in the AIC book category at the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) AIC Awards, held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin this past September.
Tales from the Roost is more than a collection of stories—it’s a heartfelt tribute to the rhythms of nature, the quirks of wily wild turkey, and the enduring bond between people and the outdoors. Whether read in print or experienced through its immersive audiobook format, Joyner’s tales evoke laughter, nostalgia, and a deep appreciation for the natural world.
Mike Joyner’s Signature Style
Joyner’s writing blends humor, insight, and a keen eye for detail. His ability to turn everyday encounters in the turkey woods into memorable anecdotes makes Tales from the Roost a favorite read among outdoor enthusiasts, storytellers, and anyone who’s ever paused to watch jake turkey’s antics, eagerly watch the sun rise through a ridge top overlooking a valley, or listen to the wind whispering through the trees.
A Well-Deserved Honor
Winning at both NYSOWA and AGLOW in the same season is no small feat. These awards highlight Joyner’s versatility and excellence in both written and spoken word—a rare achievement that speaks to the quality and charm of Tales from the Roost. Written in a manner of friendly conversation whenever hunters meet up, and was translated well by narrator Tim Harper with just the right tone and friendly inflection.
What’s Next?
With Tales from the Roost earning critical acclaim and audience love, fans are already wondering what stories Mike Joyner will share next. If history is any guide, it’ll be something worth roosting for. Two long-overdue and laborious works, D. D. Adams, Evolutionary Turkey Call Pioneer, and Empire Limb Hangers, New York State Wild Turkey Records, are past the halfway mark for both titles and are time-intensive efforts with plenty of challenges. There is a turkey-centric cookbook, J Ranch Wild Turkey Cuisine, co-authored with his wife, Lee (Mike is the control test subject to cook and prove anyone can make each recipe), in the taste-testing phase, and will come out in 2026. Another story book, several novels, and a few other surprises to reveal as these primary projects are completed.
Whether you’re a longtime follower of Joyner’s work or just discovering his storytelling magic, Tales from the Roost is a must-read—and a must-listen. Available on Amazon :
Audible Audio Book Narrated by Tim Harper https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Roost-Time-Turkey-Woods/dp/B0FCVHT28R
Paper Back Book https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Roost-Time-Turkey-Woods/dp/B0F3TFBQXV
Hard Cover Book https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Roost-Time-Turkey-Woods/dp/B0F3TBQGP
Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Roost-Time-Turkey-Woods-ebook/dp/B0F1MLQNMH
About AGLOW
The Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) is a dynamic community of professional communicators who share a passion for the outdoors. Founded in 1956, AGLOW brings together writers, broadcasters, photographers, podcasters, and digital creators who cover hunting, fishing, conservation, and outdoor recreation across North America. Whether you’re a seasoned journalist or a rising content creator, AGLOW is where outdoor stories come to life—and where storytellers find their tribe.
Learn more at aglowinfo.org
About NYSOWA
The New York State Outdoor Writers Association (NYSOWA) is a vibrant network of professional communicators dedicated to celebrating and preserving the outdoor heritage of New York State and beyond. Since its founding in 1967, NYSOWA has united writers, photographers, broadcasters, and digital creators who specialize in hunting, fishing, wildlife, conservation, and outdoor recreation. Whether you’re chronicling the thrill of the chase or the serenity of a mountain stream, NYSOWA is where outdoor communicators find inspiration, recognition, and camaraderie.
Learn more at nysowa.org
© 2025 Joyner Outdoor Media
9.11.2001 Temporary Lessons
Twenty four years have passed…
I digress for a moment to point out some repetition from recent years of commentary on 9/11
For the families, loved ones, and friends, the wounds of profound loss continue to be fresh for some. Life was changed forever for them, an unwelcomed new normal, and what changed for us in our reaction to the horror of that day has faded for far too many, judging by how we treat each other today.
It is hard to recognize the lessons learned on 9.12.2001 to where we are at now. For the days that followed, our politics did not matter, racism did not matter, we didn’t care what color you were, station in life did not matter. who we slept with did not matter, what set of sex organs we sported in our underwear did not matter, what God each other believed in, or what we commented in thought did not matter at all. We did not need pronouns, diversity training, reparations, cults of personality, or unhinged pundits to guide us in understanding what was in our hearts and what we felt in our guts -that we are Americans.
Twenty-four years ago, and one day later, with great cause, we rallied for each other and had each other’s backs. We demonstrated what is awesome about us, our country.
It can be claimed that we have forgotten who our family, friends, and neighbors are, what we actually mean to each other as Americans. Right now, we are failing at this. Too damn caught up in perceived racism, real or assumed inequities, mortally wounded by the infractions of the slightest language snafus. All fodder for justifying violence and abhorrent crimes. The social fires are fanned by our own elected officials who play us against each other in the manufactured chaos. It is a terrible way for those of us who live on, to honor those fallen on this fateful day.
Lessons learned twenty-four years ago need to be reinstated as a permanent staple of our society. How we treated each other back then, as we rallied for those lost and for justice to prevail, needs to be revisited in earnest.
In twenty-four years have not forgotten:
The memories and the feelings from that day have not faded, nor diminished. It was to be a perfect bluebird day in September.
The near-perfect September day morphed, shattered for thousands of victims in mere seconds for many, some in agonizing, terror-filled minutes, hours yet for others.
In the ripples of life, our greatest loss is to never know or benefit from what great deeds and accomplishments of all those lost.
That we came together as Americans. We were united as Americans. We still are Americans. Many have forgotten this very fact in recent times.
Those that perished on this fateful day of September 11th, 2001.
Those that gave all in order to save lives. Heroes that walk among us to this day.
Those who survived only succumbed to it days, months, and years later.
That we are all equal by way of our maker
This is republished each year as I find it so important to include:
On each anniversary of 9/11, my thoughts return to two fellow NWTF members Cynthia Giugliano & Walter Weaver that we lost that day. A memorial webpage can be found at http://www.turkey-talk.com/9_11_01_memorial.htm
I ask that each of you give thought to those that serve us in all vocations. In your travels, I ask that you take the time to thank those that serve us, and continue to support what they do for our country.
Along with counting your blessings, say a prayer for all innocent victims, and that you do something on your part to make the world just a little bit better for those around you. We can all benefit from random acts of kindness.
-MJ
© 2025 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Last Call in NY
Best wishes to my fellow turkey hunting brethren still in the chase to fill a tag- As you can see, Our Viking Diva is warming up on my shoulder. 11:59:59 AM, the reigning queen of the opera sings the last act tomorrow.
No pressure… hunt smart, and you’ll send her packing.
Gobblers here in CNY are far fewer in number than most of us old timers remember. With longbeards being of the strong and silent type, the best or worst among us hunters can’t buy a gobble in many anecdotal reports.
Run and gunning may leave you eating a tag this late in the season. Play it old school. Confidence calling, feeding purrs, whips, and whistles, light clucks, and very soft yelping. If one stomps your call with a voracious gobble, get ready as they’ll likely not gobble again and come in swift but silent. Exceptions duly noted. With four weeks of renewed education, errors on our part in the turkey woods during the final hours will not be forgiven with second chances.
With an abundant but unfortunate supply of wet, cool weather, many hens have come off the nests and we have a dating/mating reset with the clock running out. If a hen challenges you, then you have to answer her appropriately. Girlfriend gets the boyfriend in trouble every time, and you may find one not on her first nest yet if you had a very late second or third hatch from last year. Too young to mate, but he’ll follow her anyway.
If you go in loud, you’ll likely leave empty handed. They’ve been chased all season, and any mistake you make will be an exit stage left with an alarm putt if you get any indication at all that you messed up. The foliage is thick as ever, and when a gobbler is pursued by a variety of predators, there is no tolerance for a clumsy two-legged one either. However far you may think he gobbled from, it might be better to halve that estimation in the woods now.
As they are not talking much now, any sightings are key tactical data. If you can get out and roost tonight, it may be the final clue to the last day. Bring your binoculars and glass as much as you can. With the foliage fully out, you can get in close, but you’ll have to be there very early tomorrow morning. The forecast is for more rain tomorrow, the last day, yet this morning is a rather nice one.
Hunt all the way to your spot, and all the way back to the truck, the entire hunt can turn around in 30 seconds, and the action can be fast and furious. On State Game Lands this past Wednesday, I filled a second tag, less than 150 yards away from my truck as I hunted back to it. It took him a full 20 minutes to show after a half gobble/half yelp.
Stay sharp, safe, and alert.
Best of luck in the final remaining hours of the season. Now if we can get this lady off our damn shoulders…
© 2025 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Turning Wishing Into Fishing
I would like to introduce my readers to a fantastic organization- Chasing Dreams Charters. I came to know of them this past week at the 2025 NYSOWA Spring Conference in Lewiston, NY. I got to spend a little time with Ned Librock, Founder of Chasing Dreams Charters, and came away with a firm understanding of who they are and the good works they do. To meet Ned is to like him, and it is a short study to know what he brings to the table in helping children deal with the difficulties of cancer and subsequent treatments. A fun and relaxing time on the water fishing is therapeutic in as many ways as any of us can think of.
Ned has assembled a fantastic and capable team of charter boat captains and a solid board of directors. To support their mission, they work closely with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, coordinating programs with The Courage of Carly Fund and the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) program.
I borrow and repeat from their published mission and website, and I strongly recommend that if you can support them in their mission, it will be well worth your efforts.
Catching Dreams Charters, Inc. a 501(c)(3) not for profit, provides fishing adventures for children and young adults battling cancer! Fishing Therapy for Cancer Kids! Cancer at any age is terrifying. Our motto of “turning wishing into fishing” promotes fishing therapy as a psychosocial therapy for these young warriors.
If you would like to donate to the mission, or have resources that can help expand to more of New York and reach more afflicted children, Contact Ned at 716-870-5326
To learn more visit-
https://catchingdreamscharters.org https://www.facebook.com/catchingdreamscharters
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