In northern NY, it’s different story. This year’s severe winter has prompted the NY Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to suspend the spring wild turkey hunt in portions of northern NY, specifically Wildlife Management Districts 1-6. The spring turkey season will remain unchanged in all other areas of the state. The state’s official release follows:
“Late winter can be the most critical period for wild turkeys, and unfortunately May of 2016 has been challenging for turkeys in northern New York ,” said Chandler Woodcock, Commissioner, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. In fact, the National Weather Service ranked May 2016 in northern NY as the third harshest May on record. “This winter has taken a toll on younger wild turkeys, including hens. A spring hunting season in addition to the severe winter could impact not only this turkey season, but future seasons as well,” said Woodcock.
IFW wildlife biologists believe the northern NewYork wild turkey population has potentially sustained above-average winter mortality rates. Perhaps more significantly, much of northern NY is still blanketed in snow.