In Close Sight: NY Spring Turkey Season

The spring turkey hunting season is about to get underway in New York State.

It begins on May 1 and continuing through the entire month. If heading out to bag a bird, there are a couple things you need to know.

• spring turkey season includes all of upstate New York. The state defines that as everything north of the Bronx-Westchester County border
• Hunting hours each day are limited to one-half hour before sunrise until noon
• For the entire month, hunters are allowed to bag two bearded turkeys, with a maximum of one in a day (in other words, you can't shoot two the same day)

The spring season differs from the fall season in that hunters do not need to save and send in turkey legs. However, according to eRegulations.com, hunters will need to take careful spur, beard, and weight measurements for harvest reporting. The site offers this guidance for measurements:

• Spur measurements: Spurs should be measured from the tip of the spur to the base of the spur, where it emerges from the scaly part of the leg. Measure to the nearest ¼ inch. Do not measure to the forward edge of the leg, only to the base of the spur.
• Beard measurements: Beards should be measured from the tip of the beard to the base, where it emerges from the skin. Put the end of your ruler against the base of the beard and extend the beard along the body of the ruler. Measure to the nearest ¼ inch (quarter inch).
• Record the weight of the turkey to the nearest pound.

Additionally, New York State has established a spring youth hunting weekend in the spring, which this year falls on Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and 24, 2022.

Youth hunters are described as those 12 to 15 years of age, and must a Junior Hunting License and a turkey permit.