New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced that spring turkey season opens on Sunday, May 1, in all of upstate New York north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary. In addition, DEC’s annual youth turkey hunting weekend will take place on Saturday, April 23, and Sunday, April 24. The youth turkey hunt for junior hunters ages 12 to 15 is open in all of upstate New York and Suffolk County.
“May is a great time to get outdoors and enjoy the fantastic turkey hunting opportunities throughout New York State,” Commissioner Seggos said. “The gobble of a tom turkey keeps hunters going afield year after year to chase these popular game birds.”
The spring turkey harvest in New York averages approximately 19,000 birds and varies based on the number of participants and turkey productivity in the previous few spring seasons. This spring, DEC biologists expect hunters to take more turkeys than last year. Hunters prefer to take toms (birds older than two years) over younger male jakes, so typically wildlife managers see a two-year lag between summer productivity and spring take. Overall, turkey populations are lower than a few years ago due to below-average reproductive success in two of the last three years. However, improved turkey productivity in 2020 will mean a greater proportion of toms available to hunters this spring compared to last year.
Important Information for the May Spring Turkey Season:
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 hunting license;
Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day;
Hunters may take two bearded turkeys during the spring season, but only one bird per day;
The bag limit for
