Eric Davis
Mayhood's Sporting Goods

CHENANGO COUNTY – While it’s hard to imagine now with the return of snow, May 1 is just around the corner. Turkey season is even closer if you are planning to take a youth hunter out on the Youth Turkey Hunt weekend, held April 22 and 23.
With the snow hindering a lot of outdoor activity, you can take this time to go through your gear and decide if there is anything you will need to upgrade or replace this season. This will help put you at an advantage over hunters who are waiting until the last minute and cannot find the exact product they are looking for too close to the season to order it in.
If you have a turkey hunting vest, get it out and go through the pockets. Did you forget to take your mouth calls out and put them in the fridge at the end of the season last year? How are your decoys looking? Did a mouse chew holes in anything or in your vest? These are just little reminders before the season starts today.
Just like sighting in a rifle before deer season, you should pattern your shotgun to make sure it is shooting a good tight pattern. You can buy a paper target that has an anatomically matched to a turkey so you can count the number of pellets that hit the head and neck area.
Another good judge of the pattern is to use a 10” circle with a dot in the middle to aim at. If you use fiber-optic rifle sights or a scope, a good way to get started is to shoot a target load through your gun to get the center of the pattern to be centered where you are aiming. If using adjustable open sights, you can save a few shells by remembering which way to make adjustments to the sights. You can either chase the pattern with the front or do the opposite with the rear sight.
For example, if your pattern is centered to the right of the spot you aimed at, you can either move the front sight to the right or the rear sight to the left to make your pattern hit where you are aiming.
If you use a scope or red dot sight, think of it as moving your point of impact. If the center of your pattern is low and right, you want to make adjustments to the scope of up and left because you want the pattern to move up and left to be centered on where you aimed.
Although turkey shells can be expensive, don’t be afraid to try a couple different brands or shot sizes to see if there is one that your gun shoots better. The same goes for choke tubes. An extended turkey choke tube will help increase pattern density over factory flush-mount choke tubes.
One of the easiest ways to increase your success in the spring woods is to put in some time scouting before the season starts. If you know where the turkeys are roosting and heading after they fly down, you can get set up along the path they take and be ready to call them in.
Turkey numbers are down in New York compared to the recent history. Knowing where the turkeys aren’t will eliminate wasted mornings during the season. If you find where a tom is hanging out, you will get a chance at him. With numbers down, you won’t have as much natural competition from hens.
While getting out and being in the woods to hear the birds on the roost is fun, you can do some longer distance scouting by going out at first light or last light and just listening for birds to gobble. Consider bringing a crow call or owl hooter. I wouldn’t bring a turkey call. Although you can get birds to gobble at it better, you don’t want to call birds in before the season starts and potentially spook them.
With the decrease in the turkey population, hunters will likely have to put in a little more effort in order to be successful. But hey, spending time in the woods beats spending time just about anywhere else.