Tag: Turkey
Fanning & Reaping, Banned In Eight States
If you engage the fanning/reaping technique, here’s an up-to-date change of state regulations for this fall season. You’ll find that I repeat prior musings in part or in whole from past reports on the method.
A new book due out in 2024 will cover safety issues and current bans ReaperCide, Fatalism Defined https://www.joyneroutdoormedia.com/rfd.html
New Hampshire has now adopted a ban against Fanning and Reaping within the state https://nhfishgame.com/2023/08/25/fall-turkey-season-opens-september-15/
Eight states now have an outright ban on the practice. Nearly half of all US states either ban or strongly warn against stalking which encompasses fanning and reaping methods. The states are listed below. The NWTF and hunter safety education curriculums promote hunter safety in their published materials in all states which cautions specifically against the practice of stalking (fanning/reaping.) The list is based on what is officially published. It is a valid criticism of foreseeable risks.
There are recorded incidents that specifically report fanning/reaping/stalking, and I’m fine with it remaining only a few. The reporting is sparse and critical details are left out as an observed and learned opinion. Hunting incident reports site use of decoys, but not the manner used. No assumption is asserted here as I know of incidents where staked decoys were shot at, decoys shot at while sticking out the back of a turkey vest. Several seasons ago, a hen decoy sticking out of a turkey vest was shot with a crossbow at 8 yards. Trust me, it is a horrific wound. Having interviewed the victim directly, I can tell you the medical team miraculously reassembled his forearm, and he regained use of it. It is a credit to the advancements in modern surgical techniques and the capable hands of well trained surgeons.
Our hunting communities are polarized in keeping with national politics, with that in mind, this topic is a hot button for more than a few hunters. I’ll not apologize for opposing the method, nor more than I would for common sense, nor put respect and courtesy on the back burner in order to kill a gobbler that is giving me fits. Turkey hunting is life to a point… Unacceptable safety concerns associated with this method is the objection, no more, no less.
As a fraternity of turkey hunters, we abide by the ideal that all turkey hunting incidents are 100% preventable, and that one is far too many. 2023 was not a spotless record. To my knowledge, none that have been reported directly involve this method this past season. There are two, that remain unclear, no further details given, I’ll repeat, I am more than fine with that idea. Zero incidents are the acceptable number in any season.
List of States, Provinces
In a review on the various DNR’s, DEC’s, DWR’s etc, the following States enacted a ban on the practice of stalking, fanning, reaping, and specifically stated in their turkey hunting regulations:
Alabama, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
South Carolina (WMA’s only), Rhode Island, Tennessee (WMA’s only)
The following States, and one Canadian Province issue a statement of caution specifically in their hunting regs and or species-specific guides against the practice of stalking as a matter of safety:
Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Idahong
Kentucky (specifically fanning/reaping), Maine, Maryland, Missouri.
New York, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon.
Ontario, Canada. Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin
There may be more that publish separately as safe hunting tips, and hunting education courses. For my research, I used the published hunting regulations for each state or province. I will edit the list as others become known.
-MJ
© 2023
Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
The Dilemma of Wild Turkey Records
Early on while conducting research for New York State Wild Turkey Records, it became evident that collecting the necessary data, tracking down possible records, and weeding out ghost stories of monster gobblers would not be a small task or an exact science. The abilities of turkey hunters to spin tall tales are as legendary as that of any fisherman.
The common issue in vetting any prospective entry; the weight of trophy gobblers is seldom accurate and is suspect in many unvetted circumstances. In most cases, spurs and beards can be retrieved, and a ruler applied. In pursuit of gathering an accurate as possible representation of trophy gobblers in the empire state, there are several hurdles to overcome, and I’ll have a request for your help in gathering additional data. The following describes some of the difficulties:
- Many hunters do not enter their birds into the NWTF system.
- Submission fee, not an NWTF member.Do not take the time to enter, or unless the gobbler is ranked high.
- Simply not interested in records
- NYSDEC does not maintain a database for recognizing trophy gobblers. They do log coarse data from required tag reporting. Unfortunately, the data is collected in broad increments, honor system only.
- Possible records are word of mouth and unverifiable.
- Overestimated and unverifiable body weights
- No definitive records are found prior to 1969.
- Prior to modern hunting seasons establish after the successes of conservation restoration efforts, post-market hunting era, very little distinction was given to the differences between jakes and gobblers with both referred to as gobblers.
Without a statewide system or database available that records trophy gobblers, one can only chase down reported stories, and contest results, and look to a national database for data. Currently, the NWTF record system for accessing trophy gobblers and merged data collated at turkey-talk.com are the only databases available.
During the exercise of parsing records by county, Cayuga, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Hamilton, Lewis, Niagara, Rockland, Warren, and Westchester have very few record entries or none thus far. In reviewing data that spans over three decades, the overall estimated harvest number in the state surpasses 1.4 million birds, with over twelve hundred records known, It is desired to have all the counties well represented and assume with good reason that many high-scoring gobblers can be found in all the huntable counties within the state. It is requested that if so inclined, register your gobbler with the NWTF or directly with the book project “Empire State Limb Hangers”. Although the NWTF database is duly recognized, it is not a requirement for inclusion in this records book project and future updated editions.
It is acknowledged that there are many gobblers taken in the great empire state that are not recorded which would easily ratchet the records upward. If it were possible to track down and verify a fraction of the stories, the rankings would be significantly affected. This essentially is the dilemma.
It is important to note that this project was initially started in 2008, and in all the delays, and life changes that occurred that delayed the books’ completion, active, periodic requests for inclusion, including both individual submissions and turkey contests that could be vetted were published and kept active through websites and social media. With over a decade of open invitations to participate, it is an inevitable aspect of human nature that will have some show up a day late for the party.
For future editions of this book, updates and additions will be based on available database queries from NWTF records database as well as verified gobblers from other sources. As many sportsmen’s clubs are coming online with their websites and publish historical data, it is thought to find additional record entries of notable distinction. I do encourage you to participate and would love to hear your stories.
Useful links
http://www.joyneroutdoormedia.com/elh.html
https://www.nwtf.org/the-lifestyle/turkey-records-home
NYSDEC – Game Harvest Reporting http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8316.html
https://www.turkey-talk.com/nyrec.html
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Long Island Delivers a New Top Wild Turkey Record
With the inaugural fully open spring season this past May in Suffolk County, it was predicted by many of us in the turkey hunting community that gobblers tagged in Suffolk County would likely rachet the record books upward. It has not only moved the high water mark upward but delivered a new #1 Typical Score on May 10th. This follows another gobbler in the top five from this season- https://www.turkey-talk.com/tblog/?p=2694
A fall season had been in place in Suffolk since 2009, along with a spring youth hunt that began in 2011. After much deliberation and observations of plentiful and healthy flocks on Long Island, the go-ahead for an open spring season hunt was green-lighted this past May. With hunting fall gobblers a more difficult endeavor in the fall season, having an open season in the spring was expected to yield even more impressive gobblers. It is a shift of preferences from fall to spring from over a century ago when fall season was the traditional season.
Christopher Tellone, a resident of Long Island, took his first ever wild turkey gobbler this spring and without question, a wild turkey gobbler of a lifetime. It may be his first turkey, but Christopher is no spring chicken in the woods or new to hunting. As a lifelong deer hunter, he employed many of his woodsmanship skills to help him bag the new top typical score gobbler in the Empire State. Chris, now known to his friends as “Long Spur,” tells the story of getting onto a flock of birds that morning with several gobblers courting hens. Although he is new to calling turkeys, he knew that the hens were not swayed by his calling and the gobblers were not leaving the hens they courted. After giving it ample time for the flock to come his way, he backed out to head to his truck. He spotted the flock several hundred yards in a field. Surmising where they would end up, he patiently made his way to position himself to where they would eventually cross. As the hens left the gobblers an hour later to head back to the woods, they crossed in front, and the gobblers would follow. Choosing the largest gobbler that lead the bachelor group, Chris made good on his shot.
Chris’s bird scoring 84.0000 NWTF-Score surpasses the previous record held for 24 years for the number one typical category taken by Robert Miller Jr. in 1999, with an 82.1600 NWTF-Score. The gobbler was weighed on a certified commercial scale and properly measured in accordance with NWTF guidelines. The gobbler weighed in at 28lbs, sporting 1.75” spurs on each leg, and swung a 10.5” beard.
The gobbler, currently recorded by the NWTF (National Wild Turkey Federation,) also shows the bird to rank #3 in the state for spurs, and #4 for weight.
Using the SBP method of scoring, the gobbler scores 182.0000 taking over the #2 ranking in New York.
NWTF Typical calculation = (weight x1) + (spurs total x10) + (beard x2)
SBP Typical calculation = (weight x1) + (spurs total x32) + (beard x4)
Congratulations on an impressive first gobbler and a new record!
https://your.nwtf.org/members/records/
https://turkey-talk.com/scoresbp.html
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Pending #4 Typical Record NY Gobbler
After a recent query on social media several days ago, a pending new record book gobbler has been identified and it’s been suggested by many, including myself that with the inaugural spring season on Long Island this past May, that record book gobblers would likely come from there. The gobbler was hunted by Butch Janke from Long Island, in Suffolk County on public grounds on May 6th.
Butch’s gobbler weighed in at 26lbs even, on a state-certified scale, sporting 1-11/16” and 1-1/2” spurs, and a 10-3/8” beard, making the gobbler a record book entry for the typical category. The bird preliminary scores are as follows:
NWTF Typical 81.2500 (weight x1) + (spurs total x10) + (beard x2)
SBP Typical 177.7500 (weight x1) + (spurs total x32) + (beard x4)
Butch’s gobbler will be entered into the NWTF records once witnesses confirm. Two member witnesses are required as weight is over 22 lbs, and spurs are longer than 1-1/2″.
Preliminary stats, once finalized, the gobbler will be the fourth highest-scoring typical gobbler in New York State. Spurs will also tie with ten others recorded in the third-longest spur length in the empire state. Additionally, the gobbler ranks fifth in the SBP system calculation.
For others looking to record their gobbler, it is a good opportunity to point out that he used a certified weight scale, and took plenty of pictures in keeping with NWTF guidelines and those republished and supported by turkey-talk.com, Joyner Outdoor Media, and the Empire State Limb Hangers book project. Butch has agreed to participate in the book project, and I look forward to the interview and learning his story of the hunt firsthand.
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
14 hours ETA for the last 2023 NY Turkey hunt
With one morning left, the fat lady is suiting up for the final curtain call. Whatever you have in your back pocket for the end of the 31-day wars may be, It’s go time for any last efforts.
What you have observed during the past 30 days comes down to any clues you have from the past week. In any late season advice, and one that I have adopted; I will generally play it old school. We do want to send the fat lady packing before show time. With exceptions noted, late season is about conservative tactics, having very recent sightings, and locations of birds willing to talk or at least show themselves.
It’s been a hard season in many areas, and the ocassional stories of hot action are what give us turkey chasers hope when the local action is non esixtent. Seeing far too many hens out at 6-7 a.m. and that would mean a second nesting is starting to take place or they haven’t been bred yet. Opinions will vary. As learned over many seasons, if you get within a gobbler’s comfort zone, his “bubble” you can get a welcomed response.
It has been a quiet season here in Cortland, and many hunters get antsy and move often, when a little patience would make for less wary birds. If you follow my musings you know I like my gobblers without an advanced education. If I can locate the dumbest gobbler in the county, I am all over it. The blessings of a kamikaze bird is a stroke of luck we seldom get to enjoy. With the reduced populations such encounters remain even more rare.
I’ll repeat most of this advice from prior posts- Confidence calling, feeding purrs, whips and whistles, light clucks, and very soft yelping if any. If you get a gobble in response to your calling, get ready as they may not gobble again and come in silent. It is good advice to assume a silent approach. Late season encounters often conclude in minutes not hours.
Woodsmanship also and assumed, plays a big roll in late season success, the scouting you did last June may yield the clue that puts you in close to where bachelor groups hang. When chasing hens no longer overrides their need to eat and replenish their fat reserves you’ll find them at likely food sources. All the scouting you did in March and April gives you a database of choice roosting trees, dusting bowls, and strutting areas. Most of the seasoned hunters I know actively scout as they hunt through May. Weeks old Intel has limited use as they are either moving to find receptive hens or hanging with other gobblers. If you can sight a gobbler going to roost you have a crucial clue for the morning. I normally would say listen for gobbling on the evening roost. Although others report some roosting success, I have experienced none of that in far too many seasons. I learned to roost birds decades ago,and still do.
Turkeys have been chased for four weeks and any mistake you make tomorrow will in most cases result in an unfilled tag. Attention to anything you wear or carry that makes an unnatural sound, the way you walk through the woods, calling too loudly, snapping twigs underfoot, are all under the scrutiny of a very wary birds.
Should you get a bird to gobble it should be noted that what you thought was two hundred yards in the woods three weeks ago is well under a hundred yards and closing. They often won’t gobble until very close, nearly in range the last week of the season, and if you aren’t focused and ready. You can add some BBQ sauce to your tag.
Hunt all the way to your spot, and all the way back to the truck, the entire hunt can turn around in seconds and the action can be fast and furious. Stay sharp, safe, and alert.
I may get out for a few hours before work, but I can’t say I’m pushing for more than watching another sunrise in the turkeywoods and with any luck have a conversation with my favorite game bird.
Best of luck the final morning of the season.
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Book Projects- 2023 Update
Book Project Update-The following two projects have been long-term works in progress and are much different efforts than the storybooks that I write one chapter at a time, at random throughout the years, especially during hunting seasons. Some just appear to be at random once it is realized enough material is collected, and put aside to publish without any particular schedule. As these two large projects require large swaths of time to keep it all straight, with far too many moving parts, it takes much longer in the workflow that I have.
D.D. Adams- Evolutionary Turkey Call Pioneer, a long-awaited title. scheduled to be released this past summer has been pushed back after a recent snafu in source material permissions.
Empire State Limb Hangers– New York Wild Turkey Records, another long-awaited title, is pushed to an Winter 2023 release. Weekly progress on this. Still seeking those eligible to interview for the project, but a July 31, 2023 cutoff has to be a hard stop to make this happen.
Books in print:
Hills of Truxton: Stories & Travels of a Turkey Hunter 1.2 version is currently available online at Amazon and other online book stores in paperback, and kindle format. Hills Of Truxton An audiobook is in production
Tales from the Turkey Woods: Mornings of My Better Days 1.2 version is currently available online at Amazon and other online book stores in hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and kindle format. Tales From The Turkey Woods
Grand Days in the Turkey Woods is currently available online at Amazon and other online book stores in Hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and kindle format. Grand Days In The Turkey Woods Hardcovers w/dustjacket can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Days-Turkey-Woods-Joyner/dp/1495125475
Ten To Life- Delirium Tales Of A Covid-19 Survivor is currently available online at Amazon and other online book stores in hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and kindle format. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B3LP45XD/
A Walk In The Turkey Woods- Wandering Thoughts and Revelations, the brand new release on 2/27/23 is currently available online at Amazon and other online book stores in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MGN9
An audiobook is currently in production with a spring 2023 release anticipated.
Future Projects:
Tales from The Roost, Roost ‘n Time Tales– Another turkey hunting stories book is likely to come out in 2023 and depends on a number of things coming together. I rough draft stories each season, so it is not absolute in the schedule. As a fourth storybook, it may be one of the last of those efforts. The seasons and memories have been so inspirational which continues to drive these titles.
Old Turkey Tree, Stories From The Turkey Woods– will be a collection of my favorites from each storybook title and a full-color edition will be offered in hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and kindle. That will come sometime after Roost ‘n Time Tales is published.
ReaperCide, Fatalism Defined– will tackle a controversial topic and include research materials collected for some time. This is a short effort when I ever get to it. It’s another project that will likely pop up after a few lazy weekends (rare) and I get to go back thru all the musings and edit it.
A wild turkey cookbook is a slow cooker, a work in progress, and will come out whenever I get to road-testing my hazardous culinary skills. If I survive that experiment, it will happen…
There are more slow-rolling book projects that pique my interest in pursuing, and I add bits and pieces to each project folder as they fit or strike me to capture at the moment. There are a few novel project ideas if I ever get to it.
Websites: On top of all that, a redesign of the Joyner Outdoor Media website is planned, It will integrate all the existing published books and will introduce each new book as it is released or slated for a release date. the home base at turkey-talk.com will also be completed and will solicit advertising to make the indulgence self-sufficient.
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Press Release: Book Release: A Walk In The Turkey Woods, Wandering Thoughts & Revelations by Mike Joyner
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 27, 2023
Cortland, NEW YORK – Joyner Outdoor Media announces the audiobook release of A Walk In The Turkey Woods, Wandering Thoughts & Revelations by McGraw resident Mike Joyner
The author’s latest book release offers wild turkey hunters, call makers, contest-calling competitors, and those who simply adore this most elusive monarch, something very different than the “how to,” instructional manuals, or storytelling collections. It is currently available in paperback, hardcover, and kindle. An audiobook is in production.
Publisher’s Summary – “A Walk In The Turkey Woods” is a collection of personal reflections, epiphanies, and revelations gained from countless days roaming the great forests of North America. Captured within this volume of work are short stories, poems, a turkey hunter’s prayer, reverso poetry, and passages deeply profound and personal to the author. This body of work is inspired by the perspective that comes with so much time spent in the grand turkey woods, and from the enjoyment of all God’s creatures within these great forests. To those that passionately engage in the time-honored and most natural pursuits, it is all too well known that the acts of downing quarry are a miniscule portion of what truly transpires and what lies within the heart, mind, and soul of a hunter.
“What a hunter experiences and holds dear to their hearts is entirely foreign to those that do not hunt. As visitors, as voyeurs of wondrous places we feel at home and fully immersed in all that it is.” The passages within these pages convey what is well beyond the mechanics of strategies and techniques of outwitting our favored quarry. The conclusion of great and epic adventures is a satisfaction worthy of our efforts and concludes with so many memories to be had, and uplifting experiences in the natural world.
Hardcover, paperback books, and kindle – available now on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MGN9
About Mike Joyner:
An avid turkey hunter for nearly a quarter century, Mike Joyner has been roaming the hills and woodlands of America stalking the elusive prey -wild turkey. Joyner is a former president of the New York State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, serving from 1996 to 2005
A new book: D.D. Adams, Evolutionary Turkey Call Pioneer, is set to be released later this year. Mike is currently working on a 6th book entitled: Empire State Limb Hangers, New York Wild Turkey Records.
The author is also an owner of a technology company, and appears on dozens of US and Worldwide patents for video/image sensor innovations. He spends his quality time in his turkey woods sanctuary known as the “J” Ranch in McGraw, New York, where he lives with his wife Lee. For more information on the author visit his personal website: www.mikejoyner.com
-MJ
© 2023 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
Books In Print Update
This is just an update on what’s available for current titles and small updates. As the printer now offers case laminate hardcovers, I have added this to current titles and will also do for future releases.
Hills of Truxton: Stories & Travels of a Turkey Hunter is currently available online at Amazon and other online bookstores in paperback, laminated hardcover, and kindle format.
A 1.2 version is the current print-on-demand book with a new cover, and the typical text corrections and small edits in an effort to follow in some semblance of the Queen’s English. The laminated hardcover 1.2 edition is now available.
An audiobook is underway for production to coincide with the 1.2 updates. a March is expected. Audiobook will be narrated by Tim Carper
A Hardcover Linen Wrap (Dust Jacket) offering is not scheduled at this time. Should there be demand for it, I may do a run of them. Updated 2/3/23
Paperback—–Hardcover—–Kindle—–Audiobook (coming soon)
Tales from the Turkey Woods: Mornings of My Better Days is currently available online at Amazon and other online bookstores in paperback, laminated hardcover, and kindle format.
A 1.2 version is the current print-on-demand book with a new cover, and the typical text corrections and small edits in an effort to follow in some semblance of the Queen’s English.
Although the original release featured a Hardcover Linen Wrap (Dust Jacket), the printer discontinued the service. A Hardcover Linen Wrap (Dust Jacket) offering is not scheduled at this time. Should there be demand for it, I may do a run of them.
Paperback—–Hardcover—– Kindle—–Audiobook Updated 2/23/23
Grand Days in the Turkey Woods is currently available online at Amazon and other online bookstores in paperback, laminated hardcover, kindle format, and Hardcover Linen Wrap (Dust Jacket). An audiobook is currently available. The audiobook is narrated by Tim Carper.
Paperback—–Hardcover—–Kindle—–Audiobook—–Hardcover w/dustjacket
Ten To Life- Delirium Tales Of A Covid-19 Survivor is currently available online at Amazon and other online bookstores in hardcover, paperback, and kindle format. An audiobook is currently available. The audiobook is narrated by Tim Carper.
A Hardcover Linen Wrap (Dust Jacket) offering is not scheduled at this time. Should there be demand for it, I may do a run of them.
Paperback—–Hardcover—–Kindle —–Audiobook
-MJ
© 2022 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media