Safety Tips For Turkey Hunting as Turkey Season Begins in New York State

May 1st kicks off the 2024 turkey hunting season for hunters in New York State. The Department of Environmental Conservation has a handful of tips to keep Turkey hunters safe this year.

Turkey Hunting Safety Tips

The DEC took to social media earlier this week to prepare turkey hunters for the 2024 season. On Facebook, they shared a list of safety tips including rules and times for turkey hunting and how to keep your fellow hunter safe.

For instance, Turkey hunting hours in New York State Hunting hours are one half-hour before sunrise until noon each day. The DEC adds to avoid "being mistaken for a turkey" turkey hunters and non-hunters should not wear the following colors on clothes, hats, or bags: red white, and blue.

Fluorescent orange is the color to wear for turkey hunting.

Other safety tips include always assuming any calls or sounds you hear from another hunter, never waving or using a turkey call to alert another hunter, and if you happen to take a turkey while or carry a decoy turkey "wrap it in fluorescent orange or put it in an orange bag."

You can find the full list tips  below:

Low Turkey Population in New York State?

So, now that turkey hunting season is here... how's the turkey population looking? Will there be enough for everyone to go around?

According to reports, the turkey population is low in 2024. However, with that being said the population is stable. Syracuse.com explains that the DEC expects "an improved turkey harvest compared to last year" this spring.

There are between 16,000 and 18,000 turkeys harvested during turkey hunting season.

A Recap of the 2023 Deer Hunting Season

Speaking of hunting, here's a little recap of some of the successes from the deer hunting season in 2023 from The Wolf Show Us Your Rack Contest:

Are you into archery hunting? These rules can be helpful for your future hunts:

If you're a hunter looking for a gorgeous hunting property, check out this spot in Alexander, New York: