Despite more than three inches of rain, this past week has been interesting. I’ve had the pleasure of watching a nice whitetail buck grazing near my home in Potter, several whitetail does and one fawn grazing nearby, and several small flocks of turkeys in fields several miles south as they fed and played.
That’s right, half-grown young turkeys playing with each other. Actually it was probably more like sham-fighting, but it was fun to watch, nonetheless. Several of the youngsters would pair off, jump up and smack their breasts together, then flop back and strut their stuff like they had just won a big battle.
Then the two mature hens got it on, and that was really funny to watch. They acted similar to the youngsters, but instead of flopping back and strutting, they instead chased each other all over the field with the youngsters just trying to keep up. Then another confrontation, and the hen that had been chased did the chasing this time. And it was back across the field, with the youngsters strung out all along the way.
It must have all been in fun, because after around an hour of horsing around, the flock came together and moved slowly off towards a nearby grape vineyard.
I have been keeping an eye on those two hens and seven youngsters for the past week. There are actually three small flocks of hens and young turkeys in that area. The other two have six and four youngsters respectively. And that leads me to believe the spring and early part of the summer, despite the frequent, heavy rains, still allowed for some survival of spring hatchlings.
There is a nice six-point buck hanging out near another field I frequent. I am not certain, but there is a good chance this is the same buck I spotted as a “button” last year.
Normally I will see quite a few bucks in velvet as I chase woodchucks in local hay fields. But this year my buck observation tally is way down. And quite frankly I am troubled by the number of fawns I have been observing, or not observing as the case might be. That tally is way down.
I believe fawn production this past spring must have been fairly poor. I have seen only one set of twins, and not many single fawns with their does. It appears that our local deer population has become depressed.
Late summer is probably my favorite time of the year. The numbers and variety of animals that can be observed at almost any hour of the day makes for enjoyable outings. So far I have also seen several coyotes, two different families of foxes, and a number of other small mammals, including a lot of squirrels. I guess this fall’s small game hunting season could be a good one.
If any of my 77 semi-regular readers have observed wildlife, I would ask them to drop me an e-mail. I am interested in this spring’s fawn production across the Messenger’s circulation area. But I would also like to learn more about turkey production, too.
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I received a question concerning why black bear are moving into the Finger Lakes region. And while I have covered this topic several times in the past, another brief explanation is in order.
The primary black bear habitat in western New York is generally found in those counties that border Pennsylvania. And the best bear habitat on the east coast is probably in Pennsylvania. But that prime habitat is at its saturation point with respect to the total numbers of bears it can support. That means younger bears will have to search in other geographical areas for their own home range.
Much of western New York is only slightly better than marginal habitat for bears. But these critters are quite adaptable, and can learn to survive just about anywhere. They are omnivores, which means they can eat just about anything from berries, grasses, grubs and worms to carrion and small mammals.
Their population must be kept in check to avoid conflicts with humans. The current DEC policy of permitting hunters to take bears in certain parts of this area is a wise one. A few bears will be taken, and the remainder will continue to survive, breed, and spread out to other places.
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The early Canada goose season opens on Sept. 1 and runs until Sept. 25. The legal daily bag limit is a generous 8 birds. And goose hunting opportunities abound in the “West-Central” zone.
The easiest way to find a place to hunt is to follow the flocks before the season. Once they are observed landing in agricultural areas, locate the land owner and ask for permission to hunt there when the season opens. There is a better than even chance the flocks of geese will return to the same feeding area daily until they are pushed off.
I am convinced that this early goose season is the most under-utilized hunting season in New York. For many hunters, September is just too early and too warm for serious hunting.
That’s a shame because there are few seasons that offer this kind of opportunity for a successful hunt. The numbers of non-migratory Canada geese across New York are staggering. A few “deeks,” some lightweight camo, and a suitable shotgun with legal ammo are the main ingredients. And they add up to fun and excitement of an “early” season.
Len Lisenbee is the Daily Messenger’s outdoors columnist. Contact him with questions at lisenbee@frontiernet.net
