Originally posted by: buck
Bad ASS!
Do you hunt? Why not shoot them?
Because even if he did hunt, turkeys are not in season. And (at least last time I was aware), Turkeys Unlimited or one of the other groups of turkey enthusiasts offers a $100 reward to anyone turning in someone who shoots a turkey out of season. There are plenty of hunters who strongly frown upon people taking game illegally.
As far as hunting them, yes, they are very difficult to hunt. They have *incredible* eyesight. They have great sense of hearing, and you're limited to a shotgun with a lethal range of about 30 yards for turkey. (or a bow, with perhaps a little more range.) They can run much faster than a human can run (25mph), and fly up to 50mph. An ethical hunter (the vast majority of hunters) will not simply shoot to wound an animal; an ethical hunter will shoot to kill the animal. This means a close shot (30 yards) to the head/neck area. If you don't kill it immediately, it's going to be gone (and later die.) The woods are big, that flock of turkeys will stick close together. Shooting over bait is illegal. You have to figure out where the flock is - they'll see you and disappear long before you see them in the woods. Then, you have to manage to be in the right place. If you're lucky, you can get close enough to the flock (during fall season) and break up the flock. About 10 minutes later, they're anxious to get together & you can call in stragglers who are still separated from the main flock. During the spring, it's illegal to shoot hens (or rather, it's only legal to shoot turkeys with male characteristics; sometimes, although very infrequently, it's legitimate to mistake a hen for a male). You have to take advantage of the mating instinct to call in toms. However, they are often very wary & won't come within shooting range. And, if they're already with hens, you can forget it. Sneak up on a turkey? Yeah, right!
OP, nice flock. I only glanced at a couple of the pics (thanks to the drag & drop), but looks like a group of hens and jakes. Feeding them? (Which I'm fairly certain is legal in NY; it's illegal to feed deer though.) If you toss out a pound or two of cracked or kernal corn each day, you'll get to enjoy seeing them all winter long. Cracked corn is pretty cheap if you have a feed store nearby; should be around $12-14 for a 100 pounds. Double check on the legality of course.