New Jersey hunters can enjoy some of the finest turkey hunting on the East Coast right in their own backyards. There is now an abundance of wild turkeys throughout the state with turkeys found wherever there is suitable habitat. In South Jersey, where wild turkeys had been struggling just a few years ago, intensive restoration efforts have improved population numbers significantly. The statewide population is now estimated at 20,000 – 23,000 turkeys with an annual harvest of approximately 3,000 birds. Abundant public land and a low density of hunters make South Jersey ideal. Specific information on public turkey hunting land is contained in the annualHunting and Trapping Digest.
Spring turkey permits are awarded via alotteryfollowed by over-the-counter sales;the lottery application period is January 25-February 22.There is no lottery for the fall season. Applicants should study the Permit Quota Table to determine application strategy for the best chance at getting the Area/Period wanted.
Youth turkey huntersaged 10 to 16 with aYouth Licensecan obtain a “Y” permit which allows them to hunt in any hunting period in the zone that they obtain a permit for during the spring season. Youth hunters aged 10 to less than 14 must be under the supervision of a licensed adult who is at least 21 years of age. The adult does not have to have a turkey permit, but they do have to have a regular license. This regulation applies until the youth takes a turkey. After taking a turkey, the youth is subject to the same hunting period and zone restrictions as an adult. There is also the special statewideYouth Turkey Hunting Dayeach year.
Talking Turkey
The gobble of the male turkey, though often associated with Thanksgiving, is more of a spring phenomenon. Tom turkeys may gobble at any time of year, and often do so in response to a loud noise. It is in the spring, however, that gobbling begins in earnest.
Gobblers sound off to stake out a territory. The sound warns other males that the hens of a given area belong to the gobbling tom. More importantly, hens are attracted by the sound so that the business of breeding can be attended to.
Hens cannot gobble, but do have a repertoire of calls all their own. They communicate with each other through a series of yelps, whines, purrs, and whistles.
To let a gobbler know where she is, a hen will call to him in yelps. When she is really serious about mating, she emits a series of fast, high-pitched yelps called a cackle. The tom answers by gobbling and moving toward her. He fans his tail, puffs himself up and drags his wings in full strut. This display impresses the hen and puts her “in the mood” for breeding.
Gobblers are polygamous and collect a harem of hens. Interested in hens only for breeding, they do not take part in the rearing of young. Because one tom can easily inseminate seven or more hens, there are always surplus toms in the turkey population. These gobblers may be harvested without endangering the reproductive success in a given year.
The spring hunting season is timed carefully to coincide with the period when the hens are incubating. At this time, the gobblers are “excess baggage,” having completed their portion of the reproductive process. They are, however, still interested in mating and will respond to a hen, or a person’s imitation of a hen.
Some turkey hunters call using their own voices. In New Jersey, a call must be in one’s possession. Most hunters use a handmade or commercial calling device. To be legal, such a caller must be manually operated; no electronic calls are legal.
Turkey calls come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are hand operated, using a lever or striker on a wood, slate or aluminum surface; friction between the surface and the striker produces the sound. Beginners would be wise to start with a box call. More hunters are successful with box calls than any other call. Other calls utilize air blown from the mouth or pulled into the call by mouth. The beginner should try a number of calls to determine which can be mastered.
Once a type of turkey call is selected, practice is the key to success. Many audio and video tapes, as well as CD-ROMs, featuring champion callers are available, and learning from these is almost as good-as rubbing elbows with a knowledgeable caller.
Turkey Hunting Ethics and Safety
You can help ensure that turkey hunting will be available to future generations by observing the following safety and ethical considerations:
l. Respect property rights of others. Obtain permission to hunt on private property and pay attention to “no trespass” signs.
2. Be positive of your target. After you pull the trigger, it’s too late.
3. Make sure that the gobbler is within sure range of the shotgun and shoot at only the neck and head area. Body shots kill turkeys only a small percentage of the time.
4. Hens are not legal targets in the spring. Be sure you’re shooting at a gobbler during the spring season.
5. Do your homework before season – scouting, practice calling, patterning your gun.
6. If another hunter is working a bird, don’t spoil it by trying to call the bird to you or spooking the bird. This is very unsportsmanlike.
7. Never presume that what you hear is a turkey. Many turkey hunters sound just like turkeys. Never try to get too close. If your bird turns out to be another hunter, it could be very dangerous, and also embarrassing.
8. Never wear any red, white or blue clothing. These are the colors of the gobbler’s head, the primary target of the hunter.
9. Don’t attempt to stalk a turkey. By law, turkeys may be hunted only by calling with non-electronic devices. And that gobbler you’re stalking may turn out to be another hunter.
10. Use a gobbler call with caution. This call can be productive but also dangerous. In areas with a high density of hunters, you will call many more hunters to you than turkeys. Use this call only when you’re sure there are no other hunters nearby. Gobbling can also scare a subdominant bird away from you.
11. Remember that being fully camouflaged doesn’t make you completely invisible. Movement is the greatest enemy of the turkey hunter. A turkey can detect and react to movement 10 times faster than a person.
12. Don’t approach closer than 100 yards to a turkey. A turkey’s eyes, ears and awareness are many times better than a person’s, enabling it to spot you and be gone before you have a chance to call to it.
13. Select a tree that is wider than your shoulders and body to sit against. This protects you from any hunter who may come in from behind you, mistaking you for a real turkey. It also breaks up your silhouette. If you’re a right-handed shooter, position yourself so that your left shoulder faces the bird.
14. Don’t jump and turn at a turkey approaching your back. The chances of getting a good shot are very slim. At best, you may wound the bird. Be patient, remain still and let the bird pass.
15. Don’t hide so well that you can’t see what is happening. Blinds are a good tool, but where constructed so well that vision is obstructed, it becomes a hiding place.
2023 Fall Either Sex and 2024 Spring Gobblers Season Regulations
Turkey Hunting Area Boundaries
