SPORTS – I received an email from Michael Galcik of Schuylerville. He took his nephew William Galcik, also of Schuylerville, out for his final youth weekend of turkey hunting.
They arrived at their spot before 5 a.m. and grabbed the gear. Not 25 yards from the truck, the toms were gobbling. They walked about 400 yards and set the decoys out.
As they waited for the sun to come up, they figured there were at least three gobblers close by. About 5:30 am they began to fly down. They landed about 80 yards out and flocked up. It took about 15 minutes, but the turkeys eventually moved in and amongst the decoys. William dropped his tom with a single shot from the Mossberg 835. The turkey weighed 19.5 pounds, had 7/8-inch spurs and a 10-inch beard.
Mel Cater of Rotterdam harvested a turkey on opening day in Schenectady County. The gobbler weighed 22 pounds, 1 ⅛-spurs spurs and a 10 ⅞-inch beard.
Steve Baker of Rotterdam got his turkey opening day in Schenectady County, a 10-inch beard, 1-inch spurs and 22 pounds.
Neil Hopkins of Saratoga and I went out May 7 for our hunt. My wife and son made sure I was not alone. The hunt began at about 4:30 a.m. out to the woods in Schuylerville. It sure was cold and a bit windy. Neil carried my shotgun up the hills, and it wasn’t too long before we heard our first gobble. We were ready but it never came in sight. Thanks, Neil, for the opportunity to be in the woods again.
TEN SAFETY TIPS FOR SPRING HUNTING
- Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
- Always keep your gun’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction, never toward a person.
- Never put your finger on the trigger until you are ready to shoot.
- Identify your target and verify beyond your target before shooting.
- Anyone shooting or near a shooter should wear hearing and eye protection.
- Never climb or jump with a gun. You can’t control the direction of the muzzle if you stumble or fall. Unload and safely lay the gun down or hand it to your hunting buddy if you must climb or jump. Use the same procedure when crossing over or under fences, trees or other obstructions.
- Keep the muzzle clear. Never let anything obstruct the muzzle of a gun or allow it to come in contact with the ground.
- When you finish shooting, put the trigger safety in the “on” position and unload the gun.
- Never run with a loaded gun to retrieve your downed bird.
- Never wear the colors red, white or blue. Use total camouflage and sit against a large tree or rock wide enough and tall enough to shield you from hunters approaching from behind.
SARATOGA LAKE FISHING
I recently went to the Saratoga Boat Launch, as the weather was sunny, to see a few boats coming in from fishing.
Talked with Kyle Schultz of Mechanicville, who said he caught one bass, about 15 pickerel, one perch and one blue gill, all released back into the water. He was using Cranke Baits and Chatter Baits.
Contact Ed Noonan at [email protected].
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