Have you ever wondered why we have hunting seasons? There are many reasons, of course, but sometimes it’s an overlooked consideration. 

None of us wants to see any of these species of animals hunted into oblivion. After all, hunting is nothing short of an activity based on balance. If you consume too much, you waste what was meant for another day. Alternatively, if you save all the critters from a beneficial harvest, they inevitably outgrow their environments and cause their demise through unwanted human interaction, disease or starvation due to a lack of resources to share. 

Even within a balanced system, though, there are factors that account for highs and lows in the overall population. 

Bears eat fawns, coyotes hunt nesting turkeys, and cars take out any number of game animals and varmints alike. The rain can also play a role in population though. In our area in northeastern PA and similar zones in New York, turkeys nest for a short window in late spring and early summer. They will typically lay only so many eggs and/or leave the nest they have started if the situation proves environmentally unfit. With heavy consistent rains during this nesting window, it is often the case that eggs will be abandoned or ruined by the cold moisture, and therefore leave an entire breeding season poorly met.

With the wet springs we’ve been getting, it’s always in the back of my mind to be concerned with how the nesting is going. Have I seen too many coyotes or signs of predation? Does there appear to be a healthy balance of hens and toms in the nearby fields? These are questions that most hunters ask themselves in the “off-season,” while keeping an eye on the lands and creatures they conserve.

To my appreciation and relief I saw not one but two groups of young turkeys, still with the hen, located not far from the farm. One group was quite a bit ahead of the other in terms of growth, but not every turkey lays her eggs at the exact same time. All the same, it was good to see healthy young birds, and a fair number with one hen as well. I would say I saw around 10 birds, but I honestly didn’t count as I pulled the truck over to take my photos and ran around the side to get my three-year-old out so he could see them before they disappeared in the bushes.

When I see young turkeys, it always reminds me of when I was a very young kid and was with my father as he moved treestands for his hunting business. On a bright summer day only a couple decades ago, we were out in a field moving a ladder stand or two with the old green Chevy pickup. The grass was tall, at least for my meager height at the time, and I had to stand up on the balls of my feet to see over to the edge of the field where the forest began. I remember hearing a soft clucking sound in the tall grass, and my dad encouraged me to chase the small white head of a hen turkey that I could just make out. 

As I ran towards her, she took to the air and flew into the woods nearby. I slowed to a stop as I arrived where she had been, but was not prepared for the sudden burst of what seemed like a dozen fluffy puffballs popping up out of the grass to wobble through the air in the general direction their mother had gone. They could have only been just large enough at the time to fly, and I’m sure it was far more laborious for them as it was for their mother. Even today, I can still see them floating and bobbing along with tiny little wings above the long green grass.

The way out here we look for signs of new life as much as we cultivate life from what is already established. God willing, for every turkey I enjoy eating, another 10 will be there to serve their purpose in the balance of life.