According to a New York Department of Environmental Conservation spokesman, the percentage of gobbler-getters who fulfill their legal obligation to report their successful hunts has declined in recent years, to the point where the agency was losing faith in its own harvest statistics.

To correct the situation, state biologists decided to revamp their method of calculating the turkey take and delay reporting the results from the fall 2003 and spring 2004 hunting seasons. The numbers weren't done in time to include in this issue of New York Game & Fish.

With that caveat, we can make one prediction with confidence. Namely, conditions are bound to be better this spring than they were in the spring of 2004.

You remember last May, don't you? Cool temperatures and incessant showers made it one of the soggiest springs in state history. The Syracuse area, for example, was drenched in 7 3/4 inches of rain in May, more than twice the average amount for the month. Many hunters complained of not being able to see the few toms that they heard.

The conditions were tough on turkeys, too.

Dr. William Porter, a turkey expert and researcher at the State University of New York College of Environmental Forestry in Syracuse, has found that turkey reproduction is most successful during dry, mild springs and least efficient when the weather is cold and wet. Dank conditions increase the risk of disease for newly hatched poults, and also help foxes, skunks and other predators in their search for turkey nests.

"May was pretty miserable," Porter said, "and that gave us two wet springs in a row, so I'm not optimistic about the number of young toms that will be out there this season."

There is a glimmer of hope, however. Last season's foul weather undoubtedly spared many birds from hunters' guns. Consequently, we may be pleasantly surprised by the number of toms we hear calling from the roost this spring.

The best way to maximize your chances of bagging a gobbler, whether birds are numerous or scarce, is to hunt in prime habitat. To help readers make the most of the coming season, here's a report on five public hunting grounds that are invariably hospitable to turkeys.

ROCK CITY STATE FOREST
From 1999 through 2003, spring-season hunters bagged an average of 453 bearded turkeys a year in Cattaraugus County. No other county produced more birds during that period.

With more than 100,000 acres of public lands, Cattaraugus hunters have plenty of options, but none are better than Rock City State Forest, which consists of 2,905 acres of steep, hardwood forests, some of which back up against privately owned farms.

Rock City State Forest is north of Interstate 86 between Ellicottville and Salamanca. To find it, take I-86 to Salamanca, and then go north on Route 219 and left on county Route 38 (Mutton Hollow Road), which leads into the heart of the forest.

Also, 3,000-acre McCarty Hill State Forest borders Rock City SF on the north.

The DEC's Region 9 office in Allegany at (716) 372-0645 offers a free map, State Forests of Southwestern New York that shows the location of Rock City, McCarty Hill and other public hunting grounds in that part of the state.

LETCHWORTH STATE PARK
Many hunters chafe at the thought of special regulations areas, but the minor paperwork required to take part in the turkey season at Letchworth State Park is well worth it.

If you've never been there, know in advance that the park features some of the most spectacular scenery in the state. Known as the "Grand Canyon of the East," Letchworth is where the Genesee River rushes and glides through a deep gorge. Not surprisingly, it's a tourist magnet, but hunters needn't worry about crowds during the spring turkey season.

Approximately 10,000 acres of the park, roughly 70 percent of them on the east side of the gorge, are open to turkey hunting. Most of that land is moderately steep and covered with mature hardwoods or conifers.