As spring gobbler season hits its halfway mark, running through April 26th, local hunter John Smith has already wrapped up his season. Smith postponed his remaining client hunts to the 2027 season, citing the early breeding of turkeys in late January, which led to a quicker than usual end to the excitement of the season.
Smith plans to head south in search of Burmese pythons before traveling to New York City for the nationwide release of the movie “The Python Hunt,” in which he is featured. This will be a chance for him to shift gears from turkey hunting to promoting a film about hunting pythons. Additionally, he intends to take advantage of the later spring gobbler season dates in some northern states, where the Eastern Wild Turkey subspecies can be found, different from the Osceola wild turkeys in Central Florida.
During his time in New York, Smith hopes to hunt on a farm outside the city for Eastern Wild Turkeys, inspired by a picture of George Herman Ruth, aka Babe Ruth, after a successful turkey hunt in upstate New York. He has also received invitations from friends in New Jersey to join them on their farms for eastern turkey hunting.
Smith will need to navigate the firearm laws in New York and New Jersey, which can be tricky when traveling with a gun.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
Sources: Hernando Sun
