Early birds get the gobblers
Notebook
By Will Elliott
Updated: 05/11/08 6:46 AM
Turkey season got off to a bright and sunny start early Thursday morning, with expert predictions true to form.
Gobbling began just after birds came off the roost and ended soon after full sunlight. Some hunters reported hearing calls throughout the morning, but harvest percentages were higher early on the opener and both weekend mornings than the often productive mid-morning to noon stint.
Early mornings proved positive for 12- to 15-year-olds during the Youth Hunt on April 26 and 27.
Lancaster hunter Roman Cefali proudly related how his 12-year-old son, Matthew, patiently waited and got a perfect shot off to bag his gobbler on opening morning of the Youth Hunt, a 20-pound tom with 1-inch spurs. “What a way to start hunting,” dad wrote.
Two friends, Greg Zeis, 14, of Lakeview, and Zak Pirowski of Lackawanna teamed to take nice jakes on their first turkey hunt, an outing at Centerville during the Youth Hunt.
Danielle Ostrander, 15, of Orchard Park, bagged a big bird at South Dayton on opening Saturday — a very big bird. In her third year of hunting with her dad during Youth Hunts, she took a 24-pound tom that sported a 10-inch beard and 1- inch spurs.
The Thurnherr family will be holding Thanksgiving sometime this spring. Grandson Rocco Russo, 12, of Hamburg got his first bird, a jake, at Franklinville on Sunday of the Youth Hunt. Then, his uncle, Keith Thurnherr, and granddad, Larry Thurnherr, went to their hunting camp for the Thursday opener. Both took bearded birds Thursday, but the Friday morning hunt brought home the big birds. Keith bagged an 18-pounder; Larry took a 22-pound gobbler that will soon be a full mount.
Waterfowl watcher dies
The death of John T. Daniels just after his 85th birthday marks the passing of yet another era in waterfowl conservation. John, a familiar face at Erie County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs meetings, presented thorough plans and program possibilities for everything from season settings to habitat management options.
A founding member of the Buffalo Ducks Unlimited chapter, he devoted a lifetime to waterfowl concerns. On the last Saturday of his life, a note on his ill health stressed mainly his regrets for not attending an important wildlife meeting that day.
A fine winemaker and a trained engineer, Daniels will be remembered most for his tireless dedication to conservation, especially watching out for waterfowl management concerns.
Safe boating checks
Swiftwater Power Squadron, as a public service during Safe Boating Week May 17-23, will provide free vessel safety checks from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m. at these sites: Niawanda Park Docks, 313 Niagara St., Tonawanda, Saturday and May 19, 20 and 21; West Marine Store, 2192 Niagara St., May 22; and West Marine Store, 1445 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst, May 23. For more details, call Peter Kays (773-5916) or John Dial (837-6511).
