do they really roost in the afternoon?!? not saying your wrong...i spend ALOT of time in the woods..more then anyone else i know..if im not hunting something im fishing or walking in the woods....and ive never seen a roosted bird unless it was morning or late evening...yesterday i fell asleep in the woods hunting...i always do late in the day...that warm spring sun just does that to me.....i woke up and wondered about that....deer take naps...but then again they are active all day and night off and on..but ive never seen or heard of turkeys roosting in the afternoon for a nap lol.....storms and such will put them back in the trees...i killed one in the fall....it was afternoon...she was roosted in the tops of a pine tree stand...she flushed....i dropped her...but it was NASTY out....thats why i went in there to look for turkeys and pheasants....

Ok . called an expert .....its to not overdisturb the Hens. However some states you can hunt them all day. Go figure.

Although the hen will not fight. They will stay on the nest as long as they can.I have personally experienced a hen that let me work up to her and when I got about 5 feet away she flew right at me, only to land about 10 feet behind me and watch me. As I walked away she ran right back to the nest.

SPRING TURKEY SEASON
(Wildlife management area regulations can differ)

Season Dates: South Zone, March 4 - Apr. 9; Central Zone, March 18 - Apr. 23; Northwest Zone, March 18 - Apr. 23 (except Holmes County where the season is March 18-20).

Legal to Take: Bearded turkeys or gobblers.

Shooting Hours: Private lands - one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. WMAs, wildlife and environmental areas and public use areas - one-half hour before sunrise to 1 p.m.

Daily Bag and Possession Limits: Daily limit one, season limit two and possession limit two. (except in Holmes County - season limit one).

Hunting Methods: All legal firearms including bows, muzzleloading guns, crossbows and handguns may be used. Decoys also may be used.

Prohibitions: Hunting turkeys in Holmes County after March 20; hunting turkeys during spring turkey season after sunset on private lands or after 1 p.m. on WMAs, wildlife and environmental areas and public use areas; hunting turkeys with dogs; shooting turkeys while they are on the roost; taking turkeys by baiting or over baited areas; taking turkeys when hunter is within 100 yards of a game-feeding station; and hunting turkeys using recorded turkey calls or sounds.

It doesn't change in NY if your in A WMA.

In the Pa Game News it was explained that in the middle of the day, hens vacate the nest to forage for food and it could easily cause for an accidental shot So you can hunt until noon and must be out of the woods by 1 pm. to lessen the possibilities of shooting a hen.....

the only reason you dont hunt past noon is the hens. when theyre pregnant you dont want some redneck in the woods that doesnt have a single clue what hes doing and have him shoot not only one bird, but closer to eight.

Ron, I heard the same thing many years ago but got lambasted for suggesting that a couple years ago LOL. I believe they try to time season so that many (most) of the hens are sitting on nest (egg laying done), and they will tend to stay there until the day warms and they go to feed for a bit.

Like many conservation laws, it has a number of reasons.

The hens leaving the nest, and feeding. As well, nesting hens getting disturbed.

It's also an issue on public lands, being Spring (warming weather = more people out), and turkey hunting having agood amont of hunters in NY. They don't mix well with increasing human trafficon public lands (parks, etc.)not related to hunting.

Hikers, bikers, etc. have a right to that land as well, and it contributes to the law. Similar to some southern states not allowing Sunday hunting.