East Hampton Sportsman Alliance member Philip DiMaria harvested a turkey in the Northwest Woods Sunday morning.  DiMaria often hunts alongside fellow member Eric Oberg, and they may be the most consistently successful turkey hunters in the Alliance.  

DiMaria starts well before sunrise.  Coming all the way from Montauk, he was already set up by 4:30 a.m. to avoid spooking the flock off the roost. The birds were vocal, and flew down around 5:45 a.m.  Philip used a traditional box call to lure them,  and harvested a tom with a 65 yard shot before seven.  No decoy was used. Had he used one, he guesses he might have had a closer shot.

Preferring his undisclosed Northwest Woods spot to closer-to-home Culloden Point Preserve, he said, “I pick my spot to set up based on either evidence of scratching in the leaves, or where I may have heard gobbling on other hunts.”  He uses a turkey vest with a fold out seating pad, and just sets up against a tree in full camo.

Earlier in the season when the pair were hunting together, Eric harvested his own bird.  “We were both calling, but the birds came toward my call,” DiMaria recalled. “Just as they came into range for me to shoot, I took the safety off and they heard the click. Next thing you know, they ran past me over to Eric, and he took the shot.”

To date, there are no other reports of successful turkey hunts this spring by Alliance members. Perhaps everyone else is “sleeping in”?