Some hunters insist you need to be settled in an hour before sunrise to have a chance. Maybe so. But as one Western New York outdoorsman recently proved, sometimes the best hunting time is simply whatever the time you can get there. For Chris Gerling — better known throughout the Western New York and Pennsylvania region as “Hoot” — this spring hunt carried a little extra meaning.

Gerling is one of those “old-school outdoorsmen” whose reputation has spread far beyond his home woods. Over decades, Hoot has shared stories, advice, laughter and knowledge with generations of hunters and anglers. Trapper, archer, turkey hunter, fisherman, craftsman and mentor, Hoot is an educator. He has long been known as the kind of man who could carry on a conversation with owls, turkeys and about any other woodland creature willing to answer back.

Recently, Gerling has battled through medical hardships. Battling through a nasty diagnosis was not enough to keep him from answering the spring call of the turkey woods, thanks to longtime friend Larry Franks. The two hunters headed to the town of Ashford in Cattaraugus County for a late-morning setup that reflected one of the enduring truths of turkey hunting: patience and persistence often matter more than perfect timing – NO MATTER HOW LATE YOU GET THERE.

“Larry was kind enough to take me out and set up a blind for me,” Gerling said. “It was an awesome hunt.” Gerling carried his trusted Winchester 1300 shotgun loaded with Winchester Double-X No. 5 turkey loads. His setup included two decoys — a jake and a hen — along with a pair of calls familiar to many seasoned turkey hunters: a Quaker Boy Easy Yelper and the legendary Lynch 101 box call.

Photo by James Monteleone The New York State spring wild turkey hunting season will end next Sunday, May 31, 2026, at noon.

“I used the box call to help get them fired up,” Gerling said. “Then I used the Quaker Boy Easy Yelper to finish the job.” The hunt unfolded slowly and exactly the way experienced turkey hunters appreciate most.

No racing through the woods. No hurried shots. No forcing the moment. “It was a late-morning hunt,” Gerling explained. “It’s hard for me to get in the woods much before 8:30. I harvested the bird about 11:10 a.m. I waited until I had the perfect opportunity.” That line says as much about turkey hunting ethics as anything ever written. Turkey hunting has always been a game of restraint and respect. Ethical hunters understand the importance of patience, clean shots and honoring the bird.

In the NYS spring turkey season, hunters may take only two birds total during the season and never more than one in a single day in New York.

For hunters like Gerling, the experience has never been measured only by filled tags. It is about sunrises and friendships. Shared coffee at tailgates. Owl hoots in the gray dawn. The excitement of hearing a distant gobbler thunder across a ridge, and perhaps most importantly, the people who help make those moments possible. For Gerling, the hunt in Ashford was about all of that. It also marked a remarkable milestone. With this bird, Gerling recorded his 41st straight year harvesting a spring turkey — an achievement few hunters ever approach and one earned through decades of woodsmanship, dedication and deep respect for the outdoors. Gerling is a legend.

Ask most veteran hunters and they will tell you the most meaningful part of the story is not the number. It is the image of old friends sharing a spring morning together in the woods. In a fast-moving world where traditions sometimes fade and time feels short, that kind of kinship still matters. Somewhere in the hills of Ashford, one more gobbler answered the call of the man Western New York proudly knows as “Hoot.” Coonskin hats off to you Chris “Hoot” Gherling.

Gotta love the outdoors.

CALENDAR

May 31: Last day of NYS spring turkey hunting season.

June 1: NYS Inland (Chautauqua Lake) Muskellunge/Tiger Musky opening day, minimum length-40″, daily limit-1, season ends Nov. 30. Great Lakes musky season opens June 15.

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Submit calendar items to forrestfisher35@yahoo.com at least 10 days in advance.