Strut Zone

Would You Eat That Tag?

Okay, Strut Zoners, decision time . . .

You're fall turkey hunting, with an unused tag in your pocket. A brood hen with just two late-hatch birds-of-the-year walk by early in the season. It's a small group for sure, obviously the result of either predation, cold wet weather, or both.

Either-sex turkeys are legal . . . do you:

(A) Shoot the adult hen and let the two young birds fend for themselves?

(B) Shoot one of the young birds, and let the adult hen and survivor go their way?

(C) Pass on the opportunity, savor the experience, hold out for a gobbler, or bigger family flock, and possibly eat that tag?

All options are legal. What do you choose to do? Fill the tag fast? Hold out for a brag bird? Possibly go skunked for the season?—Steve Hickoff

The Turkey-Squirrel Connection

No matter where you chase fall turkeys, especially during some of our early hunting seasons, squirrels will likely be nearby. And if just the squirrel season is open, but not the turkey-hunting opportunity, you'll be able to get out early and scout for flocks. "It's all good," as my southern hunting buddies like to say . . .

As a teenager who first hunted my native north-central Pennsylvania, I learned this approach where it was common for Keystone State sportsmen to target both species. Squirrels provided almost constant action on oak ridges, and near hickories and beechnuts. Often enough, turkey scratchings, droppings, and tracks could be found nearby.

As is often the case, fall turkey hunting involves several dimensions: finding the flocks can often prove to be the most difficult part, especially if you hunt hilly and mountainous cover as I did in PA, and often do now around the country.

Once found, it can be a little easier, providing you're interested in simply filling a tag on a bird-of-the-year. If not, you can choose to hunt only adult gobblers, which might extend your autumn turkey hunts, and that's not always a bad thing.

One approach I've taken in the past is to set up and stand hunt on a ridge where you find evidence of squirrel activity (oak branch cuttings, for instance) and turkey movement (fresh wedge-shaped scratchings).

You can still hunt through the woods slowly as well, setting up on a bushytail that's treed on your approach. Setting up at the base of a nearby tree is much the same as you would when calling a turkey. Yes, a gunshot may end that successful squirrel hunt, but I've found in big country the noise doesn't hinder your turkey hunting all that much.

Bowhunters can even approach their squirrel/turkey hunts more quietly of course. Are you a head-shot archer for turkeys? A squirrel is roughly the same size.—Steve Hickoff

Early Archery Turkeys

Are you Strut Zoners looking for some early archery action on both turkeys and deer? Here are three states where you can double-up.

MISSOURI
Just imagine 1 million Show-Me-State turkeys to target. Northern farmland—where fall flocks roost—is home to many whitetails too, and trophy deer at that. Randy Simonitch’s famous Y2K Pike County P&Y buck (33 total points; 269 7/8 net score) immediately comes to mind when bowhunters talk about big Missouri whitetails. Missouri is also an easy fit for my Top 5 turkey states in the country, and some of my biggest longbeards have been taken there. Deer and turkey archery seasons this fall run from Sept. 15-Nov. 14, 2008, then resume Nov. 26-Jan. 15, 2009. T

KANSAS
Kansas offers so-called Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA), which includes both state and federal areas. Private land permission provides an alternative too, often for a chance at trophy whitetails. Archery seasons for deer—mulies (western one-third of state), whitetails (eastern one-third for highest densities), and firearms options for fall turkeys (an estimated 65,000 birds) are open simultaneously. Turkey management units—four total—offer over-the-counter permit hunts for Rio Grande birds (western two-thirds of state), Rio/Eastern hybrids (north-central KS), and Easterns (northeast/southeast region). Regular deer archery runs from Sept. 22-Dec. 31, 2008 (check application deadlines in advance), while turkey dates range from Oct. 1- Jan. 31, 2009.

WISCONSIN
Hunting camps—from shacks to upscale lodges—can be found most anywhere, and farmland here grows record-class whitetails. Wisconsin’s forests cover 46% of the state where DNR officials put deer numbers at 1.6 to 1.8 million. The bonus? A wild turkey explosion of an estimated 200,000+ birds (according to the state) makes this a great double-up location. Got deer? Turkeys? The Badger State surely does. Fall turkey opportunities run from Sept. 13-Nov. 20, 2008, while you can bowhunt Wisconsin whitetails from Sept. 13-Nov. 20, then again on Dec. 1-Jan. 4, 2009.—Steve Hickoff

America's Toughest Turkeys

You’re at turkey camp. It’s afternoon—some guys are napping, but the rest of you are shooting the breeze. The subject of the country’s toughest turkeys comes up. What states are on your list? Here are three of mine:

Alabama: Half a million wild turkeys, and roughly half of them are gobblers. Taking one should be easy, right? Not in my experience. They’d just as soon spit-and-drum on the approach than gobble. They see a lot of pressure. They seem more skeptical than a contest judge in the first-round of a turkey-calling contest.

Florida: Listen, man, the pressure does something to these gobblers. You need one for a Slam. They seem to know it! And fall hunts are for bearded birds only. As a result there are more hens to contend with in the spring. You heard right. All those hens in the woods pull ol’ Mr. Tom away time and again. My last spring hunt in Osceola Land involved calling a group of 11 hens in, with no trailing strutter. Then I yelped in a group of 8 female turkeys. I only got one lonely longbeard in range the entire 5-day trip. One. Five days. Tough.

Pennsylvania: Biologists estimate that the Keystone State has 330,000 turkeys within the borders, more than the 300,000 roaming Texas (recent NWTF estimates). To many Pennsylvanians, fall and spring turkeys are equal, and hunting residents approach both seasons with a near-religious zeal. I know, I was born and raised there. All that enthusiasm, as with Alabama, adds up to some serious pressure too. Ever hunt the ridges of north-central PA where I grew up? Work a bird on the roost and he might fly down to the nearby side hill. Ease down there, and you might hear him where you were standing a half hour before.

Are turkeys tough where you Strut Zoners hunt? Where? Why? How tough? What’s the toughest gobbler you ever killed, or didn’t tag?—Steve Hickoff   

Legend of the Fall

He once yelped in a spring gobbler for recently retired NFL New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. He probably calls more fall turkeys into range annually for lodge guests than anyone else in the country. Above all, Pete Clare owner of Candor, New York’s Turkey Trot Acres with his wife Sherry, is a serious wild turkey hunter. Strut Zone caught up with him recently to talk a little about the fall turkey tradition:

Steve Hickoff: What are the major differences between spring and fall turkey hunting as you see it?
Pete Clare: In the spring of the year we hunt mature gobblers. In New York State we can only hunt until noon. During our fall season we hunt all wild turkeys: gobblers, hens, jakes and jennies. We can hunt all day and we are allowed to use turkey dogs to find and bust up the flocks.   

SH: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a dog to hunt fall turkeys?
PC: The advantages of using a turkey dog are many. First and foremost is using the dog's nose and natural hunting ability to find the flocks of wild turkeys.  Using a dog also adds a tremendous amount of excitement to the hunt. Watching the dog's mannerisms when getting close to a flock and waiting for the barking lets us know that the hunt is on! As my friend, and creator of the Appalachian Turkey Dog John Byrne from Lowry, VA once said, "Fall turkey hunting without a dog is a little like going on a honeymoon without a bride . . . it's just not the same." There are no disadvantages of hunting with a dog.   

SH: What advice would you offer a person who wants to fall turkey hunt, but who has only done it in the spring?
PC: Fall turkey hunting will allow you to hear a much wider range of turkey vocabulary. Learn all the calls of the wild turkey to improve your fall turkey hunting odds. To be a better spring hunter, learn to hunt turkeys in the fall. The practice of luring a spring gobbler to your gun using the mating calls is vastly different than calling in a wild turkey gobbler in the fall when his only concern is survival! 

SH: What are the three most important aspects of finding fall turkey flocks?
PC: Learn where the turkeys roost, especially as the weather changes. Know what food source the turkeys are feeding on at the time you are hunting them. Woodsmanship is huge in the fall season. Know how to read turkey sign and especially how to follow turkey scratchings. Fresh scratchings will always lead you to a flock of turkeys!

SH: What calling strategies do you use for autumn gobblers?
PC: When calling to gobblers in the fall, patience is king. If a mature gobbler decides he wants companionship, he just might respond to gobbler clucks, yelps and gobbles. The best times of day to expect a response are at first light and just before roost time in the evening. Remember after the mating season is over in the spring, a wild turkey's main interest is survival. Too much calling will attract predators both two- and four-legged.

SH: What do you love most about fall turkey hunting?
PC: In October and November here at Turkey Trot we can be found "trying to reason with turkey season.” My favorite turkey season is in the fall. I totally enjoy the entire turkey hunting adventure, especially hunting with my Appalachian Turkey Dogs: finding the flocks, busting the flocks and calling them in to the gun is what it is all about. When you toss in the beautiful fall foliage, fresh turkey scratchings, acorns and beechnuts dropping, and a young bird kee-keeing way out on the ridge, the fixin's are there for a grand fall turkey hunting experience! Long before there ever was a spring season the traditional turkey seasons were in the autumn.    

Interested in hunting upstate New York State’s wild turkeys? Contact Turkey Trot Acres’ Pete and Sherry Clare at 188 Tubbs Hill Road, Candor, NY 13743. Phone: 607-659-7849. Website: turkeytrotacres.com

—Steve Hickoff

To Flush or Not To Flush?

The idea of flushing fall turkey flocks to gain a tactical advantage is based on the notion you want to call your turkey to your setup after those birds have been scattered.

But yeah, if you’ve patterned or happened into fall turkeys—and a bird is in range, and you want it—sure, take the shot. You choose.

Often enough autumn groups are on the edge of gun or bow range though. What do you do then? That’s when you might need to flush them.

Gregarious by nature, this strategy is based on the fact we can guess with reasonable assurance flock members will want to regroup.

There’s a difference between a good and bad flock flush, as all you veteran fall turkey hunters know.

In a lousy break, smaller groups of birds stay together. This puts you at a tactical disadvantage. In one done right, single turkeys fly off or run in all directions. They’ll want to regroup.

You can set up at that site and try to call one into range. Also, some might suggest this approach is more sporting than simply taking one that is in range by luck and circumstance.—Steve Hickoff

Brood Survey Help

If any of you Strut Zoners live in the Green Mountain State, the wild turkey management program needs your assistance.

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department is seeking help in determining this spring's turkey nesting success by asking volunteers to record wild turkey sightings during August using the department's web-based survey.

Turkey production is highly variable and is directly linked to success of the spring nesting season. State wildlife biologists have been monitoring Vermont's wild turkey hatch by conducting brood surveys each summer since 1994.

"Brood surveys are designed to monitor annual nesting success and survival of hens and their young," explained State Wildlife Biologist Doug Blodgett. "By involving the public in this survey, we increase our sample size and give people the opportunity to participate in active turkey management."

The department is looking for information on the number of turkeys sighted and where they were seen, the sex and age of the birds if possible, and whether the sighting is of a brood. A brood consists of one or more hens with young.

"The information lets us calculate many factors that are essential for sound turkey management, including average brood sizes, percentage of adult hens with young, and overall numbers of turkeys seen," added Blodgett. "This information, combined with harvest data, allows us to scientifically manage Vermont's wild turkey population."

To learn more about the survey, go the Fish & Wildlife website: vtfishandwildlife.com and click on "Wild Turkey Brood Survey" under "Items of Special Interest." Beginning August 1, you can enter information about a turkey brood you have observed.

I turkey hunt Vermont frequently, and regard it as among the best states in the country for spring and fall opportunities.

—Steve Hickoff

The Death of a Poult

Okay....maybe you guys can help me figure this out without the cost and extra expense involved with finding a therapist......

I AM, most decidedly, a hunter. I AM also a very serious turkey hunter and there's not much more that give me glee than to step on a jelly-headed tom's head in the springtime--whether I've shot him myself or called him in for someone else.

Soooooo......here's my tale of woe which some of you Strut Zoners may already be familiar with. Because, like Steve Hickoff, I hunt fall birds, I continually keep tabs on the status of the spring hatch. When I saw an adult hen with only a single poult roaming my property during the last month, I grew a bit concerned about the status of the spring hatch---hens typically lay 9 eggs and having one 'hatchling' out of 9 is not good. So I watched  that old lone hen bug with her poult for more than a month and even got some photos of her. I watched as the poult grew from a fuzzball into a grouse-sized bona-fide turkey.

Fast forward to last Saturday. The pair showed up again around noon. Shortly thereafter, I spotted the hen in full strut in the front yard. Why was she strutting? Another hen with six poults entered the scene. I guess six beat out one and the old hen vamoosed. I enjoyed watching the family unit bugging in my field for more than an hour.

As I pulled out of my drivewar, I glanced down the road—my heart literally sank. Someone had run over "my" poult. Heck, I've seen all manner of roadkill, but nothing affected me as much as that little turkey poult. No, I didn't shed any tears, but I was certainly upset. Bummer? Nah, it was so much more than that.

SPECIAL REPORT: Turkeys and the Midwest Floods

SPECIAL REPORT—How did and, more importantly, will wild turkeys do in the Midwest after the recent flooding? Three National Wild Turkey Federation biologists offer their scientific insights here on the Strut Zone for us turkey hunters . . .

John Burk, NWTF regional biologist for Iowa and Missouri, said, "Direct flooding does not cause direct mortality in wild turkeys. The rainfall that caused the flooding can have a short-term affect on wild turkey reproduction, but it should be minimal.”

Kent Adams, NWTF regional biologist for Illinois, emphasized that, "The real impact on nesting has more to do with the weather that brings on the flooding. The cooler, wet weather has more impact than the flooding itself. Cool, wet late spring and early summer affects turkey populations for a single year."
Adams continued: "Flooding, specifically, doesn't have that big of an overall impact other than some nests getting flooded out at the wrong time. The adult birds that were on the ground weren't affected by it. They could walk or fly and get out of the way of the floods." And what about the question of re-nesting?

On this note, Adams said, "Turkeys do have the capability of renesting if their first attempt is ruined. Generally, it is a reduced clutch size and obviously those poults get a later start this summer. Re-nesting does occur, and it is just another way that nature has built in to guard against these sorts of natural disasters."

Dave Neu, NWTF regional biologist for Wisconsin, offered that, "[The weather] affected local areas as far as nesting goes this year. You might have a year or two where there's less jakes, but they will rebound. It didn't cover the entire landscape." Neu also said, "Turkeys will renest once the ground dries out, or they will head to higher ground where it's dry with nesting cover. Evidence shows they will renest two or three times if conditions are favorable. —Steve Hickoff 

Fall Turkey Dogging 101

The strategy is simple: your trained turkey dog scents, finds, and flushes a fall flock. Near the break site, you hide that canine and yourself, and try to call those scattered birds back to your setup.

It’s not enough to have a turkey dog though. You have to know how and where to use it.

It’s best if you’re a serious fall turkey hunter before you become a flock dogger. You need to understand fresh ground sign in the form of tracks, molted feathers, droppings, and scratchings where your dog might find turkey flocks based on your scouting efforts. A trained dog can then be used as a tool to help you find and flush turkeys.

Breeds differ, of course. Individual canine hunting abilities exist among the range of retrievers, pointing dogs, versatile breeds, and hounds, and so it is with those used as turkey dogs. John and J.T. Byrne of Lowry, Virginia are widely renowned for their Plott hound/point/setter line of turkey dogs. Outdoor Life’s Gerry Bethge is a longtime practitioner, as am I.

Some weak-nosed dogs may find turkey flocks visually, setting after them in open fields or big woods situations. Other canines locate flocks both by sight, and with their solid bird-scenting abilities. Other hyper-aware turkey dogs with superior noses put visual evidence and location sense together in a way that tells them wild turkeys are just over the next ridge. This quality of terrain recognition is hard to beat. All types can help your hunts though. I’ve owned all three.

No matter how able your hunting dog is, if you’re a fall turkey enthusiast—and assuming the tactic is legal in your state—you can use that canine to help you find and flush flocks. Bottom line, your dog (whatever the breed) needs an inborn, instinctive “prey drive” so you can build on it.—Steve Hickoff