Turkey Hunt

When I arrived in California a few years ago, I stayed briefly in the town of Folsom. For the first time in my life I was exposed, close-up and in-person, to wild turkeys. They strolled about the undeveloped land as permanent residents. Tucked among the million dollar plus houses were wild turkeys. I soon discovered that realtors and property owners capitalize on the presence of the turkeys. Oakwood Worldwide Corporate Apartments advertises: "Welcome to this beautiful community! Beautiful Country setting where you will see wild turkeys or deer strolling on the property. Enjoy the peace of feeling miles away but yet are still conveniently located near fine dining, shopping, and recreation. So much to do!" I never knew that multi-millionaires would be anxious to share their space with wild turkeys.

As a Hoosier from Indiana, I was all too familiar with the camouflage-clad-orange-Day-Glo-vested wild turkey hunters of November. No wild turkey would dare make an appearance in the worst of Indiana neighborhoods, let alone dare to cross the boundary into the high rent district. Finding turkeys roaming unfettered and unmolested was an amazing sight to see. Surely there would be hunters on the prowl for these birds come November. I imagined the men of Folsom donning their gear and heading a short ways into the foothills to bring home the bird for the Thanksgiving feast. With such an abundance of wild turkey, it was inevitable to find a few hunters in the land.

It was then that I discovered the stringent license requirements for the state of California. Before Californians can shoot their own wild turkey for Thanksgiving, the State requires all new hunters, regardless of age, to successfully complete a hunter education course before they can purchase a hunting license. I had never heard of taking a class to get a hunting license so I continued my research. Apparently the focus is on the safety of the hunter and not on the safety of the turkeys!

The National Wild Turkey Federation is committed to making hunter safety a top priority. In 1991, the NWTF initiated the National Turkey Hunting Safety Task Force to complement the hunter safety efforts of state agencies, the International Hunters Education Association, the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The task force - composed of hunting and shooting safety experts from around the country - met in 1992 to develop a comprehensive hunter safety program, and has since produced and distributed over one million pieces of hunting safety information.

Fall turkey hunting usually requires obtaining a license and a turkey tag early in the summer. If your family expects to bag their own bird for the Thanksgiving meal, you'll need to start the process the summer before. If this is your first turkey hunt, it would be best to hook up with an experienced hunter and get some advice. Most serious fall turkey hunters target family flocks of hens and poults, which are fair game at this time. Not only will you find this type of turkey hunting great sport, you'll soon realize that a fat hen or young bird is much more tender on the table than a tough old tom!

To successfully hunt and kill a wild turkey you should understand their habits during this crisp autumn season. Most turkeys are now in flocks preparing for winter. They spend most of the time searching for food. If you know where they like to eat, you'll make a quick and easy task of this. Turkeys like to hang out in un-harvested fields but will depart when the tractors fire up at sunrise. As a Midwesterner I knew of the turkey craving for corn and soybeans. I would occasionally spot a wild turkey grazing in the early morning haze.

Fall hunting back home was the time to resin-up the bow (and arrows, that is). Because of the added difficulty in harvesting a turkey with a bow the fall opens up a lot more opportunities. With the longer season and no sex requirement a person can more likely harvest a turkey with a bow. I would prefer this choice myself for communities like Folsom, where the sound of gunfire might bring out the National Guard. It could sound a great deal like a prison break, ending in a showdown between the cops and the hunter. The turkeys would go free.

However you choose to hunt your fall turkeys, remember to always have permission to hunt private property. Don't neglect to get your license and to observe the local hunting laws. The American Hunter, LLC wants you to remember, "Hunting is a privilege we'd all like to continue. If you'd like to pass on your own new-found tradition of fall turkey hunting to your next generation, respect the resource and the heritage, and give thanks for your Thanksgiving bounty."