Sweat rolled down into my eyes as I clutched a small oak tree to catch my breath. The flock of turkeys I was tracking were making for the road above me about 100 yards, and I was trying to cut them off. I wiped my brow and started up the hill again.
Once I could see the road I visually swept the upper side to see if the birds had crossed. I saw no sign that they had, so I started to parallel the road while watching for the birds.
They had already spotted me and were on the run when they came into view. I picked one bird out, led him just a bit and squeezed off a shot at 30 yards.
Standing over the Tom turkey I marveled at its size, and the impressive iridescent hues of his feathers. I had worked this area hard last spring, but had to settle for a Jake, an immature male bird, instead of a mature Tom.
I had one now. His beard was six inches long, and the tail fan was a good one. The bright colors of the fall foliage seemed to complement his bright plumage.
It was a fine Tom turkey.
I was participating in the very first general fall season for turkeys in the Columbia River Gorge. In years past hunters had to apply for a draw tag to hunt these birds in the fall.
This area had been mobbed with hunters last spring, but I had seen no sign of competition over two days of hunting.
That is probably the best thing about hunting autumn turkeys.
Many hunters are focused on big game this time of year, and fall turkey hunting is absent the gaudy struts and booming gobbles that draw hordes of excited hunters into the woods in spring. This is a different kind of hunt. Just you and the birds.
Klickitat County turkeys
Susan Van Lueven is the manager of the state-run Klickitat Wildlife Area that lies along the Klickitat River between Goldendale and The Dalles, Ore. She reports that some hunters are getting out after the wildlife area’s abundant turkeys.
“There are a few people out there hunting them,” she said. “We have a lot of great turkey habitat on the Soda Springs unit. Anywhere there are oak or even conifer forests you can find turkeys.”
“We are also seeing a lot of turkeys out on the roads, especially on the Glenwood Highway.”
The numbers of fall hunters are much lower than what she sees during the spring season.
“I think people may not be used to having a general (fall) season for turkeys,” she added.
In the spring hunters are trying to call Tom turkeys into range with hen calls and decoys, and the woods are full of hunters. That puts the Toms on high alert.
This flock of a dozen birds had “made me,” a term for being spotted, twice before I actually got a shot at them. They had acted a bit nervous both times until I slipped out of sight. Then they calmed down quickly and continued on their way.
If I had bumped into those birds in the spring they would have hightailed it and not looked back until there was a half mile between them and myself.
These birds were roosting on private land, and they would venture onto the national forest lands about mid-morning to forage. I spotted them moving out about 10 a.m. and put the stalk on them once they crossed onto public land.
Fall turkey tactics
Some hunters pattern the flocks and lay in ambush for them. Others will work the woods searching for the birds. Hen calls are very effective for locating turkeys because in fall the hens are extremely chatty.
Once the birds are located the hunters often rush in and scatter the flock. They then sit quietly and wait for the birds to start calling to each other as the flock reforms. They then take the birds as they come back together.
Other hunters lie in wait as the birds come off the roost at dawn. This can be a very exciting way to hunt fall turkeys. The sounds of hundreds of toms and hens waking up on the roost and calling to each other can be thrilling.
Hunters can take one turkey of either sex in the fall. The general season is open through Oct. 12, so hunters wanting to get in on the action still have a week of the season left. A small game license ($40.50), and a turkey travel tag ($15.90), are required.
The Game Management Units included in the general fall turkey season are 382, 388, 568, and 578, the West Klickitat Unit, which was where I was hunting that day.
As I hiked back to my truck I enjoyed the heavy feel of the tom I was carrying. Filling a tag in the fall is just as exciting as it is in the spring.
Fall salmon fishing has been a disaster this year, and many of the best fisheries are closed, so why not try a little fall turkey hunting instead? The birds are out there……and Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
NOTE: Hunters are warned that conditions are still tinder dry in the Columbia River Gorge and Eastern Washington. Check for burn bans before you head out, and use caution when hunting.
