Nebraskaland

16 Nebraskaland • November 2021 IN THE FIELD It's not often in hunting that you get to pursue the same bird during two different times of the year, but in Nebraska, the wild turkey will give you this opportunity. The sound of a lonesome tom during the spring is what drives me to pursue them so passionately. If you've ever experienced it, and particularly at close range, you know what I mean. Hunting them in the fall, however, requires a different approach. Change Your Strategy Hunting turkeys during the fall requires completely different tactics as they prepare for the winter season. Turkeys hatch their eggs in the early summer. So, unlike hunting turkeys in the spring, birds are young and not nearly as intelligent. Hens and late-spring hatched birds travel together in large flocks. It's not unusual to find hens together with their young, and toms are always close by. The strategy I've used with success in the fall is to break up a flock, scattering birds in different directions. Set up a blind close to where you broke them up under a tree and start calling. More times than not, those birds will travel back, curious to the sounds and wanting to be with their group. Stay patient and concealed, and you will likely get an opportunity. Decoys can be effective as well, but I would suggest using only hens this time of year. The sight of a large tom on his own in the fall may send them packing. Find Travel Routes Fall turkeys are a bit more predictable than spring birds. Since no mating and nesting is involved, they tend to follow the same patterns. They also feed longer, as they prepare for the winter months ahead. Find a travel route between roosting areas and feed plots and you're likely to fill a tag; hunters may purchase two turkey permits in the fall, and each permit allows two birds. Set up on fence lines, game trails and meadow areas where they could be traveling through. Make sure you're concealed in the shadows or in a blind as they'll pick up on any movement. Remain patient as birds won't always move at the same time. Weather conditions and the time of year all play a factor in their daily routine. Nebraska Opportunities Nebraska offers some of the best turkey hunting in the country, with three different subspecies of turkeys, including the popular Merriam's. It also offers long seasons, affordable permits and 1.2 million acres of public and public-access land in Nebraska. You also can harvest both sexes in the fall, unlike in the spring when only male tags are available. Nebraska's fall turkey season runs Sept. 15, 2021, until Jan. 31, 2022. Preparation and scouting will be the recipe for success when chasing this captivating game bird during this magical time of the year. A THANKSGIVING TURKEY By Todd Mills While strutting is most commonly associated with breeding in the spring, toms will gobble and raise their feathers at other times of the year. These Pine Ridge toms were showing off in November 2020. JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND

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