WILD TURKEY IN THE FALL                                                
 
       Fall is here, and it’s time to try and find those wiley Tom Turkeys in the woods.
      This fall I decided to join a service called Access Illinois, to help me find land in Illinois that is made available by landowners. After joining, in about a week, I received no less than 9 names and numbers of landowners in Illinois that have made their property accessible to hunters for a small fee. This, I thought was a great idea by Access Illinois and I did take advantage of this service.
       I chose, from the list that I received to call a landowner in Schuyler County. I was a little unsure of the protocol that was used to get permission to hunt for wild turkey, but was set easy by the conversation that I had with him. He was very helpful and informative on how to go about hunting wild turkey on his land. I, along with my son and very good friend obtained our fall wild turkey permits and drove down to Schuyler County the day before opening day of the season. We arrived there about 8:00 p.m. and after getting settled in my camper, we talked wild turkey with our new friend.
       Morning couldn’t come soon enough for us, as the excitement of our hunt was overwhelming. It was still dark outside and there were at least two coyotes howling, which for city boys was pretty special. The wild turkey that we were after would not wait any longer, so after a cup of coffee and a quick snack, off we went into the woods. We used a blind that was already set up in one area and set another one up in a different area. At first we all hunted together in the same field, but after a couple of hours, with no sign of any wild turkey we decided to split up. I had a little more patience than my son or friend so I stayed at the first blind. Thirty minutes after they left me, I was snoozing only to awaken, to about twelve wild turkeys in the field to my right. They were just out of the range of my shotgun, so I kept as quiet as I could and adjusted myself in the blind for a clear shot if they came into range. They did not, but it was fun just to watch them as they grazed in the food plot of forage oats that the landowner planted for deer and wild turkey.
       The flock of wild turkey stayed around for about 30 minutes and then went back into the woods from where they came. All the while I was mad at myself for letting my son go to another field, as he had never seen a wild turkey before. After the turkeys left, I waited for a few minutes in hope that they would come out again in a different area. They didn’t do that either, so I left the blind and went to the edge of the field where I seen them go in to see if they were near. When I got to the woods, I heard some leaves rustling and peaked down a ravine and saw at least four wild turkey about forty yards away. I ducked behind a tree and peaked some more to pick out one to shoot, then, I put my shotgun to my shoulder, aimed and pulled the trigger. I shot my first fall wild turkey. It was a hen, but a turkey just the same. Hens, are allowed to be hunted in the fall.
       My son and friend heard the shot and met me back at my camper and were a little disappointed that they left me, but were happy for me and to know that there are wild turkey in the area. Neither, my son, or Ken (my friend), seen any wild turkey that day.
       The next day started out slow, with no signs of any wild turkey anywhere. So Cody (my son), got bored very quickly sitting still, decided to go out on his own and walk the trail down in the ravine to try his luck. It was close to lunchtime, so Ken and I decided to barbecue a couple of steaks that we brought with. Just as they were almost done, we heard a shot coming from the direction that Cody was walking. We looked at each other and both of us said “Cody” at the same time with exciting volume. Sure enough, my son called on his 2-way radio, “I GOT A TURKEY!!!!” I was so excited that I left my steak and ran down to the ravine to meet him carrying his first wild turkey.
      I was so proud of him, as any father would be, gave him a congratulatory hug and told him what a tough job that it really was to shoot a wild turkey in the fall, and to do it all on his own. We all can’t wait till spring to get another shot at these hard to fool birds.
      Wild turkey in this part of the country, are the eastern variety, and are as wary as any other species. This hunt was successful, and I hope that we can do this together for many years to come. Thanks for your interest. You can read other outdoor stories at my website www.turkeyfinder.info          e-mail at turkeyfinder@comcast.net.