Both the fall wild turkey season and the pheasant season opens on Saturday, Nov. 11, and overall the hunting prospects for the turkeys are excellent and for pheasants marginal. In fact, there are very few wild pheasants in Lake County.
The fall turkey season is only two weeks and ends on Sunday, Nov. 26. The limit is one bird of either sex for the entire season. The good news is that Lake County is literally awash with wild turkeys. In fact, in many areas the birds are so numerous that they are considered pests and some of the best hunting can be found on public lands.
Some of the better public areas locally are the Mendocino National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management lands (BLM). The Cache Creek Wildlife Area, located in eastern Lake County and western Colusa County, has a large turkey population. The same applies to the Payne Ranch. Another good area is the Knoxville State Wildlife Area located on Knoxville Road just out of Lower Lake.
Here is tip: Many of the local grape growers hate wild turkeys and they will often give permission to hunt the birds. In fact, if you”re a bow hunter then gaining access to private lands can be relatively easy.
While hunting wild turkeys in the fall isn”t as exciting as the spring season, when a thundering gobble will raise the hair on the back of your neck, it is often more challenging. During the fall, turkeys don”t respond to a call the same as they do in the spring. Rarely will you hear a gobble, and when you do, the tom really has little interest in you. Most of the birds taken during the fall season are either young jakes or hens. The old gobblers tend to stay in small isolated flocks and are extremely shy.
Starting in October, the smaller flocks of turkeys will merge into one larger flock. It”s not unusual to see as many as 100 birds in one flock.
Getting within shotgun range of this many birds can be difficult. In fact, even locating a flock of turkeys in the fall can be a challenge. They will often find an isolated canyon where there is food and water and will spend the entire winter there.
While there is very little gobbling during the fall, turkeys are still quite vocal. They yelp, cluck, chirp and peep while feeding. They do this to maintain communication with the flock. If a young bird wanders away from the flock it will often make a high pitched whistle sound. Turkey hunters call it the kee-kee. Usually the older hens will respond with a loud yelp.
Once you have located a flock of turkeys or seen fresh sign, be in the area well before daylight. The birds will fly down from the roost trees at first light and immediately start to feed.
When feeding, the flock tends to move in the same direction. They can also cover a lot of ground in a short time. One successful method is to try and get ahead of the feeding flock. Set up against a tree and start making a series of soft yelps. Often a younger bird will leave the flock and come to you.
Another method is to scatter the flock. Once scattered, turkeys will try and regroup, the same as quail. After scattering the flock, set up and start calling. Use loud yelps and clucks to draw the birds to you. Often you will have an entire flock of several dozen birds come charging right up to you. Here, you have to be careful to select an isolated bird to prevent from killing more than one bird with a single shot.
In the fall, turkeys tend to roost in the same trees night after night. Locate the roost tree and you”ll find turkeys. One technique that experienced turkey hunters use is to set up near the roost tree and ambush the birds as they head to the roosting area. In the fall you can legally hunt turkeys until sunset.
As in spring turkey hunting, you have to be completely camouflaged and remain perfectly still. More birds are spooked by movement than by bad calling.
Turkeys should be cleaned as soon as possible after being shot. Remove the innards in the field, which will cool down the bird. They can then be either plucked or skinned. Wild turkeys taste similar to their domestic cousins although the meat is a little drier and the legs will be a little tougher.
Terry Knight can be reached at tknight3021@sbcglobal.net or by calling (707) 263-1699. Letters intended for publication that respond to Mr. Knight”s column can be sent to news@clearlakeobserver.com.
