In 1986, Maine held its first modern-day spring turkey hunting season. The hunt was limited to York County, where turkeys had been successfully reintroduced in the mid-1970s after two failed attempts by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and local sporting clubs in the 1940s and 1960s, respectively.
Just 500 turkey hunting permits were issued by lottery that first year. About 600 hunters applied and I was one of the lucky ones.
In case you’re wondering, no, I didn’t fill my tag. As they still do more times than I like to admit, the birds proved smarter than me.
The lottery system remained in place for several years. I honestly can’t recall which years I drew tags or whether I got lucky. But 19 years later, in 2005, every applicant received a permit after the Legislature changed the system and did away with the lottery.
Since then, my enthusiasm and passion for the spring turkey season have only deepened.
In 2002, Maine opened a fall turkey hunting season in certain wildlife management districts for the first time. As turkey populations increased, additional districts opened to fall hunting. The separate fall turkey hunting license was eventually eliminated and various other regulatory changes were put in place.
This year, Maine’s fall turkey season opens Sept. 14 and runs through Nov. 7. It’s one of the longest fall turkey seasons in the country. Only WMDs 1, 2, 4, 5 and 9 in northern Maine remain closed.
Fall bag limits are also generous, ranging from five to three to two to one turkey of either sex, depending on the district.
Despite being longer, the fall turkey season has never been as popular as the spring season. Although fall harvest numbers have steadily increased, likely in part because of the higher bag limits in most districts, the fall harvest is typically about half the number of turkeys taken each spring, or less.
On a personal note, the fall turkey season doesn’t get me nearly as excited as the spring season.
But I always hunt it anyway.
It is, after all, an opportunity to hunt. And let’s admit it: fall is a glorious time to be in the Maine woods.
But hunting the fall turkey season just isn’t the same as hunting the spring season.
Yes, both sexes are legal game and the bag limits are more generous. But who really needs five or four or even more than two turkeys in the freezer? We certainly don’t, and I’ve never been one to kill just for the sake of killing.
Wild turkey meat is leaner than domestic turkey and has a tendency to be a tad dry if it isn’t cooked properly. We’ve tried it roasted, grilled, smoked, pan-fried, simmered in a pot, chunked into soup and made into pot pie with mixed vegetables. We like the earthy, somewhat nutty taste.
But one fall bird is enough. Maybe two if opportunity knocks, and only if my deer season is over and I have little else to do.
Overall, whether I bag a bird or birds this fall makes little difference.
But I will hunt them anyway.
There are several reasons why the fall turkey season is much less exciting for me.
After the long winter, when I’m generally cooped up inside much of the time, the outside world comes alive again in spring. It’s refreshing to get outdoors.
But more than that, spring is turkey breeding season.
The males are highly vocal and easier to locate. They gobble, respond to calls and often strut their way within shooting range. Like a rutting buck, a lovesick gobbler can seem to let instinctive caution and survival mechanisms go out the window.
Fall turkeys are a different story.
Older birds are often grouped with young birds and are more cautious. They are quieter, less vocal and less responsive to calls. They can be more difficult to pattern and generally harder to hunt.
But I hunt them anyway.
Fall hunting tactics also differ from spring tactics.
Spring hunting focuses on the breeding season and uses the gobbler’s natural instincts to the hunter’s advantage. Fall hunting calls for more stealth, observation and glassing, with hunters concentrating on areas where turkeys feed, congregate or otherwise spend time.
It often requires more sitting, more patience and a willingness to move as situations change. In other words, you have to be willing to “run and gun,” as the saying goes.
Well, I can be as stealthy as the next guy, but patience has never been one of my biggest virtues. And I have never been particularly keen on running through the woods with a gun or bow in my hand.
But I will hunt fall turkeys anyway.
Fall turkey hunting is definitely different. It calls for a different mindset and different tactics, and I do prefer the spring season.
But I will hunt turkeys this fall anyway.
Because that is what I do. I hunt.