In the southern half of the state, the Hoosier National Forest provides turkey-hunting opportunities within portions of nine counties. Photo by John Trout Jr.

If you read last month's Indiana turkey forecast story, you already know that Hoosier hunters bagged yet another record number of birds in the spring of 2006. In fact, the harvest increased 18 percent over the previous year's harvest. Moreover, when hunters shot 13,193 turkeys last spring, they had 88 counties open to hunting. At least 79 of those contributed to the state's total harvest, and at least one from each of the state's six regions stood above all the others.

Now, let's slip back in time a couple of decades and dig deeper into the paperwork. In 1987, only 31 counties in the state reported turkeys being harvested. Hunters took only 741 birds that year, with none reporting a harvest in the triple figures. The highest harvest occurred in Parke County where hunters took 98 turkeys, while the lowest harvests were reported in Johnson, Morgan and Warren counties where hunters took only two birds in each.

Some 19 years later, Parke County hunters bagged 376 birds. More than 35 counties reported harvests in triple figures, and at least seven counties harvested 400-plus turkeys. Warren County was one of those in the triple digits.

Of course, many changes have contributed to those counties that recently reported a record number of birds killed. First, consider the state's restoration program -- a successful operation that continues to bear fruit. This program has led to new counties opening to hunting, as well as birds expanding into areas that even surprised many experts. Then there's the hunter success statistics. In the 1970s, hunter success did not exceed 10 percent. Throughout much of the 1980s, hunter success was often below 10 percent. Over the last seven years, success has averaged about 26 percent. Thus, we can assume that many veteran hunters have sharpened their skills. We can also assume that the abundance of turkeys and hunting areas are factors as well.

Steve Backs, Indiana's forest wildlife biologist, divides the state's turkey-hunting range into six regions, with numerous counties within each. Several years ago, it wouldn't have been worthwhile to evaluate each region, simply because not all had a story to tell. Today, that has changed. Turkey hunters can now see and hear firsthand how each region fares. However, keep in mind that some regions are larger than others and are not limited to only a small portion of the state.

NORTH REGION
For instance, the North Region is one of the largest, extending from the state line east to west. Steuben County, located in the northeastern corner, led the way in 2006 with a harvest of 215 birds. Not far behind were Starke (191), Marshall (182) and LaPorte counties (153) on the northwestern side of the region. According to Backs, there are several fish and wildlife areas (FWAs) in the state contributing to the highest harvests.