"Parke County has always been our mainstay in this region," Backs added. "We've also seen other counties coming up, such as Sullivan, Vigo and Putnam counties. Vermillion County has got a lot of agricultural land, but it's also doing fair."

Restoration took place in the West-Central Region in the early 1980s. Supplemental turkey releases were completed in the early 1990s.

Several FWAs and state forestlands are found in the West-Central Region. Backs claims that several have done well, with Minnehaha FWA, and Greene-Sullivan State Forest making a solid contribution to the region's total harvest. Adult birds made up 88 percent of the harvest in the region last year, which made it close to the state's average take of jakes at 14 percent.

SOUTHEAST REGION
Veteran turkey hunters are probably aware that the Southeast Region is home to the state's No. 1 turkey harvest county. In fact, I recall mentioning Switzerland County for more years than I can remember as the top producer. Last spring, hunters took 562 birds there, which increased 17 percent over the previous year. But make no mistake, the surrounding counties in the region are also producing a large number of birds.

Consider last year's No. 2 -- Dearborn County where hunters reported harvesting 489 birds (an increase of 121 over the previous spring). The region is also home to last spring's No. 4 Jefferson County. Hunters took 461 birds in 2006, compared with 415 in 2005 (11 percent increase). Then there is Franklin County, which just missed the 400-bird mark last spring.

Although there isn't a large quantity of public-hunting land in the Southeast Region, it does offer some of the best turkey habitat. Backs said the southeastern portion of the region contains excellent habitat, with the central part of the region being a close second. Some areas of the region, though, are not producing record numbers of turkeys. For instance, Decatur County, located along the western side of the region and right next door to Franklin, reported a harvest of only 57 birds last spring. Backs added that this area consists of intense agricultural lands. The same applies in Fayette, Union and Wayne counties where harvests are yet to hit the triple figures.

There are bits and pieces of public land within the region. Crosley and Splinter Ridge FWAs, in the southern portion of the region, offer public-land hunting opportunities. Brookville Reservoir provides turkey hunting in the northern portion, as well as Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson and Ripley counties, and Clark State Forest in Clark and Scott counties.