"The Southwest Region includes some of the initial turkey releases. We stocked birds in Pike State Forest and Sugar Ridge FWA (at the time of the releases it was called Patoka FWA) in Pike County," explained Backs, adding that this was excellent turkey habitat.

"I suspect the Southwest Region has come on pretty strong. The Warrick and Spencer county areas have done really well. There were some real good years of production. I feel like they leveled off a little this year, like some of those counties we saw in south-central Indiana this past year. Some of them raise up and then bounce off for a year."

The Southwest Region had a harvest of 1,667 turkeys in 2006. Warrick County led the way with 349 birds, slightly less than the 356 turkeys taken there in 2005. Pike County hunters took 333 birds last year, but this was 26.7 percent more than they took in 2005.

I've always been amazed with some of the counties near the river on the western side of the Southwest Region, such as Gibson and Posey. It wasn't but a few years ago that hunters took only a handful of birds in Gibson County. Last year, 120 turkeys were tagged.

"There are a lot of open river bottoms that might support turkeys in the summertime as far as broods are concerned. For the most part, it wouldn't be considered quality turkey range," Backs said.

Spencer County along the eastern side produced 306 birds last spring, and is where my wife, Vikki, shot her late-season longbeard. I took a bird there on opening day last spring, and have found the hunting in this county has gotten better over the past few years.

Although Pike State Forest and Sugar Ridge FWA continue to offer turkey-hunting opportunities in Pike County, you'll also find Glendale FWA in Daviess County. Along and near the river in Posey County, Hovey Lake provides public hunting. New Harmony State Park is also nearby. It doesn't offer turkey hunting, but Backs reminds us that this closed area does what many others do -- provides an opportunity for the turkey population to expand. Ferdinand State Forest is also open to public hunting in Dubois County.

Although many of the state's FWAs and a few other public hunting areas are open to turkey hunting, some of these areas provide hunting by random draw only and have deadlines for applying.

So, should we expect to see any major harvest changes within each region for the future? Backs suggests we don't look for a major transformation.