Fall turkey hunting is a different ball game than the spring season, which may be one reason fewer hunters tend to try this exciting time of year. Photo by John Trout Jr.

As I silently moved toward a potential roosting area on opening day of the 2008 fall turkey season, my mind shifted to the previous spring. Somehow, the memories of gobbling and strutting turkeys were so much more exciting than the fall hunt that was about to unfold. Nevertheless, I knew that my focus point must stay on the current morning. It was autumn. The toms would not gobble and strut. It was an entirely different challenge that, as many Hoosiers have discovered, require new strategies and techniques far different than the spring hunting season.

Perhaps that is why fall turkey hunting in Indiana still lingers on the backburner for many hunters. Unlike spring harvests that have surpassed five figures for many years, fall harvests have struggled.

Before getting into the depressing fall harvest statistics, let me first say that it has little to do with the potential for success. The opportunity is there. After all, Indiana's turkey population has exploded -- beyond belief in the opinions of some. I still remember the old days when there were few areas open to spring hunters. Fall hunting was unheard of, and you were lucky to hear a turkey gobble even if you started the spring season in the best area of the state. Of course, those days are long over. Restoration projects have made certain that turkeys are found throughout most of Indiana. Hunters have a lot of turkeys to pursue -- if they decide to become fall turkey hunters.

Consider the hopes and worries of many Hoosier hunters before the first fall turkey season, hosted in 2005. Many hunters wanted a fall season, while others opposed it, concerned that fall hunting might negatively influence the state's turkey population. According to Indiana's Wildlife Research biologist Steve Backs, several Midwestern states faced the same concerns.

"We have not seen the interest in fall turkey hunting, but neither has Ohio, which has really liberalized their season," said Backs. "I wrote up everything in 1994 to propose a fall turkey season in Indiana. It kept getting shot down. I sent the proposal to Ohio's turkey biologist. He replaced the word "Indiana" with "Ohio" and used the same criteria. They (Ohio) got a fall season before us."

Backs mentions this to emphasize how Ohio has since increased fall turkey-hunting opportunities, yet have not seen any effect on the spring hunting season. On the other hand, though, Backs has remained cautious since the introduction of Indiana's first fall season. He recalls Iowa and Missouri in the 1980s, which were hit with poor turkey production for a couple of years. This affected future spring harvests. Production was partially to blame. If brood production is low, a fall season could play a major role in future harvests.

Nevertheless, Backs does not believe Indiana has seen any impact from fall turkey hunting as it is currently practiced. He reminds us of one important fact: It is more exciting to walk out of the woods with an adult gobbler than a small hen or jake. This fact has contributed to low hunter participation. Another contributor to low hunter interest is the deer season, which occupies the time of many outdoorsmen during the fall.