In other words, these hunters do not have to purchase additional licenses/ tags to pursue fall turkeys. Backs adds that these facts, as well as cost to purchase an additional license, have to be taken into consideration when the state considers future management practices, such as expanding fall hunting opportunities.

We have now reached our fifth fall turkey season in Indiana. Will harvests statistics increase this year? Could we possibly surpass a harvest of 1,000 birds? Or will we remain within the same static and slowly fluctuating trends we have experienced for the past four years?

"I've got to believe that our fall harvest in 2009 will be 800 or fewer birds," said Backs. "With the poor brood production we've seen, I've been telling people that I don't expect the fall harvest to go over 800, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was just over 500!"

Backs claims that the current recession might have an influence on the number of future license sales. Unemployment was on the rise as this went to press. Nevertheless, the state did see an increase in deer license sales of 15 percent in the fall of 2008.

Backs said that this could have been because of some people having more time on their hands due to being unemployed. He noted that some of these folks were probably drawing unemployment checks, which could have been used in part to purchase a hunting license. But he warned that if the economy doesn't improve, these monies might dry up by the fall of 2009, which could lead to fewer license sales and how far people will travel to hunt.

I assume that our biologists will continue to watch fall harvests closely, yet place their primary focus on the spring hunting seasons. That is similar to what I will do this fall. I will head for the woods in search of autumn turkeys -- but my thoughts will probably switch to flowering dogwoods and serenading gobblers. That's a little how Backs summed it up.

"I think after 2009, we'll be looking at increasing fall turkey hunting opportunities. I also think we have gone through an adequate evaluation phase under our license structure, competing seasons and hunter interest. We can make some sound management decisions towards expanding opportunities without adverse impacts. But our primary emphasis is always going to be on the spring turkey season," explained Backs.

Lastly, Backs reminded me just how far Indiana has come. There were previous turkey-hunting battles. One was the initialization of all-day spring hunting. Now, for many hunters that has become, in his words, "the greatest thing since gravy." Who knows? Maybe there's something on the horizon for fall turkey hunters as well.