By Long Walker
Pacific Northwest Field Editor
12-gauge throwing #6 shot was the right combination to bring these two longbeards to bag for the author.
Hunters can either harvest two birds in the spring and one in the fall, or one in the spring and two in the fall hunts, but not all three in either the spring or fall season. Additionally, the spring hunt is restricted to bearded birds only, but during the fall hunt it is now either sex.
Do your homework by studying the regulations, add in a little pre-hunt planning, and it is possible to combine both your spring or fall turkey hunt with a big game jaunt as well.
In some units the spring bear seasons coincide nicely with the gobble strut. Bears and turkeys quite often frequent the same habitat in April and May, especially in the panhandle region around Coeur d’Alene or in region 2 near Orofino. When the bears are walkin' the toms are talkin'.
And if hunting Idaho big game in the fall — especially whitetail deer — don’t forget your shotgun either. Idaho's largest concentrations of whitetail deer and wild turkeys occur near an agricultural-type habitat, therefore a great opportunity for a combo hunt exists. White-tailed deer and turkey are commonly glassed side-by-side feeding in the same fields.
Chad Farley with his spot-and-stalk fall turkey collected while
pheasant hunting in the Palouse country of the Idaho panhandle.
The bulk of the harvest will be made up of the Merriam’s species but a few Rio Grandes range in the southwest portions of the state. Additionally, a few Eastern wild turkeys or Eastern-Merriam's hybrids are said to still be roaming the hills near Dworshak Reservoir in the Clearwater region.
The translocation of this non-native species throughout the state is one of the great success stories for the Department in recent years. It is on a par with the ringneck pheasant.
So successful has been their introduction, in fact, that in some areas the turkeys have become a tremendous nuisance to homeowners and are causing depredation issues for farmers. In some instances, 200 or more wild turkeys may descend upon cattle winter-feed lots during periods of deepening snows, wreaking havoc on hay bales and scattering feed with their strong claw-like feet. This can make it much easier for the unattached turkey talker to obtain permission to prime strutting grounds.
For the Idaho turkey hunter, today just may be the "good ole days." And speaking of today, today is a great time to "TAKE A KID HUNTING."
For more info, log onto the Idaho Fish & Game website at www2.state.id.us/fishgame.
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