Fall sneaks up on people sometimes. Football goes into pre-season training with barely a blink, and then suddenly it's Monday Night. Labor Day weekend seems like just yesterday, and then it is the week before opening day of first rifle season. Fall turkey hunting can slip past like that too. It doesn't have the allure of the wild gobbling of the mating season to be sure. Fall turkeys won't come running to a sexy call. They may not even be where they were a few months ago. Nor will they necessarily give you the confidence of a close up shot. But, they will make you study likely terrain, read sign, strategize, and brush up on your marksmanship.

Turkeys need to satisfy the same basic needs of all living creatures like food, shelter, and water. A good place to begin a fall hunt is where they were in the spring. Their range may have expanded or contracted over the summer owing to local conditions affecting water and food sources. They are probably somewhere in the drainage you found them in at springtime. Now it is time to put your outdoor skills to the test. There are people who always seem to be able to find game and be in the right place at the right time during a hunt, and this can make their friends a little crazy. They are also the people who usually have the chance to be "out in it" more than others. "The more you go, the more you know." This is the time to get a leg up on your hunting buddies at hunting camp, and have a great time chasing turkeys around the national forest.

Stalking and sign reading may be your best assets for a successful fall turkey hunt. In the spring, turkeys generally come to find you. In the fall, the reverse is true; you usually have to go to them. Knowledge of their local habits is helpful. A good pair of binoculars and sturdy hiking boots is recommended. Look for areas with likely food sources. When they don't have their minds on the opposite sex, turkeys spend most of their time foraging for food. Turkeys will eat acorns, but at hunting season, they may be more intent on gobbling up the last of the grasshoppers and other delectable insects and grubs before the first frost arrives. They might be found along mountain meadows bordering creek bottoms. Old forest roads are also areas worth exploring. Not only do they offer convenient travel routes to feeding areas, they often are good sources of insects and gravel for their crops.The "methods of take" during the fall season are different than the methods of the spring. Rifles and handguns of specific calibers are permitted. Of course, being able to take a longer shot at a turkey doesn't mean you should. Every sportsman should strive for the one shot-one kill ideal. Make sure to identify your mark, that black object rustling around at the edge of the brush just might be a bear finishing off the last of the chokecherries.

Camouflage yourself as you would in the spring. Pretend you are on a long range recon patrol, and you'll have a good time in the woods whether you meet up with any turkeys or not. You'll be "out in it" before most of your friends, and adding to that great wealth of knowledge which will eventually put you in the right place at the right time, most of the time.

(Mike Peterson is a local resident who has been a dog trainer and local hunting guide.)