Outta' the Woods

by Tony Young

March 2008

Talkin' Turkey

Better start brushing up on your turkey calling, because spring gobbler season's here. Whether you prefer to use a mouth call, box call, slate or any combination, March means it's time to start talkin' turkey.

One of the most coveted and sought-after game species in Florida is the Osceola turkey, also known as the Florida turkey. This unique bird is one of five subspecies of wild turkey in North America.

The Osceola lives only on the Florida peninsula and nowhere else in the world, making it extremely popular with out-of-state hunters. They're similar to the Eastern subspecies (found in the Panhandle) but tend to be a bit smaller and typically are darker with less white barring on the flight feathers of their wings.

The white bars on the Osceola are narrower, with an irregular, broken pattern, and don't extend to the feather shaft. It's the black bars of the Osceola that actually dominate the feather. Similarly, secondary wing feathers also are darker. When the wings fold across the back, the whitish triangular patch formed is less prominent on the Osceola. And, Osceola feathers show more iridescent green and red colors, with less bronze than the Eastern.

The National Wild Turkey Federation and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recognize, in their respective turkey registry programs, any wild turkey harvested within or south of the counties of Dixie, Gilchrist, Alachua, Union, Bradford, Clay and Duval to be the Osceola subspecies. Eastern turkeys and crossbreeds are found north and west of those counties in the Panhandle.

The highly anticipated spring turkey season runs March 1 - April 6 in the South Hunting Zone and March 15 - April 20 in the Northwest and Central zones. The exception is Holmes County, where the season runs three days, March 15-17.

Hunters may take bearded turkeys and gobblers only, and the daily bag limit's one. The season and possession limit on turkeys is two, except in Holmes County, where the season limit's one.

Shotguns are the best choice when hunting turkeys, but if you're so inclined, you may use a rifle, muzzleloader or handgun, or you can try your luck with a bow or crossbow.

Shooting hours on private lands are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, but on wildlife management areas (WMAs), you must quit hunting at 1 p.m.

Of course, you can use turkey decoys to help entice that stubborn old bird, but you're not permitted to hunt turkeys with dogs, use recorded turkey calls or sounds, shoot them while they're on the roost or over bait. You also can't hunt them when you're within 100 yards of a game-feeding station.

To participate in spring turkey hunting, you'll need a Florida hunting license and a turkey permit. If you plan to pursue a gobbler on one of Florida's many WMAs, you also must purchase a management area permit.

All of these licenses and permits are available at county tax collectors' offices, most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies, by calling toll-free 888-HUNT-FLORIDA (486-8356) or online at www.wildlifelicense.com.

If you didn't put in for a special-opportunity or quota permit, don't worry, several WMAs don't require them. Visit MyFWC.com/Hunting and under "This Month's Hunting Opportunities," click on "2008 Spring Turkey Guide: What you need to know" to see a list of WMAs where you only need a hunting license, management area per­mit and turkey permit to hunt spring turkeys.

If you take a turkey with an 11-inch beard and 1¼-inch spurs, get your name listed in the FWC's Wild Turkey Registry by applying for an "Outstanding Gobbler Certificate." There also is a "First Gobbler Certificate" awarded to hunters under age 16 who harvest their first gobbler, regardless of beard and spur measurements. Applications for both are available at MyFWC.com/Hunting.

Whether it's going solo after that elusive old tom or double-teaming a pair of birds with your buddy, March means spring gobbler season's here.

Here's wishing you a successful spring turkey season. Remember to introduce someone new to the sport of hunting when you can. As always, have fun, hunt safely and ethically, and we'll see you in the woods!

[Note: Last spring, Tony Young's daughter Cheyenne accompanied him turkey hunting on family property, where they took a fine gobbler together. This season, the 9-year-old says she's ready to take her first bird, if her daddy can call one in for her.]