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by Steve Hickoff
9/04/2008
They go together like bacon & eggs, peanut butter & jelly, and mashed potatoes & gravy. Like beef jerky and, well, you get the idea . . .
Ask many Hoyt-toting bowhunters about the two kinds of wild game they like to hunt, and the answer (1) deer and (2) wild turkeys will probably follow. In fall, you can have them both. Many places around the country allow you to bowhunt shooter bucks and target fall flocks in the same time frame.
Venison cutlets and skillet turkey fingers on your supper table, anyone?
PENNSYLVANIA
In Pennsylvania, the fall turkey hunting tradition is taken as seriously as the modern spring ritual.
Last year, Keystone State hunters took 21,340 autumn turkeys home, a solid harvest number that reflects a longtime tradition in the state where I first hunted the big birds. With a PA turkey population at 330,000 (that’s the official quote as I write this), it’s a definite choice for our list (turkey season: Nov. 1-Nov. 22, 2008, region depending; it’s a shorter offering in some state locations).
Archery opportunities vary, but the first phase of the statewide archery season runs from Oct. 4-Nov. 15, 2008, coinciding with a chance at a turkey. You game? Click on: www.pgc.state.pa.us/
SOUTH DAKOTA
If my exceptional 2008 Badlands gobbler-chasing experiences this past spring are any indication, there will be plenty of wild turkeys to target this fall. The state estimates the population at around 72,000 birds. I chased about 71,999 of them, and took a nice longbeard.
Want an extended period of time to arrow both your bird and bow deer with your new Hoyt Katera, PowerHawk or SuperHawk?
Archery deer seasons run from Sept. 27, 2008 until Jan. 31, 2009.
Some prairie units have split season fall-turkey dates inside the generous Oct. 1, 2008-Jan. 31, 2009 fall turkey offering. Point your mouse at: www.sdgfp.info/
WISCONSIN
Hunting camps—from shacks to upscale lodges—can be found most anywhere, and farmland here grows record-class whitetails.
Wisconsin’s forests cover 46% of the state where DNR officials put deer numbers at 1.6 to 1.8 million. The bonus? A wild turkey explosion of an estimated 200,000+ birds (according to the state) makes this a great double-up location.
Got deer? Turkeys? The Badger State surely does. Fall turkey opportunities run from Sept. 13-Nov. 20, 2008, while you can bowhunt Wisconsin whitetails from Sept. 13-Nov. 20, then again on Dec. 1-Jan. 4, 2009. Check out: www.dnr.wi.gov/
CONNECTICUT
I know you Westerners might be thinking that Connecticut is all gobbled up with suburban well-manicured sprawl, but in truth the forested areas of the state often see lower hunter pressure on the 35,000 wild turkeys that roam there, and bowhunts for deer coincide with such opportunities. It’s a great Eastern hunt.
State land archery hunts for deer run from Sept. 15-Nov. 18, 2008, and reopen Dec. 24 to Dec. 31. Bowhunting-only locations offer Sept. 15-Dec. 31, 2008 hunts. And finally, so-called “Private Lands (Zones 1-10)” hunts also run from Sept. 15-Nov. 18, then resume Dec. 10 through Dec. 31.
Fall turkey bowhunt dates vary for state and private land, but encompass the broad Sept. 15 through Jan. 31, 2009 period. Click on: www.ct.gov/dep/
MICHIGAN
Two seasons ago, bowhunter Andy May’s 11-point P & Y buck scored a net 158 7/8s, making it the biggest archery-killed ’06 Michigan typical. Where? Jackson County. Not the biggest you’ll hear about, but a decent archery deer anywhere.
High whitetail harvests come from a range of habitats, from farmland woodlots to the northernmost Upper Peninsula. Deer archery season runs from Oct. 1-Nov. 14, 2008; Dec. 1-Jan. 1, 2009, while turkey opportunities begin Oct. 6, and conclude when the first phase of deer bow season does.
According to officials, 200,000 turkeys roost in Michigan making it a solid double-dip destination similar to Wisconsin. 5,353 birds were taken last fall. Maybe one has your name on it this season? Hit: www.michigan.gov/dnr/
MISSOURI
Just imagine one million Show-Me-State turkeys to target. Northern farmland—where fall flocks roost—is home to many whitetails too, and trophy deer at that. Okay, I'm cheating a little here . . . it's really only a "sleeper state" in terms of targeting both species at the same time. Some of Missouri's visiting hunters often just think of fall antlers and spring longbeards . . .
Randy Simonitch’s famous Y2K Pike County P&Y buck (33 total points; 269 7/8 net score) immediately comes to mind when bowhunters talk about big Missouri whitetails. Missouri is also an easy fit for my Top 5 turkey states in the country, and some of my biggest longbeards have been taken there.
Deer and turkey archery seasons this fall run from Sept. 15-Nov. 14, 2008, then resume Nov. 26-Jan. 15, 2009. The www.mdc.mo.gov/ site will show you the way.
KANSAS
Kansas offers so-called Walk-In Hunting Access (WIHA), which includes both state and federal areas. Private land permission provides an alternative too, often for a chance at trophy whitetails.
Archery seasons for deer—mulies (western one-third of state), whitetails (eastern one-third for highest densities), and firearms options for fall turkeys (an estimated 65,000 birds) are open simultaneously. Turkey management units—four total—offer over-the-counter permit hunts for Rio Grande birds (western two-thirds of state), Rio/Eastern hybrids (north-central KS), and Easterns (northeast/southeast region).
Regular deer archery runs from Sept. 22-Dec. 31, 2008 (check application deadlines in advance), while turkey dates range from Oct. 1- Jan. 31, 2009. Arrow on: www.kdwp.state.ks.us/
NEW HAMPSHIRE
This state’s 92-day archery-only season for both deer and turkeys (annually held Sept. 15-Dec. 15) gets a bowhunter’s attention. That’s right. If you New Englanders can’t work that into your schedule, quit your job, grab your Hoyt bow, and hunt full-time.
Seriously, just two seasons ago, 34% of the state’s buck kills were 3 1/2 yrs. old or older. As an example, the archery Top 10 deer weighed between 237 and 212 pounds, with seven of New Hampshire’s 10 counties contributing to that impressive list. Typical antler racks over 180 inches make the books.
Mild winters have contributed to increased deer numbers, which are highest in central and southern locations. Some 33,000 wild turkeys roam the state. Click on www.huntnh.com/
ARROW GAME
Yes, I only listed eight states here—but they’re good ones at that! Yep, there are certainly more.
While other great southern hunting states like South Carolina and Georgia offer no fall turkey options (but definitely chances for deer and spring gobblers), where sleeper seasons overlap elsewhere, double-slamming deer and fall flocks is the way to go.
As always, check current state regulations as these sometimes change, and don’t forget your Hoyt bow . . .
Forty-something book author, full-time freelancer, and Hoyt bow enthusiast Steve Hickoff hunts wild turkeys (and everything else) wherever his old Ford pickup truck or the airlines will take him.