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"Any fool can kill a lovelorn old gobbler in the spring.  The true test of a turkey hunter is his ability to deal with them in the fall."

These words come from no less an authority than Henry Edwards Davis, the author of American Wild Turkey (1949), a book many still consider to be the finest ever written on turkey hunting.  The sentiment might be overstated, but any hunter who has spent much time dealing with turkeys during the fall and winter knows the truth in Davis' words.

In the fall, bringing first-year birds within gun range can be relatively simple if you do a good job scattering the flock, are dealing with birds that haven't been pressured, call the birds to you before the mother hen does and choose the right place to set up.  That's quite a few "ifs," and dealing with mature birds is an entirely different matter.

In truth, hunting wild turkeys in the fall can be far more challenging than many hunters realize.  In addition, it gives hunters vocabulary and experience some different tactical scenarios from those common to spring.  As more hunters take advantage of the expanding opportunities to hunt birds in autumn, they must also become familiar with more advanced fall techniques.