Piles of Leaves in the Spring Woods

 “Have you spent time in Ohio disguised as a pile of leaves?” That was the question Grammy Award-winning musician Alison Krauss posed to band-mate, Barry Bales, at the Wright State Nutter Center years ago. (I’ll say paraphrase because it was a concert decades ago and I wasn’t taking notes.) Bales’ answer, bitten by the wild turkey bug (and we’re not talking about bourbon), was “yes, he has.”

Adding Up the Challenges

Hunters have to not only convince a gobbler to leave his harem, something he’s not want to do, but to come into effective shotgun or archery range of around 35 yards. They have to remain virtually motionless to avoid detection by some of the most powerful eyes in nature while those same eyes are searching for the source of the sound to add to his harem. Other than calling, they must remain silent and undetected by other turkeys in the area, lest they sound the alarm. Lastly, they have to position themselves for a shot without being detected. 

Nearly Lost

Change was the word at the turn of the last century. In 1903, as the Wright Brothers were taking to the skies, populations of some birds were decidedly not. The last wild passenger pigeon was shot in 1900 in Southern Ohio. Heath hen numbers hung by a thread in the low hundreds on the east coast. And in 1904, through lost habitat and over-harvest, wild turkeys were eliminated from Ohio. Fortunately, turkey habitat came back, better regulations were established, and reintroduction by the Ohio Division of Wildlife began in the 1950s. By 1966, a limited season was allowed in nine counties. In 1999, wild turkeys were found in all 88 counties, and the spring season was open statewide in 2000. It has been open across the state since.

Get Ready Now

The 2025 Turkey season in southwest Ohio kicks off with a weekend youth season on April 12 and 13th, followed by the general season opening April 19th and running through May 18th. The limit is one bearded gobbler per year. 

Read the Complete Dayton Daily News column here: Talking turkey — months before Thanksgiving

Turkeys in Ohio

Getting Started Hunting Turkeys

National Wild Turkey Foundation

Barry Bales - Obsessed Turkey Hunter

Side Note: Myth Busters

Not the Founding Father’s Other Choice

Morel Madness

Morel mushrooms, properly “Morchella” are fungi that appear in the spring across the northern hemisphere, but especially drive “mushroom hunters” near mad in the Midwest. Trespassing. Camouflage. Cash under the table. Missed work.

All have been attributed to or used in the quest for these fungi. Why?

Because they’re delicious. They’re prized by French and Catalan chefs. Here in SW Ohio, if you’re in the right spot at the right time, they can be plentiful and not too difficult to find. The right place at the right time is the trick. While you might get an experienced morel hunter to help with the timing, don’t expect directions or holding hands to their best spots.

Read the complete article here: 

Morel mushrooms, nature’s spring morsels, drive locals crazy

Image: creative commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Morel_Mushrooms.jpg#filelinks