Spring turkey hunting is when the turkeys get amorous with each other. In the fall, they hang out together a bit, sort of like street gangs, and go through the fields and woods eating everydamnedthing they can tolerate. The crop of one bird I got in the fall had 25 acorns in it, and 28 grasshoppers--snapped up in the early morning when the cold night air slowed their reactions--oh, and ONE snail.
Spring hunting works best with decoys to lure the Toms and Jakes in. Fall hunting is more like a deer hunt for me, finding them out and about. Unless you roust a flock from their roosts at night and then come back in the morning and call them back together, you may as well just wander slowly and listen for them.
But, aside from the accomplishment of bagging a bird, there's not that much of an accomplishment. Of the half-dozen or so I've gotten, only one was really tender enough to be palatible. Even with oven bags, that's one tough bird. (Actually, I think Yvsa got the wings and tail of the good-eating bird.)
Buy by the pound at your local supermarket for food. I only turkey hunted one day this year. Just not worth the effort.
Tangent: One very long and cold winter, the hillside to the south was literally rippling in turkeys! The neighboring farmer had spread manure and by this time of winter, the turkeys were very interested in anything that might have partially digested seeds or corn in it. Amazing sight...guessing mightily, I'd bet there were over 200 birds there, flashing light from the sun as they went about their feeding. At other times, the largest group I've seen has been around 25 or so.
