Turkeys running wild in region

In two early forest grouse hunts this year, my English setter, Dickens, nearly fried his olfactory wiring by locking into the scent of a flock of wild turkeys.

This entire region is in the glory days of turkey hunting.

Indeed, I’ve seen about 20 times more turkeys than grouse this fall, which isn’t a bad thing if you have a turkey tag for the seasons that start later in September.

An early fall general turkey season opens in northeast Washington units 101-124 Sept. 23 through Oct. 6. Hunters are limited to one turkey during this early fall season. A hunter could bag a second fall turkey if he’s one of those who drew permits offered for special hunts in select game management units in Eastern Washington.

In other words, a Washington hunter willing to travel could tag up to five turkeys in 2005. Only three birds could be harvested during the spring season, and one had to be taken in Western Washington.

A new late-fall permit hunt with 800 permits in northeast Washington will run Nov. 20 to Dec. 15 in game management units 101-124.

And there’s more to look forward to: Next year, the spring turkey hunt will be about two weeks longer, lasting through the end of May.

Even though the fall turkey hunts coincide with some big-game seasons, it’s illegal to hunt turkeys with anything other than a shotgun, bow and arrow or falconry.