Thanksgiving is a little less than two weeks away. Are you ready? Have you bought your bird? Or would you rather go out and get a turkey yourself? There’s still time.
Turkey hunting is huge in some parts of the country for several reasons. First of all, it’s a blast. Even out here, where a good number of the birds have yet to be educated, it’s a challenge. Turkeys are wary by nature, and it takes some work to get close to them.
The other reason they’re hunted heavily in some states is that they’re one of only a few critters you can hunt. We’re pretty lucky here in Wyoming to be able to hunt a lot of different animals in a lot of wide-open spaces. In more populated places, hunters don’t have the choices we have.
That’s great, if we take advantage of it. But not a lot of us do. Wyoming has fewer turkey hunters than big game, waterfowl or other upland game bird hunters. That could be a function of accessibility. The areas where we can chase turkeys are more limited than the places we can hunt other game. And the majority of those areas have little public access. But that shouldn’t keep you from hunting the birds.
The wild turkey areas in Wyoming are open until either November thirtieth or December thirty-first, depending on the area. Some are general areas, which can all be hunted with a general license. Others are limited quota, and those tags are only good in the area they’re written for.
This time of year, you can take any wild turkey. In the spring, hens are protected to ensure a good clutch of young birds coming into the population. But if you’re not picky, you can shoot any bird for the Thanksgiving table.
If you can call the birds in, you can use a shotgun to bring one down. But they’re not always easy to lure in the fall. Any rifle is also legal in Wyoming for turkey hunting, as long as it’s a .22 magnum or bigger.
So grab the gun, pick up a call and deck yourself out in camo from head to toe. Go get yourself a main course for your Thanksgiving meal.
