Outdoor columnist Dan Geddings: The turkey hunters

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The turkey season is over now, and the obsessed have to wait for next year to come around. For me, it can't come too soon. I never thought that we would ever have a huntable population of wild turkeys in this part of the state. But eventually it did happen. And, boy am I glad.

Our fathers didn't have turkeys to hunt. Heavy timber harvest, intensive share crop farming and a widespread rural population decimated wild turkey numbers at the turn of the century. A few remnant turkey populations managed to hold on in some of the big river swamps and on some isolated coastal plantations.

Those few turkeys provided the stock for a restoration effort that exceeded all expectations. With the development of the cannon-fired net, game managers were able to trap and transfer enough birds to eventually repopulate the entire state. But it didn't happen overnight.

The wildlife department's early efforts were focused on the Upstate, where large tracts of unbroken woodlands were available. The thinking was that turkeys needed isolation and big woods to survive. Minimum release site requirements were for tracts of 20,000 acres.

Upstate turkey populations boomed, and hunting seasons were established. Meanwhile, the lower state populations expanded due to better game law protection and land use changes that were favorable to turkeys. The Midlands of our state trailed far behind other areas in turkey restoration efforts.

Eventually game managers realized turkeys were adaptable enough to not only survive but to thrive on smaller and more diverse tracts of land. Restoration site requirements were reduced to 10,000 and then 5,000 acres. These smaller area requirements allowed the Midlands to start getting birds.

We started seeing turkeys here in the '80s, and then along came Hugo. The hurricane decimated a huge area inland, from the coast to Charlotte. Pine trees were snapped off, and hardwoods were uprooted. It was a jungle out there for a while, and the woods and wildlife needed time to recover. But the turkeys survived.

Now, all we had to do was figure out how to hunt them. Our fathers couldn't teach us because they had never hunted turkeys. So, we were on our own.

I went a few times with a friend of mine from the Upstate and learned a lot about turkey hunting. I read everything I could find about turkeys and turkey hunting. I even raised a small flock of game farm turkeys to learn their calls and habits. It was the beginning of an education.

My late brother, Matt, and I hunted turkeys here in the Midlands for many years. We've hunted the lower state and even made a trip to Texas a few years ago. We have learned a lot from each other and had some good success.

My son, Clayton, is getting an education in turkey hunting now. We aren't experts by any stretch of the imagination, but we're doing pretty good. I don't think anyone is an expert.

Turkey hunters must have more patience, more perseverance and more woodsmanship than the average hunter. It's a thinking game, with decisions. One decision just leads to another. Then, maybe to success. Success will come just enough to keep you going.

Turkey hunting gets under your skin. Some people say it's an obsession. It's hard to say why, but it's like nothing else. Either you like it and can't get enough or don't care for it. There are very few casual turkey hunters. I look forward to the first day all year long, like a kid waiting on Christmas.

The turkey season is the best time of the year. Winter has passed, and spring leaps out to us. There are warm days and cool nights. The first wildflowers bloom, then redbuds and dogwoods. The bugs and snakes aren't out yet. The sweet fragrance of yellow jessamine and honeysuckle hang in the air. The trees go from winter bare to summer green. The songbirds sing.

And, the turkeys gobble. It is the call of the wild, like the howl of a wolf or the honking of a goose. It is the essence of wildness and raw nature. I guess we could live without it, but now that I know it, I wouldn't want to.

Email Dan Geddings at cdgeddings@gmail.com.