FORT KNOX WMA
If hunters are willing to take the time to follow the guidelines required to hunt at Fort Knox, they will be well rewarded with excellent turkey-hunting opportunities.

With over 109,000 acres of land just 30 miles south of Louisville in portions of Hardin, Bullitt and Meade counties, Fort Knox provides premier wild turkey habitat.

In order to gain access to this region, all users of the area must check in at Hunt Control Headquarters, in Building 112 on 11th Avenue and Binter Street in Fort Knox.

The guidelines make it clear that this is an active military reservation, and “access is only by a strictly controlled and rigidly enforced system.”

Once you obtain the appropriate permit, you’ll have access to a variety of scenic turkey terrain, with 120 miles of roadways throughout the reservation.

Hardwood forests cover the broad ridgetops. Rolling upland, narrow valleys and steep-to-sloping cliffs combine to create some of the best turkey strutting grounds in central Kentucky.

When on a scouting expedition to Fort Knox, and any other public lands, look for obvious signs of turkey activity.

Turkey scratchings are unique, in that even a lone gobbler can tear up a good section of ground in his search for nuts, seeds and insects. A flock of feeding turkeys can tear up an entire hillside.

In forested areas, look for leaves upended in small piles close together.

In areas where tracks are distinguishable, keep in mind that an adult tom’s middle toe is generally more than 2 1/2 inches long, whereas on jakes and hens, the middle toes are less than 2 1/2 inches long. While scouting, another sign to look for are turkey droppings. Any one turkey can leave up to 20 or more droppings a day. A hen’s droppings usually have no set form, but a tom’s often have a J-shaped hook at the end.

Such details can help you pinpoint a gobbler’s locations, as opposed to following a flock of hens.

To obtain more information on the rules and regulations on hunting at Fort Knox, contact Fort Knox Military Reservation, Attn: Hunt Control Office, Fort Knox, KY 40121-5000; or call (502) 624-2712.

PEABODY WMA
Right in the heart of the most productive wild turkey hunting to be found anywhere within the Commonwealth lies the nearly 64,000 acres of the Peabody WMA.

This public hunting area lies in Ohio and Muhlenberg counties, two of the top five turkey harvest counties from the 2007 spring season.

Hunters unfamiliar with the Peabody region should note that in many areas, it contains some extremely rugged terrain.

The terrain is primarily reclaimed coal-mine land. Deep pits and high ridges with many excavated ridges and strip-mined pits are found throughout this area.

Several access points area available to hunters from state Routes (SRs) 70 and 369 as well as from U. S. Route 62. The Gibraltar tract in Muhlenberg County has a waterfowl refuge that is closed to all activities year ‘round.