Author Travis Faulkner shows off a nice longbeard from an October hunt. Utilizing the correct strategies and tactics in the fall can lead to action-packed outings Photo courtesy of Travis Faulkner.

Just before dark, I glimpsed movement at the foot of a long wooded ridge that drops into the open creek bottoms below. Soft muffled yelps and purrs, along with loud scratching in the new blanket of fall leaves, kicked my adrenalin into overdrive.

An entire flock of turkeys were working their way back to the top to roost for the night. I stood motionless behind a wide-bodied oak just off to the side of the ridge, waiting patiently for the flock to pass by.

The first few birds eased slowly past my position, giving me the perfect opportunity to break up the flock.

With a quick sudden burst, I ran into the midst of the turkeys, clapping my hands and waving my arms in the air like a madman.

They sounded like a giant covey of quail with their frenzy of beating and flapping wings echoing across the deep mountain basin. The bust was perfect, with turkeys scattering in all directions. I knew that at daylight, these birds were going to be in bad trouble.

The next day, well before sunrise, the woods were already alive with a fall symphony of yelps and clucks, ranging from high and clear to throaty and raspy. Quickly, I set up on the point of the ridge and waited for daylight to begin calling and trying to regroup the flock.

There had to be at least 20 different turkeys calling from the treetops all around me. I joined in the conversation with a loud fly-down cackle. Next, I hit the birds with an assertive series of assembly yelps.

Within seconds, a lone hen touched down just to my left and began yelping frantically as she quickly closed the distance toward my position.

I placed the small red bead of my shotgun at the base of the hen's neck and gently squeezed the trigger, ending a phenomenal fall morning.

Without question, hunting turkeys during autumn can be a blast, and at this time of year, the birds can be extremely vocal. Simply getting into the woods during the fall and listening to the birds talk can help make you a better turkey caller the next spring. True, fall turkey hunting is a lot different from the spring, but it can be just as addictive.

On that note, let's take a quick peek at how hunters across the Bluegrass State fared last year and get a sneak preview of what to expect during the upcoming fall season.

Pay attention and you'll also learn some high-impact fall strategies along with what counties are expected to be hotspots again this year.

LAST FALL'S RESULTS
The 2007 fall season produced another impressive harvest across the Commonwealth. In fact, hunters were able to tag and bag a total of 4,578 turkeys, which was up from the 3,656 birds harvested during the 2006 season. Since 2005, numbers have been climbing steadily, and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) believes this trend will only continue.

Fall turkey hunting is really starting to catch on across the state, and the overall participation should increase, along with harvest numbers.

In the past, during fall turkey seasons, a lot of hunters have been stuck in "deer mode." They haven't really tried to tag a bird. Others have hit the woods using spring tactics and have experienced very low success rates.

Regardless of the reasons, interest and participation during the spring turkey season seems to be far greater than during the late-fall seasons.