Photo by Billie R. Cooper

Old conflicts sometimes die hard, but, fortunately, the anger and pain of the Civil War have long since receded from the foreground. However, advocates for both the north and south still battle it out in the Show-Me State -- but in the turkey woods instead of on the battlefield. There are heated discussions among Missouri's turkey hunters about which part of the state, north or south, provides the best opportunities to bag a spring gobbler and which tactics work best in a given area.

Personally, I favor the approach taken by my great-great-great-grandfather. Grandpa Hale served on both sides of the line during the Civil War: He didn't like the way the Union army treated him, so upon receiving an honorable discharge, he made a major adjustment and joined the Confederates. Similarly, if those northern turkeys don't treat me well, I go south, and vice versa.

However, there are some differences in the best way to steal a march on a "Yank" turkey versus a "Reb" turkey. To be as prepared as possible for the antics of gobblers in both northern and southern Missouri, I consulted some of the best turkey hunters in each region. So read on, choose your side, and get huntin' -- r better yet, be flexible, choose both, and get huntin'.

SOUTHERN TACTICS
Few people know southern Missouri turkey hunting like Marty Eye does. For over four decades, Eye, who grew up in Hillsboro, a small town southwest of St. Louis, has hunted turkeys from one end of the Ozarks to the other, harvesting many birds himself and teaching numerous youngsters, media people and corporate executives about the sport.

"The Ozark region is a vast stretch of heavy timber," he said. "Rugged areas with challenging terrain are predominant in the places I hunt. Specifically, I am talking about very steep river hills. Hunting spring gobblers in this type of terrain takes a combination of tactics to be consistently successful. One secret tactic isn't enough to outwit these crafty southern gobblers."

Eye pointed out that pre-season scouting is essential in the Ozarks, both to locate birds and to figure out the best way to approach them. "Once I decide on a location to hunt, I scout it as much as possible," he said. "My earliest scouting trips are for the purpose of learning the lay of the land. I want to know where every creek, open area, ravine, and unusual land feature is on a particular plot of land. I make notes on topographical maps as I travel. Forgetting the location of a steep ravine can put me close to a bird as the crow flies but leave me with a long, hard climb up and down the slopes to close the distance on him."

Getting comfortable with the lay of the land and being able to negotiate it with ease builds confidence, according to Eye. "Confidence in one's abilities saves precious time when the time comes for decisions about how to set up on a bird or make a move," he remarked. "Hunters need to avoid traveling on the ridgetops when approaching a bird, because of the possibility of being skylighted. The walking may be easier, but wild turkeys will spot a hunter on top of a ridge.

"Get into the hunting area very early, while it is still dark. If hunters have done their scouting, they will know which way a bird is most likely to fly down. But hunters have to remember that this is tough terrain, and being in good physical condition goes a long way towards making a plan work."

National forest lands in southern Missouri are heavily hunted during the spring turkey season. Eye suggested scouting far away from the main logging roads to find birds that can't be heard by hunters traveling those roads.