"This CA covers over 6,000 acres," he explained. "It lends itself well to fall turkey hunting. The terrain is broken up into old fields, thickets and rolling hills. It is a great area to go to for an extended hunt."

If you are unfamiliar with the area, Wahling suggests seeking the highest ground before sunup.

"Calls will carry a long way from a high point. Starting softly is wise, just in case birds are nearby. As daylight approaches, begin to call louder. Use purrs, yelps, kee-kees and lost calls. Two or three series of the same calls often brings a response. But wait 15 to 20 minutes before calling again. And use your eyes and ears. Those guys in the old stories that say gobblers can't be called in the fall may have never dealt with a bird that just sneaks in silently."

Hunter Specialties Pro Staffer Alex Rutledge from Birch Tree is another legend among fall turkey hunters. Rutledge believes there is more than one way to skin a cat. His philosophy about fall turkey hunting dispels the old myths about "scatter and call back" being the only technique that will work. And no one can argue with his success.

"There are three distinct types of fall turkey flocks," Rutledge began, with that usual wide grin of his. Excitement exuded from deep down inside of him as he continued. "There are fall flocks made of hens and poults. There are flocks made up of jakes, and there are flocks made up of adult gobblers. The techniques to hunt each of these groups can be quite varied.

"Harvesting a fall gobbler is easy, IF a hunter puts in the scouting time to find the bachelor groups, especially where they roost." -- Steve Stoltz

"All the old stories about fall turkey hunting include the method known as scattering the flock," Rutledge instructed. "It is an established method of fall turkey hunting and still works today. Scouting ahead of time will put you on to roost sites. The best way to scatter birds is to walk through the roost area before daylight and flush the birds off the roost. It will get very noisy, as the hens soon begin to give their assembly calls to round up the young birds. Imitate what you hear. The hens themselves and the young, too, will soon be on their way. But stay very near where you split the flock. You can increase your chances of attracting the young birds by calling 10 to 15 minutes after the breakup or before the hens start calling. Whistles and kee-kees work magic on these birds."

Rutledge loves to try something different with turkey calls. I once joined him for a fall hunt in Texas County. I laughed when he broke out what I thought was a teal whistle. It turned out to be a six-in-one call made by Hunters Specialties. The call produced excellent imitations of a bobwhite quail, red-tailed hawk, a mallard drake, pintail, widgeon and teal. The innovative Rutledge added one more sound to the repertoire -- the kee-kee of the wild turkey. To prove his point, he soon struck up a conversation with two hens. Fifteen minutes later, the pair lay flopping on the ground.

Jakes require little different calling to bring them in, according to Rutledge.

"Jakes may or may not travel with the hens and poults. If you find them in a different flock, they may be scattered and the same types of calling that works on hens and poults will work on jakes. But another call that I like to use on jakes is a lost call, which is a series of 10 to 15 yelps followed by two or three clucks. Jakes often come in silently to this call.

"Aggressive clucking and putting will often stir up the gobblers in the fall," he explained.

Rutledge grew up near the expanses of Mark Twain National Forest.

"The U.S. Forest Service owns tens of thousands of acres of excellent turkey habitat in southern Missouri," he said. "Scouting ahead of time is very important in these areas. But study topo maps and try to pick an area that has old fields on it. Young turkeys eat lots of grasshoppers in the fall. The protein helps with rapid growth. Look for sign in these areas. Droppings, dust sites, discarded feathers -- they are all signs that turkeys are using the area. Also, walk nearby ridges to look for scratchings. Turkeys love acorns and will tear up whole hillsides looking for them."

"I hear it everywhere I go: 'Fall turkeys don't gobble.' And they are saying that while I am showing them footage of gobblers strutting and gobbling in July." -- Ray Eye

Use the methods Rutledge mentioned for the target age group of turkeys you are hunting and you are sure to increase your odds for success and may become a legend in your own right.

Steve Stoltz of St. Louis is another Knight and Hale Pro Staffer who is attracted to fall turkey hunting because of the dramatic vocalizations of the birds.