COLUMN: Driftwood Outdoors: Wild turkey restoration a key conservation win

As turkey seasons across the Midwest open, hunters appear to be in for a good run. Reports have been consistent from late winter through early spring that more birds are on the landscape than in recent years. Flocks have been visible in picked fields, gobblers have been sounding off during early scouting trips, and overall optimism feels higher than it has in a while. A strong, visible population is making this hunter eager for opening morning.

Biologists continue working to better understand turkey population trends, and in response, some states have adjusted regulations in recent years. Season dates, bag limits and nonresident opportunities are being reviewed to balance opportunity with sustainability. It's worth taking a few minutes to review your state's current rules before heading afield. In Missouri, for example, nonresident regulations have changed this season.

The wild turkey remains one of the great conservation success stories in North America. Growing up in northern Indiana in the 1990s, there were no turkeys. They had been extirpated by a combination of habitat loss and unregulated harvest. The southern half of the state held birds, but up north, turkey hunting was just a dream. Today, Hoosier hunters harvest around 15,000 turkeys each spring. In 2025, more than 100 turkeys were taken in Lake County. There were no turkeys there in my youth.

Hunting has played a central role in that recovery. Without hunters pushing for restoration, funding conservation through license dollars and excise taxes, and supporting habitat work, wild turkeys would not have returned as they have.

Youth seasons provide the perfect opportunity to develop new hunters. With fewer hunters in the woods, less competition for spots, and more flexibility to focus on the experience rather than the outcome, youth hunts offer a great chance to excite a child about hunting. A youth hunt should be about the kid. It's a chance to introduce young hunters to the full picture, including wildlife biology, habitat, tradition and the simple joy of being outside on a spring morning.

Hand them a box call and let them struggle with it. Let them make awful sounds. And yes, let them use their phones. It may feel counterintuitive. We take kids outdoors to get them away from screens, yet here we are suggesting they bring them along. But the reality is these devices are part of their everyday lives. If you forcefully remove that connection, you risk turning the experience into something negative. Instead, turn the phone into a tool. Ask them to check the weather. Use an app to identify a tree or a bird. Look up information about turkey behavior or habitat. Engage their curiosity in a way that feels natural to them. Maybe they'll put the phone away on their own. If they don't, don't fight it. The goal is to create a positive experience that keeps them coming back.

Illinois outdoor writer Dan Stefanich has seen the same encouraging signs this spring. After several seasons of mixed reports, he's optimistic about what hunters might find this year.

"Down south, we get the first crack at birds. This season, I expect to hear about a lot of success because there just seems to be more birds. They are out in the fields throughout the day strutting and doing their stuff. I'm hearing a good number of gobbles during my scouting trips, too," Stefanich said.

For Stefanich, turkey season is a special time because of everything that surrounds it.

"Turkey season is one of my favorite times of year to be outdoors," he said. "When the redbuds are blooming and the temperatures begin to warm up to shirt-sleeve weather, I love throwing on my turkey vest and seeing if I can find an old gobbler love-struck enough to answer one of my calls."

The anticipation of hearing gobbles echo through the chill of a spring morning is what keeps hunters coming back year after year. To me, a turkey gobble is the sound of conservation success. Built by people who cared enough to bring a species back and ensure it stays.

For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast on www.driftwoodoutdoors.com or anywhere podcasts are streamed.