Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.

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Bill Cochran's Outdoors

Recent columns

• Less freedom at Hatteras for surf casters
• Here’s the scoop on hunting shed antlers
• Want more grouse? Get used to hearing chainsaws
• Sunday hunting bills aplenty, but some hunters hold out
• Column archive

Bill's Mailbag

• Hunting for a book on rabbit hunting
• More comments on Sunday hunting
• Mail archive

Bill's Field Reports

• Winterize your boat? Heck no! Keep on fishing
• Senator gets attention of DGIF
• Field reports archive

Resources

• Trout stocking schedule

BILL: For the record, I saw more turkeys in Bedford County and Campbell County than I’ve seen in my years. My problem is that I’m mainly an archery hunter and when you have a flock of 30 birds 15 yards from your stand it’s awfully hard to stand up, draw a bow and get a shot off without 60 eyes picking you off, especially when you are in a tree. I saw or heard turkeys about every time I went hunting and most of my hunting properties are about 25 acres in size.

In addition to the turkeys being very alert creatures, I had big buck sign and sightings on the properties I was hunting and decided many times to pass on the turkeys in hope that the big boy was right around the corner.

I love turkeys, but they are just a lot more fun to hunt in the spring than the fall.

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