On Tuesday, Alabama turkey season begins. For many hunters, this is the best season of the year. There are multiple subspecies of turkeys that roam the U.S. These include the Easterns, Meriams, Osceolas, Rios and Goulds. Alabama has the Easterns. Within the turkey hunting community, Easterns are known as the hardest to harvest.

Obviously, people have their issues with turkey hunting. One group that has made a major effort to prevent not only turkey hunting, but all forms of hunting is PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). PETA believes that "hunting is now nothing more than a violent form of recreation that the vast majority of hunters do not need for subsistence." They also go onto to say that "Hunting has contributed to the extinction of animal species all over the world." However, there are many statistics that prove the second claim to be false. In the early 1900s, the wild turkey population was almost gone as an entirety. Groups of conservationists, who were mainly hunters, led efforts to save the wild turkey populations. The Wild Turkey Federation, states that there are nearly seven million wild turkeys in the U.S. now opposed to only 30,000 in the early 20th century.

Another form of hunting that rivals turkey hunting is deer hunting. The Alabama deer season is more than twice as long as the Alabama turkey season. Typically, a deer hunter will wait hours on end in a shooting house or a lock on tree stand. Turkey hunting typically requires a hunter to move all during the hunt and to use game calls to bring in a turkey. Many hunters have raised the debate over whether or not turkey hunting or deer hunting is the best form of hunting in the U.S.

In an interview, avid conservationist and hunter Ward Webb states, "Turkey hunting is much harder on the hunter, but also creates a level of excitement that is second to none. On another note, killing a wild turkey provides a great source of protein and steroid-free meat opposed to meat you would buy at the store. I would pick turkey hunting over deer hunting."

If you are new to turkey hunting, you have much to learn, but speaking from personal experience, it's worth it. You will be embarking on a new adventure and lifestyle unlike any other.