Pennsylvania Hunters Ready To Talk Turkey

Fall season begins Nov. 1 in most parts of state; season lengths vary by WMU.

          One of Pennsylvania’s most exciting seasons will begin this Saturday as hunters head afield in pursuit of one of fall’s most coveted game animals, the wild turkey. But hunters really need to focus on the varying season starts and lengths throughout the state’s 23 Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). Hunter compliance protects the resource and ensures better turkey hunting in coming years.
          While season lengths in most WMUs remain unchanged from last year, the first season segment has been shortened from three weeks to two in WMUs 3A, 3B and 3C – all of which are in northern Pennsylvania – to help those populations rebound from declining trends. And while a three-day season remains intact in WMU 5A, the timing of the season has changed to a Thursday-through-Saturday format to provide greater opportunity for hunters whose schedules do not allow for a weekday hunt.
          Hunters who didn’t participate in the fall turkey season last year still might be unaware of season length changes put in place in 2013 in some WMUs, due to an ongoing study to determine how the length of the fall season affects the female turkey harvest.
          And, as usual, fall turkey hunting remains closed in WMUs 5B, 5C and 5D in southern Pennsylvania.
          Now is the time to check the dates of when seasons open and close, Game Commission Executive Director R. Matthew Hough said.
          “As is typically the case for the fall turkey season, different season lengths apply in different units, and the seasons in a handful of WMUs have been shortened this year, or are starting on a different day of the week,” Hough said. “The changes are easy to follow, though, and are laid out clearly in the Hunting & Trapping Digest issued to all buyers of hunting and furtaker licenses.
          “With the digest as your guide, you’ll be well on your way to a successful season,” Hough said.              Information on turkey seasons, bag limits and other regulations can be found on Page 32 of the 2014-15 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest.          In most of the state, the fall turkey season opens Saturday, Nov. 1. The seasons are as follows: WMU 1B – Nov. 1 to 8, and Nov. 27 to 29; WMU 2B (shotgun and archery only) – Nov. 1 to 21, and Nov. 27 to 29; WMUs 1A, 2A, 2D, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B and 3C – Nov. 1 to 15, and Nov. 27 to 29; WMUs 2C, 2E, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E – Nov. 1 to 21, and Nov. 27 to 29; and WMU 5A – Nov. 6 to 8.
          The two-week season in WMUs 3A, 3B and 3C was adopted by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners earlier this year in response to decreasing turkey populations in those units.
          The two-week seasons in WMUs 2F, 2G and 2H, as well as the three-week seasons in WMUs 2C, 2E, 4A, 4B and 4D are the result of the ongoing hen study, which is in its fourth of four years. At the end of the four-year study, the two separate study areas each will have had two consecutive years with a two-week season and two consecutive years with a three-week season.
          Game Commission wild turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena explained the changes.
          “By switching season lengths between study areas, we can attempt to answer the question of whether the harvest gained by adding an extra week to a two-week season exceeds a sustainable level of harvest,” Casalena said. “Ultimately, results from this study will allow us to provide the longest fall seasons without overharvesting hen wild turkeys.”
          In WMU 5A, where the framework was switched to provide more hunting opportunity, monitoring has indicated a stable wild turkey population. Fall turkey harvests have been minimal in WMU 5A in recent years, when the three-day season has occurred Tuesday through Thursday.
          “Continued monitoring over the next several years will allow us to determine if this new framework is sustainable.”

Fall turkey forecast

          Casalena is hoping for similar hunting participation as last fall, when the number of fall turkey hunters increased to 199,000, an increase of 70,000.
          Casalena said fall turkey hunting remains a strong tradition in Pennsylvania, with more than 483,000 hunters participating in the fall season during the peak year in 1980. There were 16,755 fall turkey harvests in 2013, and number of harvests and hunters in Pennsylvania remain, by far, the highest in the Northeast, she said.

Casalena said fall hunter success depends on several factors:

·         Summer turkey reproduction – Larger flocks translate to larger harvests;

·         Food availability – The better the soft- and hard-mast production, the more nomadic flocks become and the more difficult it is to harvest birds;

·         Weather during the season - Weather affects hunter participation, and;

·         Overall hunter participation – More hunters in the woods keep flocks dispersed making it easier for hunters to call in lost birds.

          “Although turkey reproduction this summer was below average in many WMUs, translating to smaller flocks this fall in those units, reproduction did vary and many hens simply nested later than normal due to the harsh winter, and these poults may still be growing when the season opens,” Casalena said.

          Casalena said acorn, cherry and hickory-nut production also varied across the state, with red-oak acorn production and soft mast, like apples and grapes, seeing average to above-average production in many areas. That abundance of food might make turkeys harder to locate, she said.

          “Abundant natural food tends to keep turkey flocks on the move as there is no need to concentrate on one food source,” Casalena said. “Therefore, hunters have the opportunity for plenty of exercise as it might take several miles, or several days, of searching to find flocks.

          “So don’t get discouraged if flocks aren’t in their normal locations,” Casalena said. “This might be the year to explore more, or new, areas in search of your quarry.”  

          Casalena said the fall season is a great time to introduce a novice turkey hunter to turkey hunting.

          “It’s not only a great time to be in the woods, but novice turkey callers can be just as successful as a pro when mimicking a lost turkey poult,” she said. “And once a flock is located, I remind hunters that turkeys are tipped off more by movement and a hunter’s outline than fluorescent orange.”

          Overall, Casalena said she anticipates similar turkey-hunter success rates to last year,  when about 8 to 10 percent of hunters were successful. Last year’s  success rate was a slight decrease from the previous three years. Hunter success was as high as 21 percent in 2001, a year with excellent recruitment, and as low as 4 percent in 1979.

          Casalena said spring-season harvests (including harvests from the special turkey license that allows hunters to harvest a second bird) totaled 41,260, an increase from 2013 and also higher than the previous long-term average of 38,756. Hunter success, 18 percent, was slightly higher than 2013 and the previous long-term average, both 17 percent.

          Pennsylvania hunters have consistently maintained spring harvests above 30,000 bearded turkeys since 1995, exceeding most other states in the nation.

Leg-banded turkeys

          Casalena also reminds hunters to report any leg-banded or satellite-transmittered turkeys they harvest or find.

          Leg bands and transmitters are stamped with a toll-free number to call, and provide important information for the research project being conducted in partnership with the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Penn State University, with funding from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Pennsylvania Chapter of NWTF, she said.

          “These turkeys are legal to harvest and the information provided will help determine turkey survival and harvest rates,” Casalena said.

          Rewards for reporting marked turkeys are made possible by donations from the National Wild Turkey Federation, she said.

Fluorescent orange requirements

          In most parts of the state, hunters participating in the fall turkey season are required, while moving, to wear at least 250 inches of fluorescent orange on the head, chest and back combined. Orange must be visible from 360 degrees.

          Hunters may remove their orange once in a stationary location, providing that a minimum of 100 square inches of fluorescent orange is posted within 15 feet of the location and is visible from 360 degrees.

          In WMU 2B, which is open to shotgun and archery hunting only during the fall turkey season, turkey hunters, while moving, must wear a hat containing at least 100 square inches of solid fluorescent orange material, visible from 360 degrees. While fluorescent orange is not required at stationary locations in WMU 2B, it is strongly recommended.

          Archery hunters who are hunting either deer or bear during the overlap with fall turkey season also must wear a fluorescent orange hat at all times when moving. The hat must contain at least 100 square inches of solid, fluorescent orange, visible from 360 degrees, and may be removed once in a stationary location.

          Illustrations and a chart listing fluorescent orange requirements for different hunting seasons can be found on pages 63 to 65 of the 2014-15 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest.

          Since fluorescent orange requirements have been in place for the fall-turkey season, fall turkey hunting shooting incidents have decreased from 38, three of them fatal, in 1990, to none in 2012. Last year there was one nonfatal incident.

Mentored Hunters

          Pennsylvania’s fall turkey season is among those open to Mentored Youth and Mentored Adult hunters.

          The Mentored Youth Hunting Program sets out to introduce those under the age of 12 to hunting. Mentored Youth must obtain a $2.70 permit, and must be accompanied at all times by a licensed mentor over the age of 21.

          The Mentored Adult Hunting Program is new this year, and seeks to remove an obstacle for adults who have an interest in hunting and the opportunity to go hunting with a licensed mentor. The cost of a resident Mentored Adult permit is $20.70 – the same as the cost of a resident hunting license.

          Mentored Youth and Mentored Adults can participate only in approved hunting seasons, and the seasons that have been approved for Mentored Youth are different from those for Mentored Adults. Different sets of regulations apply to Mentored Youth and Mentored Adults, as well.

          A full description of the programs can be found on pages 15 and 16 of the 2014-15 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest.

          During the fall turkey season, a mentor may transfer his or her fall turkey tag to a Mentored Youth or Mentored Adult hunter.

Plenty of turkeys available if hunters know where to look

By Bob Frye

A hunter sets up decoys in a field hoping to attract a turkey.
Turkey season opens Saturday, May 4, 2014, in Pennsylvania.

Forget about it.

If it's solitude you seek, rest assured you're not going to have the woods to yourself over the next month.

Pennsylvania's spring gobbler season, which kicks off Saturday, has grown in popularity to become the second-biggest hunt on the calendar. It drew nearly 207,000 hunters in 2013, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission statistics. Only the firearms deer season attracts more participants.

That's a lot of camo-clad, call-totin', gun-bearin' folks.

But there are a lot of turkeys out there, too. Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 186,000, said Mary Jo Casalena, the commission's turkey biologist and a gobbler hunter. If that's less than the state had when populations peaked in 2001, it's still enough that hunters kill an average of 34,000 gobblers annually, she said.

No other Northeastern state comes close to matching that.

“I want to reiterate: We've still got a lot of turkeys. There's just not a turkey behind every tree like we had in 2001,” Casalena said.

Many hunters undoubtedly will look for birds on public land. And make no mistake. That kind of crowd will change how turkeys behave.

“We have a lot of turkey hunters, so turkeys become pretty wary shortly after the season begins,” Casalena said. “They have a pea-sized brain, so I wouldn't call them smart, but they are wary. They learn very quickly.”

But there's some good hunting to be had on public land, especially if you seek out areas with certain habitat features.

Turkeys like open spaces, Casalena said. Hens congregate there to feed on bugs, and gobblers follow to strut where they can be seen.

In mountainous terrain, like the ridge-top country that makes up game land 42 in eastern Westmoreland County and game land 228 in Somerset, gated access roads provide that kind of habitat, said Travis Anderson, the commission's land management group supervisor in Westmoreland, Somerset and part of Cambria. Hunters can find birds by setting up along roads, he said.

“Basically they're like food plots running across the mountains,” Anderson said. “A lot of times, when we're out early in the morning, we'll see turkeys on those roads. The hens are bugging, and the gobblers are strutting.”

Some access roads are especially good. On game land 296 in Westmoreland County and game land 51 in Fayette, for example, the commission is doing border cuts along some roads. The intent is to create brushy habitat, providing a buffer of new growth between the road and the mature forest, said Steve Leiendecker, a land management group supervisor in Fayette and Greene counties.

“Wildlife likes messes. They don't like really neat things,” he said. “By creating edge habitat, you attract a lot of wildlife, including turkeys.”

Hunters also would be wise to walk some of those roads to find “secret” hot spots.

The game commission always has developed food plots on its game lands. It's been able to ramp up that work over the last two years or so thanks to funding from the National Wild Turkey Federation and record levels of federal excise tax dollars, Anderson said.

“In the past, the emphasis was always on maintaining what we had as opposed to creating new plots,” Anderson said. “Now with some extra resources, we've been able to create some new stuff.”

Some of those forest openings — one- to two-acre fields of clover and legumes — are so new that they're not on maps yet. All are off access roads, though, so hunters willing to walk and do a little scouting can find “unmarked” turkey magnets to hunt, Anderson said.

Hunters also can find public land gobblers by looking for Marcellus Shale drilling activity.

Well pads, pipelines and rights-of-way can look ugly when under construction, and some hunters have been upset to see one-time hunting spots disappear, said Doug Dunkerly, a land management group supervisor in Washington, Beaver and Greene counties. But when reclaimed with clover, sunflowers, timothy, orchard grass and such, those disturbed areas draw turkeys as well as deer and other species.

Hunters are learning they can hunt those reclaimed well pads and openings with success, Dunkerly said.

“If you're talking about a privately owned hay field or corn field that's been cut, and there's just stubble left in it, I'd like to think that some of our reclaimed areas are a little richer,” Leiendecker said. “Some of these places, they have alfalfa that's ankle deep.”

Don't give up if you find other hunters on or near your chosen public land stand, Casalena said. Turkeys move more than some people think — four to five miles is not uncommon — and hunting pressure drops as the season goes along.

Hunters who stick it out, even on public land, can do well late into the season.

“You can't not hunt the first weekend, especially if the weather is good. But what I really like is the third week of the season,” Casalena said. “The pressure is off. The gobblers have started getting back to their normal routine. And they start gobbling again.

“So if you can't find a good place to hunt early in the season, all is not lost. The season is a whole month long.”

Details

Turkey season details

The spring gobbler season runs May 3-31. It again will feature a mix of half-day and all-day hunting.

During the first two weeks of the season, hunting begins a half-hour before sunrise and ends at noon. Hunters are asked to be out of the woods by 1 p.m. to minimize disturbance of nesting hens.

During the season's last two weeks, when hunting pressure is lower and hens are less likely to abandon nests, hunting is from a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sunset.

Hunters should expect to see higher numbers of year-old males, commonly called “jakes,” this year as a result of above-average reproduction in 2013, said Pennsylvania Game Commission turkey biologist Mary Jo Casalena.

Those aren't necessarily the birds hunters look for, she said. About 80 percent of the annual spring harvest typically is made up of adult birds 2 years old and older, as hunters “hunt the gobble” and pursue longbeards.

But the jakes should offer lots of turkey sightings, additional harvest opportunities and more birds down the line, she added.

Some of the best hunting around will occur close to home, too. According to 2012 spring turkey harvest statistics, wildlife management unit 2G gave up more spring gobblers than any other, with unit 3C in the Poconos ranking second. But units 1A, 2D, 2C and 2A in Western Pennsylvania ranked fourth through sixth. 

Bob Frye is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bfrye@tribweb.com or via Twitter @bobfryeoutdoors.

PA Turkey population has reached a new normal with mixed predictions for the spring harvest

By John Hayes / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pennsylvania ranks third in the United States in the harvest
of one of the most savvy game species. Turkey numbers are down
 in the state since 2001, but more than
30,000 spring gobblers are taken per year.

If fly fishing requires an angler to know more about the animal and master special skills, it's fair to say spring gobbler season is the fly fishing of hunting.

And just as public interest in steelhead began in the Pacific Northwest, turkey-mania was boosted, if not started, by the writings and product lines of former Game Commission biologist, former Pittsburgh Press outdoors editor Roger Latham.

During the May 3-May 31 season, hunters could see higher numbers of year-old jakes as a result of above-average reproduction in 2013. But just south of the Mason-Dixon, West Virginia hunters could see a decreased harvest when that state's season opens tomorrow.

It's unclear what those conflicting harvest forecasts could mean for Pennsylvania turkey hunters in the bordering southwestern counties of Greene, Fayette, Somerset, Bedford and Fulton.
"Since the typical gobbler harvested is usually a two-year-old bird, the [West Virginia] DNR routinely uses the brood reports from two years prior to estimate harvest trends," said Curtis Taylor, head of the Division of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Section, in a written statement.

West Virginia has an estimated 140,000 turkeys. The 2013 spring harvest was 10,974.
"On a statewide level, the brood reports from 2012 were lower than the five-year average, indicating that the statewide harvest may be lower in 2014," said Taylor. "There were regional variations in the data. Hunters in the southern region may not see a decline. Hunters in the mountain and western regions, however, will likely notice fewer birds."

In Pennsylvania, where the turkey population is larger (estimated 191,000) and the 2013 spring harvest was greater (34,158), the forecast is brighter but with a caveat.

"The season that awaits promises to be a memorable one for Pennsylvania's turkey hunters," said Mary Jo Casalena, the Pennsylvania Game Commission's wild turkey biologist, in her annual preseason forecast. "While the statewide turkey population has experienced moderate declines in recent years, Pennsylvania hunters for nearly 20 years have consistently harvested more than 30,000 turkeys in the spring season, which is open to hunting only bearded birds -- typically males. This year, hunters should see higher numbers of year-old males ... as a result of above-average reproduction in 2013. And while many hunters prefer to hold out for the bigger and larger gobblers, the abundance of jakes out there could lead to increased sightings and hunter harvests."

In a wild turkey population trend analysis published in January, Casalena wrote that turkey numbers peaked in 2001 at about 275,000, and by 2009 had dropped to a new normal of around 175,000.

"Eastern wild turkey populations across their range have recently been trending downward and Pennsylvania's wild turkey population is showing the same trend," she wrote. "There are several reasons for the decline: the natural leveling off of the populations following population restoration from trap and transfer, fluctuations due to annual nest success and poult survival, fall harvests and changing environmental conditions. Our challenge as wildlife managers is to determine what the new sustainable population level should be given current and future socio-environmental conditions. Wild turkey populations have been below average for the last four years."

Outdoor Life magazine's Strut Zone turkey blog, which included Pennsylvania in its recent assessment of "10 big-time turkey states," shared a pragmatic view.
"Brood production in 2013 was below average with some exceptions, but older gobblers are fairly abundant [in Pennsylvania]," wrote turkey correspondent John E. Phillips. "Turkey numbers are down, but there are still plenty of turkeys available. Gobbling activity may be suppressed by the lack of 2-year-old birds."

The report recommended hunting in several State Game Lands and state forests in Eastern Pennsylvania. The only place west of State College mentioned was Allegheny National Forest.
Split season hours continue this season. May 3-17 hunting is permitted 30 minutes before sunrise until noon, May 19-31 the hours are 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset.

Bull Creek Members Steve Allias and Chuck Gray Featured In Newspaper Article On Advanced Turkey Hunting Class

Fall turkey season set to open

By Bob Frye Pittsburgh Tribune Review

Steve Allias will admit to having been humbled more than once.

 

The Arnold man has been hunting turkeys for decades and has taken his share of birds. But he’s been taken to school more than once, too.

 

Those failures have taught him as much as anything.

 

“I always say the birds are the best teachers. They’ll show you what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong,” Allias said. Learning that way can take years, though, and success in harvesting a bird can take season upon season.

 

Now there’s an alternative.

 



Club Member Steve Allias teaching handgun safety
at a recent Women In The Outdoors event

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has rolled out a Successful Turkey Hunting class, an advanced course designed to teach hunters how to find turkeys, how to call them in and how to bring them home.

 

“We want people who leave this class to have a real chance at success very early in their turkey hunting career,” said Keith Snyder, chief of the commission’s hunter education and outreach division. “We’re trying to give people the opportunity to gain a lifetime’s worth of experience in a single day. We want to give them that kind of head start.”

 

It’s all tied to hunter recruitment and retention, he said. Hunters who enjoy success are more likely to stay involved, he said.

 

The turkey course is new. Instructors such as Allias were trained earlier this year and so far have offered just a handful of courses around the state. The intention is to offer more courses next year, Snyder said.

 

One was held recently in the southwest region at Bull Creek Rod and Gun Club.

Students do precourse work at home, reading a manual that covers everything from turkey management history to calls and call types. A one-day class follows. Hunters spend the first half doing class work, some of it focused on turkey hunting safety.

 

The afternoon is spent in the field at different stations. They shoot shotguns on the range to see how their guns pattern at different ranges. They learn how to make different sounds on different calls. And they learn to estimate distance by standing at a set point and guessing by the distance to turkey decoys.

 

That last skill is harder to master, even for experienced hunters, said Chuck Gray of West Deer, another course instructor.

 

Having experienced hunters to help students learn that and other skills is what the class is all about, though.

 

“It’s to help people and give them all of the little pointers, all of the little tricks, that we’ve learned from mistakes we’ve made throughout the years,” Gray said.

 

The course is aimed at all sportsmen, ones new to the sport as well as veterans who have never done much with turkeys, Snyder said. The first class at Bull Creek was composed almost exclusively of adults.

 

Gray expects to see more young people, though.

 

“I’m hoping that as word gets out, more kids will get involved. I think there’s so much information we can share,” he said.

 

Allias agreed, noting that the course can shorten the learning curve for new turkey hunters considerably.

 

“I wish someone had offered this class 30 years ago,” he said.

Women In The Outdoors Event At Bull Creek June 2nd!

Women ages 14 and over are discovering a world all of their own; the National Wild Turkey Federation's Women in the Outdoors program was created just for them.

Today millions of women enjoy outdoor activities such as camping, fishing, shooting, hiking, and more. By becoming a member of Women in the Outdoors, you'll join a network of women who share the same hobbies and interests. You'll learn new skills, tune up existing ones, and make memories that last a lifetime in a relaxed, non-competitive environment.

Spread the word to your mom, sister, friend or co-worker. Bring them all to the Allegheny Valley Chapter event for a fun and exciting day of learning and fellowship.

Pre-registration is required.

What Will Be Provided:

* Choice of 4 expertly instructed classes

* Continental breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages

* Equipment & materials needed for classes

* A l-year $35 membership in the NWTF

* I-year subscription to Turkey Country magazine and Turkey Talk

 Classes include:

ARCHERY, BIRD WATCHING, DUTCH OVEN COOKING, GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE, HANDGUNS, FLY CASTING, RIFLE MARKSMANSHIP, INTRO TO BACKPACKING, SHOT GUNNING/TRAP SHOOT, GEOCACHING and WOMEN’S SELF DEFENSE

Registration form must be received by May 25^th!

Print the form below or call Lori Lojak at 724-224-4182 for more information


Page 1 of registration form. Click to enlarge and print

Page 2 of registration form. Click to enlarge and print

Less Is More When Calling Toms In Pennsylvania's Crowded Woodlands

By John Hayes / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It's noteworthy in turkey hunting circles to get a Mexican or Canadian Slam -- shooting birds in those countries. It's a significant hunting achievement to score a U.S. Grand Slam -- taking Eastern, Osceola, Merriam's and Rio Grande turkeys. Put those turkey slams together and you've achieved a rare World Slam.

Do it all during one spring season with a bow and arrow and you're Jason Michael of Williamsport, Pa. Publicity about his unique achievement led the former electric and nuclear plant employee to quit his day job and go pro, guiding and helping to develop the Little Runt turkey decoy with DecoyPlanet.com.

Pro hunter Jason Michael shows a turkey decoy 
he helped to develop. Patience is everything -- 
get the turkeys in close.

But Michael said all of that is nothing compared to the extreme sporting challenge of shooting a gobbler in his home state.

"It's brutal," said Michael. "Pennsylvania is the hardest state you'll ever kill a turkey in because of all the people pressure. New York, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland -- they all have a lot of hunters -- but Pennsylvania has had the most hunters for the longest time."

The crowds come for turkeys that weren't always there, evidence of a significant wildlife management success.

When Pennsylvania held its first spring gobbler season in 1968, biologists estimated about 60,000 wild turkeys inhabited about half of the state's forestland. The initial six-day season resulted in the harvest of 1,636 toms.

With regulated hunting as a primary tool of turkey management, the population grew and the birds' range has swelled to blanket the entire state.

Game Commission analysis of hunter success surveys shows there are now more spring turkey hunters (230,000) than fall turkey hunters (163,000). Spring harvests average 38,000 to 45,000 toms, while fall harvests average 16,000 to 25,000 birds of either sex.

A hunter's primary concern during any high-pressure season has got to be safety, and in woodlands that attract camouflaged hunters with guns, there's special reason to be cautious.

"I put out a little orange tape," Michael said. "It will not screw up your hunt. Drape it on a sapling branch or wrap it around a tree, or put an orange band on your hat."

With lots of yelping and yakking all around him, Michael doesn't try to out-call the other hunters.

"I understand if you have one weekend to hunt, you may be anxious to get a shot. But pressing the birds too hard in Pennsylvania, where there's already a lot of pressure, is the wrong way to go," he said. "I back it down 10 percent. Just some soft hen yelping to let them think you're the more realistic of the calls they're hearing."

Over-calling, in fact, can drive the toms away.

"Many times the turkey hears yak, yak, yak and he thinks, 'That's another hunter,' so he'll circle around. I'll tell my other gunner to go over there 80 or 100 yards and don't do anything. The caller actually pushes the bird to a hunter who's not calling."

Experienced turkey hunters often bring several calls, but Michael said in high-pressure areas variety is vital.

"You've got to feel the flock out, give them what they want to hear. Give back what they give to you," he said. "In the middle of the season when the tom pitches down, try a box call or a slate call or a glass call or a mouth call. Throw several out to him. He'll usually call back to the one he thinks is most lifelike. When you find it, don't over do it. Let him come to you."

Having scouted the area preseason, Michael sets up 60 to 100 yards from where he believes the flock is roosting near a point the gobbler is likely to pass. At dawn he starts with a few soft tree yelps.

"When he takes off in the morning, he'll be on autopilot for a while. Get in his path," he said. "Then just do some basic calls. Not too much."

After the first 45 to 60 minutes, vocalizations should change.

"Go to a more excited hen yelp," he said, "getting more vocal and louder."

If nothing is happening by about 9 a.m., pack up and move.

"Now you're going to go walking around," he said. "Cautious, walking slowly, throwing some calls out there trying to get ahead of the tom. Move 50, 80, maybe 150 yards and reposition yourself."

From April 28 to May 12, legal hunting hours are 30 minutes before dawn until noon. Michael said the majority of birds are called between 10 a.m. and noon, when the gobblers tend to move off from the hens.

"You're kind of in desperation mode by then, but ultimately it can be the best time," he said.

May 14 to May 31, hunting hours stretch from a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sunset.

"After noon, hunt these turkeys like you'd hunt a deer," Michael said. "You're trying to put yourself in their travel path. You know where they roost -- you've got to be in position three hours before roosting time. Woodsmanship comes into play, and a pair of binoculars."

Michael said the hunting tool turkey hunters most often lack is patience. Too often, hunters shoot too soon.

"They rush the shot. With a shotgun, you don't want to shoot at 25 or 30 yards -- bring him in at least to the 20s," he said. "When a bird is committed to a decoy he'll stand up quick -- hunters think they've been spotted. But has the bird taken one step? Moved his body left or right? No, that's just him being a turkey. You can wait until he's right on your decoy to shoot, actually fighting it or attempting to mate it. Patience is everything."