The first time I heard a wild turkey startled me. It was dusk. The air was still and a bright spring sun had just settled beneath the hills.

Responding to my owl call, the Tom was, I learned, at roost, probably in one of the large hemlocks on the edge of the swamp below the hardwoods.

Adhering to the turkey hunter’s doctrine, I made like an owl only once. That’s all it took. Hearing that turkey’s callback gobble break the stillness was as memorable as it was spine-tingling.

Wait until you hear your first one. There’s something so prehistoric about that sound in the woods. You expect to see a dinosaur materialize from the descending mist.

That experience hooked me. Since then, I have hunted these remarkable game birds in three states.

With Maine’s turkey population doing so well, the number of turkey permits issued each year has grown exponentially. During Maine’s first turkey hunt in 1986, 500 licensed turkey hunters bagged only 9 gobblers; last year, 18,451 licensed hunters bagged 5,984 birds.

Turkeys are now found in every county in Maine. Surprisingly, it’s not the winter cold and snow that impacts turkey numbers; it is the cold, wet springs that kill young birds. Biologists tell us that during severe winter weather, a turkey can roost in trees up to two weeks while waiting for more moderate weather. It is becoming obvious that these are tough critters, who seem destined to, not only survive, but thrive in Maine.

If you haven’t tried turkey hunting you are missing out. There is no more turkey permit lottery, so anybody with the price of a license gets to hunt. The rules for this spring’s hunt shape up like this:

For the 2008 Spring Turkey hunt, hunters with “even” birth years (years ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8) are authorized to hunt during Season A. Hunters with “odd” birth years can hunt during Season B.

Season A

• Week No. 1: April 28-May 3

• Week No. 4: May 19-24

• Week No. 5: May 26-31

Season B

• Week No. 2: May 5-10

• Week No. 3: May 12-17

• Week No. 5: May 26-31

Turkey Hunting Tips

• Preseason scouting is the single most important part of turkey hunting. Scout several different areas to lessen your chances of conflict with other hunters.

• Practice your turkey calling diligently.

• Pattern your shotgun on a life-sized target to know your effective killing range.

• Plan on hunting on weekdays, if possible, rather than Saturdays. Hunting pressure is lighter during the week, reducing chances for conflicts with other hunters.

• Be patient. Birds are still active at the end of May, and there is less hunting pressure at that time.

• If bow hunting, use a string-tracker to aid in retrieving crippled birds.

• Be patient when calling, give each set up to 30-45 minutes as birds sometimes come in silently, especially in areas with heavy hunting pressure.

• Do not walk in on another hunter who is “working “a bird. Repeated gobbling is often a sign of a hunter working a bird. Attempting to stalk the “gobbler” is not only dangerous, it is also interfering with the caller.

• Do not wear any clothing with the colors red, white or blue. These are the same colors as a gobblers head and may draw fire from a careless hunter.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].