The morning began like so many other "first" mornings of the turkey season...a chill in the air-filled with birds songs, clear skies, a slight breeze and the sounds of gobbles-from at least three different locations from where I was set up. I was optimistic, to say the least, but also realized that after more than a dozen years of turkey hunting, the best laid plans can go right out the "turkey blind window" in just a matter of a few seconds.
This turkey hunt though, started for me almost three months previously, and to appreciate this April turkey hunt, I must explain a few items first. Anyone who turkey hunts knows how valuable pre-season season scouting is, and I try to do my homework before opening day. I will go to the woods as many times as I can before my hunt begins and walk around looking for turkey sign, tracks, feathers, etc. I will sit and listen from different locations, but I never use my calls to try to get a turkey to gobble&chances are if a turkey does answer, he is going to come check things out and if a long-beard does answer and come, there is a good chance I will spook him. If I spook him, that is one less
turkey for me to call on opening day. I know people that run around in the woods before their hunt starts, calling and chasing birds...trying to perfect their calling skills. What they don't realize is, they are educating the gobblers and making their hunt much harder when they finally are in the woods with a gun and ready to hunt.
 I usually wait until snow leaves to start scouting, after snow leaves, the turkeys usually spread out and go back to "home" ranges and where you find birds in March, you will not find them in April...at least where I hunt in the central part of Michigan.  I also make sure I have permission and talk to the landowner before my hunt begins. The information the landowner can give is the most valuable piece of information you can get...why, because he is on his property every day. He sees bird movement and can give you a plethora of info...on what he is seeing, where he is seeing the birds and what time of the day he is seeing the birds.
 For me, I will take any information I can get, and will use that through the course of my hunt&it sure can't hurt! This hunt for me had an interesting twist though...a gut feeling-instinct if you will-that I got something in February. For me, that instinct would be the most memorable part of this hunt...because it was that "gut feeling" of where I should hunt that gave me the upper hand.
 I did my scouting though. Sunday evening the 17th of April. I found turkey tracks just about everywhere I walked. I took my time, walked through the woods slow, listening and looking. After finding a lot of turkey tracks, I went to the spot where I felt I wanted to be on opening morning. Just a few yards from where I had planned to put my turkey blind, I found the most promising sign of all...drag marks in the sand, and lots of turkey tracks. The drag marks indicate where a mature gobbler had drug his wings as he followed a hen. That told me there was a mature bird in the area and from previous hunts, I knew birds roosted in close proximity to the drag marks and all the turkey tracks. I was also consoled in the fact that this was fresh sign, no more than two days old and looked like this activity had been made just a few hours previously. My premonition looked good, I set up the blind, put a chair in the blind along with one hen decoy. Then jumped in and sat, I wanted to see if I could roost a bird before going home to a restless night sleep. Although I did not hear gobbles at dark, I knew I was as prepared as I could be for opening morning.
 From what I could tell, I could hear at least a half dozen gobbles as light grew in the east. I sat for quite some time, just listening before finally hitting a few light yelps. The closest gobble was only about 100 yards or so from me, but I also could tell this bird as well as the others in the woods around me, had hens with them. I got aggressive with my calling for a short while, and then settled in for the morning...and afternoon if necessary. All the birds hit the ground, but none even seemed interested and after about an hour I realized I may have my work cut out for me. I heard no more gobbling, so went to a plan I've done in the past to put my decoy back in the works, I got out of my blind and walked south and north of my blind.  I would stop every once in a while and call, not to aggressive, but loud enough so I knew the birds could here me. The wind picked up a little, but really was not a factor
 Here I need to say that even though none of theses birds came to me when they came out of roost; I know they hear me calling. And years of experience told me, if any of them were interested, they would eventually come to investigate...I just had to have patience. I would also like to add, when you get out and walk through the woods, you take a big chance on spooking a long-beard that may be coming in silent...it is a chance you have to take, but if you are certain the birds are henned up, moving about and occasionally calling can give a gobbler the idea of more than one hen moving through the woods, making everything seen more believable to a wary gobbler. I have used this technique in the past years with very good success, but not 100% success.
 Patience is another key to turkey success. Not every bird will fly out of roost and come on the run to your set-up. Some take awhile, some may take literally hours (especially if they are henned up) and other birds just come on the run...over-calling is another big mistake a lot of turkey hunters make. I use this rule of thumb; I take a turkey's temperature...that is how aggressive I can be with my calling. If a bird is cutting off my calling, he is pretty hot and comes in pretty quick. If a bird answers, but is not very talkative, I am not as aggressive and may actually go 20 to 30 minutes without calling at all. The bird closest to me on this opening day was vocal, but seemed to be doing his own thing.
 Upon my walking and calling, I climbed back in my turkey blind, put the calls down and waited. If one of those birds was interested, he would start gobbling sooner or later...trying to locate me...I just had to be patient. It was over a half an hour from climbing back in my blind and well over an hour since I had last heard a gobble, when somewhere behind me I heard a gobble, but I was not sure that a gobble is what I had heard, so I sat and listened. A few minutes passed and I heard the gobble again, but the gobble was short in his cadence and sounded a lot like a jake, with a sort of an ACK! at the end of his gobble. But, I don't look a gift horse in the mouth, so decided to sit and see if I could get this bird in close enough for a look. I still did not answer him as he gobbled a couple of more times, then when I felt this bird was trying to find me, I gave a few aggressive cuts, yelps and quieted down with few purrs, then sat and waited. The bird finally gobbled again, but I quickly surmised this bird was doing his own thing and I put the calls down to play "hard to get".
 The last time I heard the bird, he was going away from me, at one point he was within 60 yards or so, then well over 100 yards and by the sound of his last gobble, he was walking away from me. I gave a few aggressive yelps, put the calls down, picked up my gun and waited. The wait was short lived! The birds next move was a very loud gobble no more than 40 yards, I looked out one of the small windows on my blind to see him coming, and quite fast I might add. He appeared no more than 20 yards, located my decoy (which was to my left, the gobbler was to my right), he momentarily displayed, then come on in, I took him with one shot from my Remington 12 gauge.  870 at about 15 yards. He was not a jake and turned out to be the largest bird I've taken in my 16 years of turkey hunting. His size and weight is what caught my eyes after I had made sure he was done, his tail feathers seemed so small compared to other birds I've taken, but realized it was just how big he was body wise that seemed to dwarf his tail feathers. The thickest bearded bird I've taken for sure, but not the longest. Final tally; 9 3/8 inch beard (as thick as a paint brush), 1 3/4 inch spurs and a weight of 29 lbs. I've taken a couple of 25 lbs.  birds over the years and called in some good birds for other hunters, but this bird takes the cake.
 All my preparation paid off, and I couldn't be happier, but remember this, I can't guarantee success every time you follow a gut instinct, but will say if you listen to that "gut feeling" you will have an unbelievable hunting experience, if things work out. And a memory to relive for many years to come and a very good story to tell your friends and family.

Happy hunting. KAC