A bird in hand is still better than two in the bush, I guess. But sometimes, the merit of that cliche might depend on the location of the bush and the bird that's in it.

Although I was skeptical at first, I quickly learned there were loads of turkeys in the vast, open, relatively treeless country that covers much of South Dakota. Better, They usually gobble like crazy and come to calling.

To a turkey, an island is just another part of its home range. To a hunter with the right plan, an island presents a unique opportunity.

Don't get involved in the "passive vs. aggressive" argument. Instead, assess each situation and then act accordingly.

Relocating on a gobbler can be like playing roulette: You'll win a few, yet your losses can pile up in a hurry.

Our hunt had started so well. After hearing little before flydown, my friend Dan Barden and I had trekked across a pasture and up a small ridge before stopping to call. At the first cluck, a gobbler hammered back 75 yards away. Barden and I exchanged wide-eyed looks as we scrambled for cover. The bird was just over a crest in the woods at the field edge, so I anticipated a quick hunt. I yelped softly, and the bird double-gobbled. Man, it was going to be textbook.

Wild turkeys hatch throughout the spring and summer, depending on when the hen bred, and successfully nested. Since hatching times are varied, some autumn family groups contain young birds (especially males) the size of the adult brood hen. Other such fall flocks might have a recognizable female turkey leading birds-of-the-year that are considerably smaller.

Ultra-real gobbler decoys provide a new way to deceive jealous toms.

It doesn't matter how well you know the land, how good you can call, how well you're camouflaged or how tight your shotgun's pattern is. If you sit down wrong, you're beat.