With half a century of turkey hunting experience under his belt, Bill knew the tricks of the trade.

With the differences of choice in guns and calls, there are still two things on which all experienced turkey hunters agree. Your shotgun must be patterned carefully, choosing the magnum load that gives the best density pattern. But even more important, you need to learn where to hold for placement of the exact center of that pattern. Very few shotguns shoot to the exact point of aim unless equipped with some sort of adjustable sight. The second point is, never shoot at a turkey's body. If you make a hit there, he will more than likely be wounded or there will be considerable meat damage, depending on range. A head or neck hit will almost surely anchor him.

If you want to experience real turkey hunting--not just turkey shooting--there is only one type of country where it can be found (in my opinion). That's in the big hardwood or pine timber country of the South and the East. I have often heard hunters whose only experience was gained in the western states say, "Yes, I have hunted turkeys. Shot two last fall while I was deer hunting." That's not turkey hunting.

Although some of the top turkey hunters will tell you turkeys can be successfully taken at any time of day, I've found early morning and late evening to be my most productive periods, with the morning hours favored. If time allows, stay in the evening woods until you hear a gobbler fly up to roost and remember the location of the roost tree. If you locate one, unless you are sure it is far enough away to be safe, wait until it is too dark for him to see you leave. This brings on a small problem. You will need to be no more than 200 yards from the roost tree when day breaks, with about 150 yards an ideal distance. Moving closer could be a mistake because when he flies down, he may sail 50 or 75 yards. All this means is that you must be able to find the spot you want to call from the next morning in the dark.

Wait for him to gobble or until you hear him fly down before starting to call. And remember, don't overdo your calling. He heard you and knows within a very few feet where that call came from.

If you were unable to "roost" a gobbler the evening before, the strategy is to get in the woods early and listen. During the spring mating season, gobblers gobble! They will gobble while still on the roost at any sharp sound or just for the heck of it. An owl hooting, a crow cawing--anything that startles or annoys one will bring a response. Hooting like an owl ("owling" in turkey hunting vernacular) should always be tried before moving to another location to listen.

When you hear a gobbler, get to him fast. If you don't, something--hens or another hunter--might beat you to him. Of course, you are not going to be able to pinpoint his location from one gobble unless he is very close, so move quickly toward the sound and then stop to listen again until you can slowly move up to the position you want to occupy.

If you are quite sure another hunter is before you, go find another gobbler. But be sure. I vividly recall such an experience. After roosting a gobbler and waiting the next morning until I heard him fly down before reaching for my call, it became apparent that I did not have the woods--or that gobbler--to myself. To my deep disgust, the silence was broken by the most amateurish attempt at turkey calling I have ever heard. It started off with something like a screech, rose to a high crescendo, broke in the middle, and ended up with a strangling gargle. As I started to gather up my gear and move on, the "yelps" came again, and I heard the sound of approaching steps. Shuffling through the dry leaves, cracking twigs, and yelping as he went, the author of all that racket came into view. The "amateur" caller was a young gobbler!

The true thrill of turkey hunting is being able to take advantage of a gobbler's sex drive and fool him into believing that you are a young hen just dying to have a meaningful relationship with him.

If you learn to use the calling device that most appeals to you and in which you have the most confidence, practice a little with it all year, wear the right clothing, and go into the turkey woods in the spring, you will learn that no hunting thrill can be more satisfying.

One last thought. If you think I downgraded the wild turkey, particularly in the matter of his intelligence, and that I do not respect and love the bird Ben Franklin touted over the American eagle as the national emblem, go back and read my first sentence one more time.

I'm not sure old Ben wasn't right, but one thing is for certain: I plan to be out there trying again next spring.