About 9,000 acres of the area are open to hunting. A map is indispensable if you're not familiar with Waterloo and can be obtained from the Division of Wildlife's Web site. Private property is interspersed with public lands and it's up to you to ensure you're not trespassing.

Waterloo is located off I-94 in Jackson and Washtenaw counties. To reach the area headquarters, use exit 156. For additional information, contact the South Central Management Unit at (517) 641-4903 or the Waterloo Wildlife Office at (517) 522-4097.

Flat River WA
"Flat River is very good for turkey hunting," wildlife biologist John Niewoonder said. "There's good turkey habitat in the form of white pines, oak stands for mast production, openings in the woods, fields, rolling hills and a lot of diverse terrain. As a result, there are a lot of turkeys around here."

Though the area is a good one for old tried-and-true tactics, it never hurts to try something new.

"Decoys like the Pretty Boy and Pretty Girl have become even more effective because after you get a tom's attention with the calling, the decoy does all the work," said turkey-calling expert and manufacturer David Hale of Knight and Hale Game Calls. "I'm not sure why these decoys are so effective, but I think that the big white head coupled with a real fan tail along with a submissive hen sitting on the ground is what does it."

Hale points out that hunters who prefer not to use decoys can mimic a fight between longbeards by calling with what he terms an aggressive "purring." These noises are commonly referred to as fighting purrs and acknowledge that in the tom's springtime world, everything ends up in a brawl.

Improvements are always being made on manufactured calls, said Hale. The new Hammer Series offers slates, glass and aluminum components that are designed to match specific weather conditions and personal preferences.

The area covers 10,000 acres in Montcalm and Ionia counties.

For more information, contact the South Central Management Unit at (517) 641-4903.

Tuscola SGA
There aren't many good turkey haunts to choose from in the Saginaw Bay area, but the Tuscola SGA is one to look into for public hunting.

Most of the area is marshy, but there is still upland habitat worth taking a look at. Scouting ahead of time is important, especially when checking nontraditional hunting grounds.