I've personally seen birds in the more familiar steep-hilled pine forests of the Midwest and I've seen a few birds in some very unlikely places.

One tom surprised me as I drove a country road that had a ditch running under the roadway that was lined with brush and small trees. A path in the grass led away from the road and there was the gobbler without a care in the world. I couldn't help but think that this was either one very smart or one very lucky bird. He probably survived the season because no one would ever think of looking for him there.

Concentrate efforts around bordering dry land and look for the birds moving out of woods to strut and feed. Surprisingly, turkeys will sometimes spend time in marshy areas and be completely overlooked.

The Tuscola SGA lies in Tuscola County.

For additional information, contact the Saginaw Bay Management Unit at (989) 684-9141 or the Cass City Field Office at (989) 872-5300.

Haymarsh Lake SGA
Northwestern Michigan's public shooting areas offer similar turkey prospects across the board, wildlife biologist Larry Visser said. One's as good as another with huntable populations of wild birds, and it's up to the hunter to scout out his spring turkey.

With that being said, the Haymarsh Lake SGA would be a good place to start.

Toms are easier to locate in the springtime than in the fall. There's much more gobbling going on when the old toms are sowing their wild oats. The mentality is similar to what most 16-year-olds are thinking when they're waxing their cars and these birds are much more vulnerable, and distracted, than in the fall.

Do a little pre-scouting for turkey sign to locate sections of the property turkeys are using.

Look for large trees along the grasses for roosting spots and scratches a short distance back into the woods. Droppings under the trees will let you know which big branches are the preferred overnight haunts.

Decoy sets are limited only by a hunter's imagination. Single jake decoys or jakes in combination with hens are effective, since toms are spoiling for a fight.

Haymarsh Lake SGA covers 5,780 acres in Mecosta County just northeast of Big Rapids. It offers great turkey habitat in the form of prairie seedings, small streams and lakes with a mixture of oaks, maples and aspens.

Contact the Northwestern Management Unit at (231) 775-9727 or the Paris Field Office at (231) 832-5520 for more information.