The turkey hunting in our state has been outstanding for years, and this spring season promises to turn out more of the same. Turkeys inhabit all 77 counties in Oklahoma and can sometimes turn up where they're least expected. It's true: The state's turkey hunters, like the state's deer hunters, are experiencing some of their best hunting days ever!

With weather patterns ranging from snow to almost gale-force winds, Oklahoma springs can be unpredictable. I've hunted in extreme conditions ranging from wildfires to calm, sunny days. So you might ask: Why do I hunt such diverse conditions? Simply put, I love turkey hunting!

Last March, my wife Donna and I tagged Osceola gobblers in South Florida, and then I tagged a longbeard in West Texas shortly after. Our thoughts then turned to a southwest Oklahoma Rio Grande hunt at Eagon's High Point Ranch (580-729-1009) near Carter. Dale Eagon is a noted hybrid striper fishing guide on Foss Lake, but we discovered that Dale and his son Michael also offer incredible turkey hunting.

In the predawn darkness, Michael took us to a place off the North Fork of the Red River. The habitat held a lot of gobblers, so we set up our decoys on the edge of a wheat field. As the sun peered over the horizon, 10 jakes came in running. We passed on the stubby-bearded youngsters and moved to another spot where a tom, preoccupied with its hens, stalled just out of gun range. Our day was fun, but we didn't fire a shot.

The next day Michael and I hunted a creek bottom near camp where I scored on a longbeard just after sunrise. The dominant tom strutted beside my plastic hen until my 20-gauge T/C Encore ended its mating dance. The 20-pound gobbler carried a 9-inch beard and sharp 1-inch spurs.

I was truly impressed with the number of mature toms that inhabited the Eagons' hunting lands, and with the jake recruitment carrying over, this year promises to be stellar!

STATEWIDE OUTLOOK
With an estimated 115,000 Rio Grande turkeys statewide, preliminary data points to a good spring season, according to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conser¬vation's Southwest Region supervisor, Rod Smith. "Generally, I expect a good spring season for Rio Grandes," said Smith. "Some western areas should be excellent, while some northeast areas may be good to fair.

"Rio Grande populations are good across the subspecies' range," he noted, "and though numbers were down in some areas, generally we're in good shape."

Smith cited past rainfall as a factor in this spring's recruitment. "If you remember last summer, some parts of the state were very wet. We expect lower recruitment in those areas."

He explained that rather odd remark this way: "Some Rio Grande turkeys nest in riparian areas, which are areas beside creeks. When abundant rains come, creeks flood and wash out nests, causing hens to abandon their nest sites. But also when hens get wet they emit a stronger scent, which lures predators to their nesting locations, and their eggs get eaten."

Jack Waymire serves as the ODWC's southeast region super¬visor, and he makes a tentative prediction for this spring. "According to the 2008 summer brood surveys," he said, "we can expect fair recruitment this spring."