Photo by Rod Cochran.

The trees are beginning to show signs of life after the long winter. Over the greening countryside, a tom turkey sounds off with his spring love song. His lusty gobble not only attracts hen turkeys to mate, but also draws the attention of turkey hunters everywhere.

The sounds of spring gobblers should be easy to find at the following New England state forests:

CONNECTICUT
Every spring, hunters harvest about 2,000 wild turkeys in Connecticut. In their search for birds, Nutmeg State hunters have over 100 public lands that support spring turkey hunting.

Two prospects for this season are:

Aldo Leopold
Wildlife Management Area
Last fall, hunters received a gift of 544 acres of new hunting land from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection at the Aldo Leopold Wildlife Management Area in Southbury.

The area contains a mixture of dense forest and steep ledges. While these features don't seem overly turkey friendly on paper, they abut some great turkey haunts including old farm fields, active cornfields, marsh areas and a powerline right-of-way.

The WMA is divided into two sections. The western portion of the area borders Lake Lillinonah and is very steep. Hunters using this section will be forced to navigate hills and rock ledges. In the center of this section, hunters will find a plateau containing a marshy field known to hold turkeys.

Access is limited to two small parking areas. Take Exit 14 off Interstate Route 84 onto Route 172 north. In New Britain Center, turn left onto East Flat Hill Road. The first access point is about three miles from the turn on the left side of the road. This access gets hunters into the eastern section of the WMA.

To access the western section, continue on East Flat Hill Road until it ends on Purchase Brook Road. Turn left and watch for the parking area 100 yards from the intersection on the right side of Purchase Brook Road.

Cockaponset State Forest
Turkey hunters in central Connecticut focus their efforts on Cockaponset State Forest, since this public land consistently produces good numbers of birds. The forest encompasses about 17,186 acres, which is broken into a dozen separate parcels.