With Ron Newman
Locating Spring Toms
Locating birds to hunt in the Spring, generally involves some "early-risin." It is important to get to your hunting area early to listen for the birds. Gobblers are most vocal at dawn, and especially prior to most seasons openers.
DO NOT take any turkey calls with you. Now is not the time to disturb or educate the birds. Your first step is to learn the locations and movements. Mid-mornings I prefer just riding around in my vehicle, glassing fields. This will give you info on where the birds head to when they fly off their roost. I make a note of these areas as they can be good pre-set blind locations, or areas to move to should your "roost assault" not work out.
Try to locate as many gobblers as you can in as many areas as you can. Not every gobbler will gobble every day, and some may be spooked or harvested by other hunters. The harder you work before the season, usually determines how "Lucky" you are, during the season.
Evening vigils, can determine roost areas and give you an edge on the morning competition. By positioning yourself in the direction the birds want to go you can plan your route so you're not stumbling around in the morning darkness. Calling techniques are basically the same, locator calls (owl, crow, or hawk) or just plain old turkey calls are all effective at finding the gobbler.