DENVER — The Spring Turkey Season is now under way in Colorado.

The season opened on April 14 and will run through May 27. When that date arrives some 10,000 hunters will have taken to the woods across the state as part of one of the fastest growing hunting sports in the United States.

The fact that Colorado hunters pursue turkeys on both private and public land means that hikers, bikers and other outdoor recreationists should be aware that hunters are in the field during the 44-day season.

The wild turkey is North America’s largest game bird. The tradition of hunting turkeys goes back thousands of years. Native Americans were keenly aware of the need for stealth when stalking the wary turkey.

Early European settlers hunted this abundant bird for both food and sport. By the early 1900s, the wild turkey was almost wiped out following a century of habitat destruction and commercial slaughter. By the Great Depression, only 30,000 wild turkeys remained in the United States.

Today, there are more than 5.4 million wild turkeys roaming North America. They are found in Canada, Mexico and every state in the U.S. except Alaska.

There are between 20,000 – 24,000 wild turkeys in Colorado, but that was not always the case. An estimage by the Colorado Division of Wildlife in 1925 indicated less than 1,000 wild turkeys in the state.

The first effort of the Division of Wildlife to re-establish the birds was in 1934 when about two-dozen turkeys were captured from Trinidad for relocation on the western slope in the Kannah Creek and Uncompahgre areas.

By 1940, turkeys were still primarily found in near Trinidad, Pagosa Springs, so the Division launched an extensive research project to determine the best strategy for expanding the number of populations. This effort was so successful that by the early 1950’s the Division began allowing turkey hunting, but only during the fall of the year.

With the exception of some experimental spring hunts in the mid-1960’s, the first official spring season was launched on April 14, 1973. That first season ran for just under a month. A total of 628 hunters bagged 64 birds.

Today is a different story. Last year, the Division issued 9,865 licenses for the spring season.

Colorado is home to two subspecies of wild turkeys. The Merriam’s wild turkey, a Colorado native, inhabits areas of ponderosa pine, oak-brush and piñon/juniper woodlands. The Rio Grande wild turkey, native to the central plains states and introduced into eastern Colorado in 1980, inhabits cottonwood stands and river bottoms adjacent to agricultural lands.

"Wild turkeys have substantially rebounded because of extensive transplant efforts, protection through game laws and habitat improvement projects," Rick Hoffman, the Division of Wildlife’s lead biologist for wild turkeys, said.

Each year the National Wild Turkey Federation in conjunction with the Colorado Division of Wildlife provides wheat, corn, sorghum and alfalfa seed to private landowners who wish to enhance wildlife habitat on their property. Extensive habitat improvement projects also take place on some of Colorado’s State Wildlife areas.

The National Wild Turkey Federation has donated more than $16,000 to habitat improvement projects throughout the state.

Twenty-two of Colorado’s hunting units require special permits (already awarded through a February drawing), while much of the rest of the state is open to hunters who purchase an over-the-counter license. However, 30 units are closed to all spring turkey hunting. Refer to the 2001 Colorado turkey-hunting brochure for details.

The cost of a license is $10.25 for Colorado residents and $75.25 for non-residents. Hunting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.

Colorado has two hunting seasons for turkey, one in the spring and one in the fall. Fewer hunters participate in the fall season, perhaps because of the number of other hunting seasons that occur at the same time.

During the spring season, hunters can take one bearded turkey. As a rule the male, or tom, grows a beard that extends outward from the top of the chest (just below the neck). In some cases, however, females are also known to display this characteristic.

During the fall turkey season, hunters can harvest either sex.

The fall season runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 7.

According to the National Wild Turkey Federation, a nonprofit conservation group, approximately 2.6 million American sportsmen hunt turkeys.

The growing number of hunters pursing turkeys means that other recreational visitors to Colorado’s outdoors should be aware that hunters are in the field during the spring season.

"We strongly suggest that turkey hunters take precautions to avoid accidents, and recommend that non-hunters be alert for the presence of hunters," says Patt Dorsey, the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s hunter safety coordinator.

Because turkeys have exceptionally keen eyesight, hunters wear camouflage clothing to blend into the surroundings. Nonetheless, safety experts recommend that hunters consider wearing daylight orange that is visible from all sides as they enter and exit their hunting areas or move to retrieve a decoy or a downed bird.

Likewise, successful hunters should wrap their turkey in a hunter daylight-orange game bag or vest for added safety when walking out of the woods.

Safety experts warn that hunters should avoid wearing the colors of red, white and blue because these three colors are bold characteristics of a gobbler’s head in spring. Those same colors, when found on cigarette packs, candy wrappers or handkerchiefs can also pose a danger.

Before shooting at an approaching bird, be sure to look beyond to see whether other hunters are in the line of fire and always clearly identify the target as a legal turkey before firing.

Do not shoot at a movement, even if you hear a gobble. It may be another well-concealed hunter. One study of turkey hunting accidents showed that while the turkey hunters saw what they thought was part of a bird, in none of the accidents did they see an entire turkey.

The most generally accepted technique for hunting turkeys is to find a spot where the birds are known to frequent, and then use a "calling device" to lure the birds in. The danger is that one is apt to call-in another hunter instead.

If this happens, safety experts suggest the best way to alert the approaching hunter is to speak out in a loud, clear voice and remain still. Don’t worry about spooking any nearby turkeys; the simple act of someone walking through the area has already compromised your setup.

Dorsey also recommends hunters pay careful attention to sit behind a large rock, tree or stump to protect their backside. "Select the largest stump, blow-down, tree trunk or rock that is wider than your shoulders and higher than your head to place your back against when calling; a hunter is more likely to spot another hunter when moving to the front or side than from behind."

Experts also advise tying a visible band around the tree against which you are sitting.

Another safety consideration that turkey hunters should to be aware of is the danger of another hunter mistaking decoys as the real thing.

Dorsey suggests that hunters never carry their decoys in open sight. "Carry decoys fully covered in the pocket of your game bag or in a special decoy bag. Never carry an uncovered decoy any distance."

"From a seated position, identify the clearest line of vision to your front. Establish a sight line that allows 100 yards of visibility. Then set your decoy(s) approximately 20 yards to the side from your position on the line," advises Dorsey. This prevents you from being directly in the line of fire should another hunter mistakenly shoot at your decoy.

National statistics indicate that spring turkey hunting incidents have decreased from a high of 8.1 per 100,000 hunters in 1991 to a low of 2.95 per 100,000 last spring. Colorado has not had any accidents during the spring turkey season over the past five years.

Colorado Division of Wildlife officials estimate that about 20 percent of the spring hunters will successfully bag a wild turkey.

Scouting for sign left by turkeys is a great way of increasing the odds of a successful hunt. Signs to look for include roost trees, droppings, feathers, scratch and dusting areas; and listing for gobbling.

Consistently, successful wild turkey hunting requires a high degree of skill. Wild turkeys are extremely wary and possess keen color vision and very good hearing ability. Turkeys can see in a radius of 270 degrees.

In the spring, hunters are more likely to hear a turkey before they see it. The familiar "gobble-gobble" can be heard as flocks of adult males begin to break up and each tom attempts to setup his own territory.

As territorial squabbles ensue, the males call and strut to attract females. As a result, the males are easy to hear in the spring.

Although "still-hunting" is sometimes used as a method of hunting turkeys in the spring, calling is by far the better method. Before daybreak move quickly, position yourself between the roost and suspected feeding area or on a ridge top (toms are easier to call uphill that downhill). The peak of daily gobbling occurs just before daylight and this will help you locate the birds.

Do not get to close to the roost that the tom or hens may see you. Hide yourself in available foliage or behind a portable blind. Take care to hide your face and hands, as they can be a real "give away" to your location.