The sound of a hen turkey at first light is one that every person who has ever hunted wild turkeys can vividly recall. While the initial calls may be somewhat faint, they're often followed by a tom's reverberating gobble echoing from the hillsides, a sound that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up and sends chills running down your spine.

As the forest floor is illuminated by the sun's first rays piercing the morning mist, the faint sound of rustling leaves can be heard nearby, an indication that turkeys are scratching the ground looking for tasty morsels. Within seconds, a dozen wild turkeys can be seen just 50 feet away, some of which are trophy toms sporting long beards and big spurs.

Three decades ago, the only locations where hunters could enjoy this exhilarating experience were in the remote mountains of western Maryland and in northwestern New Jersey. Back then, just hearing a turkey during the spring hunting season was considered a successful day afield.

Today, after three decades of trapping and transporting wild birds to new locations, these same sounds can be heard in the back yards of many urbanites residing throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Yes, the nation's wariest and largest game bird has adapted to suburban living, and some may be residing and feeding right in your back yard.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," said Jarrettsville, Maryland, resident and avid hunter Art Robinson. "It was the first day of the 2005 bow season for white-tailed deer and I had just climbed into my tree stand. It still wasn't daylight, but I could clearly hear something rustling in the leaves, and it was not very far away. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of a big buck I saw two weeks earlier, a 12-pointer that would have easily tipped the scales at 180 to 200 pounds or more, dressed weight. As the sun peeped over the ridge, I could make out some movement about 50 yards away, but the underbrush and shadows made it impossible to determine what it was. The next thing I knew, a half-dozen turkeys strutted out of the thickets and walked into the clearing right below my tree stand."

Robinson said the turkeys spent much of the entire morning foraging on the forest floor, turning over leaves to expose beechnuts, acorns, bugs, worms and bits of greenery, all of which were rapidly consumed. The irony of this was he was hunting on a small parcel of woodland surrounded by massive housing developments. The only disturbance came about when a fat doe walked within range of Robinson's crossbow.