"Our best season thus far has been 158 birds, and last year, due to some poult mortality from the year before, hunters harvested 103 birds," said Reynolds. "Though we do not have a lot of solid statistics, my gut feeling is, given the extremely rainy spring, our hatches were not the best we could have hoped for. Thus, this coming season will probably not be much different from the previous season.

"Hunters who are really serious about bagging a nice tom should go south. The farther south in Delaware, the better the turkey hunting," said Reynolds. But with that advice also comes a warning, of sorts.

Keeping in mind Delaware's comparatively small size, Reynolds said about 95 percent of the state harvest of wild turkeys is taken from private lands.

"We have public hunting lands to the south where habitat and conditions are ideal for turkey hunters, but hunters should also do some homework in an attempt to procure permission from private landowners to hunt," said Reynolds.

Making matters even a bit more difficult, Reynolds said much of the huntable private lands are under lease or use agreement with private hunting and gun clubs.

In addition, hunters planning on hunting public lands must apply for a three-day turkey permit, whereas gobbler gunners utilizing private lands do not need special permits.

The hotspots, or at least "best-bet" regions, according to Reynolds, would be Sussex County, followed by the central regions of Kent County. "New Castle County, while offering some promising spots, is traditionally not as productive," Reynolds said, adding the 2002 harvest was 158 birds. "That count was our best harvest to date."

Still, the turkeys of Delaware also displayed the same aggressive tenacity during the last two wet springs and a winter that brought unusually deep snows.

"Most of our birds made it through the winter despite the snows. I think part of the reason turkeys fared so comparatively well was the snow, while deep and nearly continual, never really crusted over to the extent that frozen surfaces would prevent the birds from scavenging for acorns or insects buried deep in the ground. They could get at the forage base by merely scratching the snow," said Reynolds.

Delaware's turkey season this spring will kick off April 19 and continue in three-day segments until May 8. All birds must be checked in by 1 p.m. of the day they were harvested. Applications for turkey permits may be obtained online or may be found in the state hunting and trapping guide.

With the tenacious turkey's excellent survival skills and adaptability, Mid-Atlantic hunters can expect a harvest at least as good as last year's and perhaps even better. All we have to do is say a prayer to the weather gods for better conditions than we've experienced during the last two seasons.