Across the United States, turkey populations are thriving, and hunting opportunities, on both public and private land, seemingly increase every year. Many states offer lengthy hunting seasons and liberal bag limits.

If the 21st-century turkey fanatic has a problem, it’s deciding where to go. Truth is, there’s hardly a bad choice; however, there are some states that offer especially outstanding turkey hunting. Where? Let’s take a look at what I might call Spring’s (Fantasy) Gobbler Roadtrip.

Washington

Though turkeys aren't native to Washington, there are now three different species to be found in the state.

We’ll start in the Pacific Northwest. True, an odd place to begin given the fact that turkeys aren’t even native to Washington state; however, here’s something to think about. Washington is the one of the few state’s in the nation where you can harvest three of the four subspecies (Eastern, Rio Grande and Merriam’s) that make up the Grand Slam over the course of one 45-day season. Looking for a single-season Grand Slam? Success on all three species in Washington and an Osceola in Florida will get you those certificates of achievement from the National Wild Turkey Federation.

By far the best hunting in terms of bird numbers and public lands occurs on Washington’s east side, and specifically in counties such as Lincoln, Stevens and Ferry, where both Merriam’s and Rio Grandes roam. In southern Washington and along the Columbia River, Klickitat County harbors good numbers of Merriam’s, while the Blue Mountains (Garfield and Asotin counties) in the extreme southeast corner hold Rio Grandes. As for Easterns, they’re found on the west side, but be warned. While Eastern populations are stable and even expanding in some areas along the Interstate 5 corridor, they are by far the most difficult subspecies to locate and harvest. The birds, like the western Washington folks who hunt them in earnest, are tight-lipped. You’ll have your work cut out for you.

South Dakota

An abundance of public land makes the Black Hills of South Dakota a prime Merriam's destination.

When it comes to turkey hunting in South Dakota, I have four words of advice: head for the Hills. Not only are the Black Hills among the most picturesque places on the planet, but turkey hunters will find more than 1 million acres of public land andplenty of Merriam’s gobblers. There’s side-of-the-road camping almost anywhere within the national forest, blue-ribbon small-stream trout fishing everywhere you look, low-minimum blackjack in Deadwood, and an incredible home-style breakfast at the Sugar Shack Café on Highway 385 north of Hill City. I mean really – what more could a traveling turkey hunter want?

My wife, Julia Carol, and I finished up our couple’s Grand Slam in the Hills in 2005, and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setting for the completion. Our hunt was all self-guided, using only a detailed map of the national forest, lots of legwork and some local intelligence from some very kind folks in both Sturgis and Deadwood. If guided hunts on private land are more your style, there are several outfitters operating throughout the area. A quick Google search will reveal plenty of options.

Oklahoma

Four or five years ago, I was living under the impression that, as far as Rio Grande turkeys were concerned, Texas was the ultimate spring hunting destination. Huge ranches, cheap licenses, four-bird limits and ridiculous numbers of gobblers were the rule rather than the exception. Things haven’t changed radically in the Lone Star State, however, Texas just isn’t all thatunique anymore. Western Oklahoma, on the other hand, now there’s unique.

I never gave Oklahoma much thought when it came to spring gobblers until last year. Hunting with a group of writers on the Turley Ranch (www.turleyranch.com) near Durham in Roger Mills County, we regularly saw flocks of birds numbering upward of 75 or more. One young man dropped the hammer at the close of an evening hunt on the last bird of an all-jake flock that walked by his ground blind. Why’s that special? His gobbler was the 134th bird in the string. What does that say for spring

Turkey callers are likely to find success on Rios in Oklahoma.

Pennsylvania

Being from Ohio originally, to me, Pennsylvania isn’t all that different in terms of turkey hunting. The birds are Easterns – big, wide-chested longbeards that aren’t afraid to gobble at everything, that is, except on those days when they won’t gobble at anything. One minute they’re fickle, running in the opposite direction even before you think about making that first yelp. Other days, you’re tagged out almost in self-defense. “He come on a dead run, boy!” I’ve heard more than one old Pennsylvania ridge-runner say in between sips of good post-hunt, hill-country bourbon. Pennsylvania is hardwoods and hidden pastures, dairy farms and seemingly bottomless timber hollows accented with flowering dogwoods and fragile trilliums. To us Yankees, Pennsylvania is turkey hunting, pure and simple.

Statewide, there’s plenty of public land to roam. State forests, national forests, wildlife areas: The Keystone State has it all, and then some. Spring is a fantastic time to sample Pennsylvania’s trout and smallmouth fishing. Under the right conditions, morel mushrooms are plentiful, and if you look closely, you might just uncover a matched set of white-tailed deer sheds.

Florida

If you want an Osceola to complete your Grand Slam, there's only one option – you'll have to head to Florida.

I’ve only hunted Florida Osceolas once. What do I, a newcomer to Osceolas, have to say about the whole thing? First, if you’re looking to complete a Grand Slam, there’s no getting around the fact that Florida has to be on your list. It’s the only game in town when it comes to the true long-legged swamp gobblers. Secondly, and as a boy raised on Buckeye State Easterns, my thought is that Osceolas leave much to be desired in the gobbling category. There are reasons for their relative silence – terrain, predators and the almost constant proximity of hens – but the fact remains.

All that disclosed, Osceolas are nonetheless incredibly exciting to chase, and Florida offers more than ample opportunities to chase them. Public lands abound throughout the state, with many by-drawing-only and limited-entry spring hunts available on these lands. The result of these lottery-style formats is a quality hunting experience in prime Osceola habitat. Private-land opportunities for Osceolas certainly do exist, either via outfitter or the traditional door-knocking method. What’s more, private-land hunters can harvest feral hogs year-round. And what’s better than baby back ribs and deep-fried turkey fingers?