May is the month that truly involves all people who love the outdoors. Many are preparing for hiking, fishing, camping, photography and hunting.

I like the fact that it beckons to all kinds of interests and pursuits. One of the biggest in May is the opening of spring gobbler season.

The season opened May 1 and is second in popularity only to the opening day of buck season. Nearly a quarter of a million hunters will try their hand at calling in a wary bearded gobbler in Penn's Woods.

The key to the spring hunt is that it's all about calling in the bird because stalking gobblers isn't allowed. The use of a variety of calls is not only suggested, but it might be the only way you can get a bird into range of your shotgun or bow.

There are plenty of general hunting and safety rules to be observed during the season and they should be closely followed.

The most significant safety change is that fluorescent orange isn't a mandated requirement. But you won't find me in the woods without at least an orange cap or vest while coming and going from my stand. There are plenty of statistics to prove that the chance of an accidental shooting is more frequent in spring turkey season than at other times of the year.

When I hunt turkeys in the spring, I am carrying a shotgun in the 12-gauge, full-choke mode. There are many options for turkey hunters, but I have recoil issues with the powerful 10 gauge and the 20 gauge is lighter than I require.

The use of modern ammunition has made the shotgun a very effective hunting tool. The Game Commission limits shot size to no larger than 4 shot lead/copper/tungsten or 2 shot steel. The capacity of the shotgun is limited to no more than three shells in a pump action, semiautomatic or double/single barrel configuration.

Rifle-shotgun combination pieces must contain only shotgun ammunition in use and on the hunter's person.

Many hunters use blinds to hunt with the aid of decoys and calling. No live decoys, electronic calling devices, dogs or drives are allowed in the spring hunt. The blind must be constructed entirely of man-made materials, with no piling of natural materials around the stand.

There are many inexpensive blinds available, but if you don't care for the confines of a blind, you will need to go naturescape in your camo clothing.

The blend for spring is green tones and full camo cover on your face and hands. Nothing stands out more to a turkey than the brightness of hands and faces in the woodlands. Colors in the forest generally are muted and the attention of a flash of any color is not beneficial to your hunting success.

So what happens to your trophy gobbler once he's bagged? He must be tagged immediately after harvest with the spring turkey tag. The tag is to be placed on the leg of the bird before transporting it out of the woods.

If you plan to consume the bird, the carcass must be dressed and cooled immediately.

Good luck and safe hunting!