It was 4 a.m. on a cold crisp morning as I began my hike up the ridge to a favorite canyon in anticipation for the opener of spring turkey season. As I walked through the woods to my hunting spot, I was confident that my pre-season scouting efforts were about to pay off. An hour later, I had reached my destination. I quietly set up my decoys and erected a blind at the edge of a small field where I had observed a number of large toms during the prior month.

At first light, I heard a few toms calling from their roosts in the trees, so I gave a couple of light clucks with my turkey call and immediately was met with multiple responses. Just as anticipated, a few minutes later, I heard birds fly down and land about 75 yards to the right of my blind. I gave a few more very soft clucks to gain their attention, then put down my call and grabbed my bow. I could hear the rustling of dry leaves as they approached my decoys from within the oak trees. The first to appear through the tree line were a few young jakes, but soon a very large boss tom stepped out from the shadows.

He was beautiful. His exceptionally long beard appeared to be about 11 inches in length. As he approached my decoys with that distinctive swagger of a self-confident gobbler, the jakes scurried out of his way to watch from a short but safe distance. With every step he took, the gobbler's large black chest swung his beard from side to side, and his red head and neck seemed to intensify as he came closer. I knew the game was on!

Fifteen yards from my blind, he began strutting beside my decoys, making that distinctive drumming sound as his feathers vibrated and his wings continuously clicked to attention. The adrenaline -- wow! -- raced through my body. I prepared myself for the opportunity to shoot. When he turned to face away from me, I drew my bow undetected while his huge fan blocked his view of my movement. As he turned to his right, giving a clear shot at his vitals, I released my arrow and watched my first trophy tom of the spring season hit the ground. He weighed 23 pounds, sported a 10 1/2-inch beard and had 1 1/2-inch spurs. He was a trophy any hunter would be proud to display.

Turkeys are considered one of the most difficult species to hunt due to their extremely keen eyesight, giving them the ability to detect the smallest of movements. And yet during the spring season, hunters have a slight advantage when it comes to pursuing trophy toms. during this time of the year, the toms' preoccupation with the opposite sex makes them vulnerable to being lured to within bow or shotgun range. Here are 10 ways to help you score this spring.