"Right around the place, I've been watching a group of at least 50 birds," he said.

"And the neighbors reported seeing turkeys everywhere. In 2008, we had much better breeding conditions and no harsh weather after the little ones hatched. I expect some really good hunting this spring."

Last spring, his hunters got seven toms that weighed more than 20 pounds apiece, including one whopper of 26 pounds. You can contact Bergman at (805) 238-5504.

To the north, outdoor writer Terry Knight, of Lakeport in Lake County, was very positive about the situation in his region.

Knight's been hunting these great birds about as long as I have, so when he talks turkey, I listen.

"I swear," he said, "production around here gets better each year."

Last summer, he saw lots of hens with anywhere from seven to 10 nearly grown poults, which is amazing. He also saw 19 longbeard toms in a group.

"I've never seen that many together before," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting out there among them this spring -- and for good reason!"

Knight got several favorable reports from public-land spots like the Cache Creek Natural Area, the Knoxville Wildlife Area and the Mendocino National Forest.

"A lot of folks have told me they're seeing more turkeys in the Fort Bragg area," he said. "And I know there are some near there on the Jackson State Forest, which is open to hunting."

Knight also mentioned hunting at Spenceville Wildlife Area was a bit slower there in 2008 than 2007.

The Cache Creek Natural Area is a mix of federal and state land, managed by the DFG and the BLM. For online details on this 70,000-acre walk-in property, go to the Web site blm.gov/ca/ukiah/cachecreek.html.

Or you can call the BLM office in Ukiah at (707) 468-4000, or the DFG at (707) 944-5500. At that number, you can also learn about the DFG's Knoxville Wildlife Area.

For information on other public areas with turkeys, such as the Spenceville Wildlife Area in Yuba and Nevada counties, the Daugherty Hill Wildlife Area in Yuba County, and the Oroville Wildlife Area, contact the DFG at (916) 358-2839.

Meanwhile, Aaron Brooks -- a turkey-hunting fanatic who represents Mad Calls -- said that in 2008, he was in on 18 successful trophy gobbler hunts, including three of his own. He expects spring 2009 to be very good in El Dorado, Sacramento, Amador and Placer counties, partly because of holdover turkeys from 2006 and '07.

"Recruitment around here was OK in 2008," Brooks said. "But I think it was a little off from 2007. The hens I saw didn't seem to have as many young with them. But don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of birds. It's just that there may be fewer jakes in the mix, and that might show up in the number of adult toms in 2010."

According to Brooks, more turkeys are showing up all the time in the El Dorado National Forest. He said hunters should try the fringe areas where there's a mixture of oaks, pines and openings.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA One of my best contacts in Northern California is, well, me! And from what I've seen in Shasta County and heard from others, I'd say things are definitely looking up around here.