The state's wild turkey hunting season opened at the crack of dawn this morning, so naturally I spent the last several days doing nothing but talking, thinking, discussing and researching turkeys.

Turkey calling, in particular.

See, it's easy enough to pick up a slate call and make a sound that -- at least to our ears -- sounds like a hen calling out in the middle of the woods. How easy? Well, my 2-year-old daughter grabbed the striker and the call when I wasn't looking and started making the raspy noises.

But there's more to it than that, as serious turkey hunters can attest. There are sounds that are alarming, sounds that are soothing and sounds that are sociable. Knowing the difference means the difference between bagging a tom or going home empty-handed.

Found a great video on YouTube this weekend, one that explains the basics for turkey-calling beginners. It may be somewhat elementary, but it simply and quickly explains the difference between box calls, strike calls and mouth calls. It explains which are better in varying situations and lets you hear what it's all supposed to sound like.

And, as I said before, knowing what sounds right to a turkey is of utmost importance.