Late Season Turkeys

[nik]

I am fairly new to Turkey hunting. I have had some sucess the last couple of years hunting with a shotgun early in the season. This year, I was not pulled and with my schedule it looks like I will be only able to hunt the last couple of weeks with my bow. My question is what should my strategy be this late into the season? Should my calling and decoy set up change? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[goblueM]

i'm no expert but i've found less success with decoys later in the season (I've hunted the G season the last 5 years). If you want to use them i'd suggest a hen decoy placed very close

I usually let the birds tell me what to do later in the season - sometimes if there is a lot of activity i'll sit and call.

Other times they really don't respond to the call and i've ended up pretty much deer hunting them - camping out on routes i know they take daily.

Recently I've had success running and gunning them, which is a lot of fun.

I guess in short not too much has changed... they're still turkeys and can be remarkably cooperative or infuriating, depending on the day.

[zzammon]

Agreed. Seem to be a bit more stubborn late. Granted you can still call them in strutting, but also be more willing to stalk and ambush.

[Dave S]

Most toms will be henned up in the later seasons in ideal conditions.

For those birds that are busy with a lady friend, you can coax them in. Just not by normal tactics. After your calls, listen for a response from the hens. If a hen replies to your calls, focus on mimicing everthing she does with a little (not a lot)more aggression. Maybe an extra cut or yelp a little louder. I've had many late season situations where I've gotten into a verbal battle royale with a group of hens. Bring the hens in and the toms will follow.

If the birds are off in the distance (200 yards+) this is your perfect chance to use more than one call. Don't be afraid to mix it up with a combination of any calls (slate/box/diaphram).

This is another reason why I like to use a blind for the later seasons. It affords me the opportunity to use more calls. More calls=more movement. Especially when the birds go quiet all of a sudden. You can easily grow impatient by not hearing birds. But in reality, they're very possibly on the move to your location. One little movement can put an end to that location.

I had this very situation happen last year. The birds were vocal up until they got within about 75 yards, then all was quiet. I continued with some soft purrs on a glass call. Before I knew it, that tom was pecking at my blind trying to get in. He snuck up behind us so quiet nobody else knew he was there until he gobbled a couple times walking away from us.

[goblueM]

i had a similar situation, i had a jake out in front of me in the field and lost sight of him in a little dip. Next thing I know I hear putting 10 yards behind me in the woods - he'd snuck right around on a deer trail. they can be pretty quiet when they want to be

[nik]

If the Tom's are already with hens, are decoys even all that important, or should I have a few?

[Dave S]

This scenario is really dependent on the individual situation and the birds involved. Some toms may come into a late season decoy. Some may have already been whooped and will run for the next county if they see a jake.

That said, I think you can increase your odds by using 1-2 hen decoys for the late seasons.

[DonBo]

I totaly agree with LEP. Every situation is different. How many have hunted the property before you may be an issue. How often have they already been duped by a fake flock of plastic birds that don't move. One day they may come running to decoys, the very next they run the other direction, that's turkey hunting. Ain't it great?

My best stragedy late is pulling out the blind and spending the day in a spot you know turkeys frequent. I'll always start with a decoy or two untill the birds tell me they don't want them, then I won't hesitate to pull them. Plan on calling softly and sparingly, always assuming a tom is close without anouncing his presence...unless of coarse they tell you they like it loud and often. God I love this stuff!

[nik]

Thank you all for your help. I will be hunting out of a pop up blind since I will be using my bow. I feel that will conceal my draw a bit more than just sitting in the brush. With that said, does anyone know what kind of broadhead I should be using? Will the broadheads that I use for hunting deer work? I might have to post this question in the archery forum.

[DonBo]

Any broadhead you use on deer will kill a turkey, with that said I prefer a large diameter mechanical head. 2" or more is a real asset.

While bowhunting I like my decoy(s) close. 10 yards or less. Face them towards your blind. A tom that comes into a hen decoy will like to get in front of her so he can be seen, hopefully puting him right in your lap.

[nik]

Excellent! Thanks for the tips. I am excited to give it a try with the old stick and string.

[Thunderchicken]

The times I have hunted late season have almost been the most exciting. Leave the decoy at home is my suggestion, then run and gun with a blind for bow hunting. Hunt spots u have seen birds frequent for a couple of hours at a time. Hunt all day!! I killed some dandies around lunch time near a stock pond in western SD. If u r lucky enough to hear some birds get on them fast. One other note if u r lucky enough to know where they r roosting go back there in the afternoon if u don't kill him in the morninng, u will be surprised to know that the toms come back looking for that last lonely hen every now and then.

As for broadheads, use what ever u shoot the best. But make sure that it will not pass through the bird. They can and will run a long ways with out an arrow hanging out of them.

JMO!!

Good luck! Man I can't wait for April!!

Thunder

[BRULEDRIFTER]

I'm going to just use this thread since my questions are about late season birds.

I've only hunted turkeys in 2 different years. My first year, which was 5 or 6 yrs ago, was a total wash, but a great learning experience, none the less.

Last season was my first "real" go at it. I was drawn for the 1st season, and literally set up on a honey hole. Action like you wouldn't believe, but unfortunately my inexperience prevented me from cashing in. (If I could only have done a few things differently, both my friend and I would have got HUGE toms on the first day! GGGRRrrrrrrrr! )

Anyway, this year I botched the app. deadline and am now looking at getting a leftover tag. Unfortunately the only season I'll be able to get in on is the very last one.

So......

Is there much for gobbling activity in the mornings from roosted toms like there is early season, or are they pretty much simmered down by then?

I'm going to go into this years hunt more like a deer hunt and try and find areas I may catch them traveling through, but am wondering if there is much or any gobbling to help locate birds.

Any other strategies you care to share for late season hunts?

Thanks!

[DonBo]

Oh yes, you'll still hear plenty of gobbling, though often it may be just once or twice early in the morning. Sometimes more, sometimes less. The thing is, that's really no different from the rest of the season. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

The only real difference is toms may be more wary about coming in to a call. Decoys can still work...sometimes. Try maybe just one hen. I typically cut way back on my calling...unless they tell you they like what they hear. Again, no different than the rest of the season.

Every day is different from opening morning all the way to the end of the season. You just have to listen and figure what works on that particular day.

Lat year I took two birds in WS and MN late in the season. Both were killed by sneaking as close as possible to the gobbles and calling sparingly, no decoys.

Good luck!

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Thanks Don!

I'm going to go into it with pretty looooow expectations. I figure I'm going to try and get out to the areas I'll be hunting as often as I can during all the seasons to look for pressure and listening to where the birds are hanging out. Maybe I'll find a spot that will get my confidence up. But either way it's always fun to be out in the woods no matter what.

One lesson I learned from last year is to put the dang call away! I think I could have easily got a bird if I would have not made the last attempt at calling to it. He was coming right towards me from behind (I could feel him strutting through the ground he was so close)but he hung up; and I'm pretty sure my calling probably hung him up, even though he was gobbling like crazy, and then eventually I think it scared him away.

I also had a few gobblers that would respond to my calling, but then I think I called to them one too many times and they were on to me.

Lessons learned!

So, were the ones you snuck up on last season gobbling during the middle of the day, or what time were you sneaking on them? Did you just happen upon them, or did you know they were there?

I read on here to just sit tight all day in an area where they might show up. Do you only go on the prowl for them if you can hear them gobbling, or do you 'still hunt' your way around with locator calls and hope to startle one into gobbling?

[rbs]

Last year I didn't pull a tag so I went archery the last 2 seasons. I gotta tell you....I had more birds within 30yds then I have in the last 5 years all together! In those last couple seasons they are VERY weary but are often traveling in pairs or singles. They seem to start kind of a pattern to their movements even more so then in the early seasons. I hunted a solid week on these 2 long beards that traveled the same route in the morning, and then in the late morning would come back thru the same way. I had them within 30yds every morning except one...that morning they were gobbling their heads off and got intercepted by someone driving past on the road(obviously he didn't connect). These 2 were extremely vocal birds...gobbled every time I would call to them. They absolutely would NOT stand for decoys tho! They absolutely hated them. Me being as stubborn as I am couldn't figure that out...lol. I was hunting with Magnus Bullheads and I could not get the bird to stand there, not even once! Oh well, I would not hesitate to hunt the last season again!

edit: I was also too stubborn to switch to a regular broadhead, like I am using this year!

[DonBo]

So, were the ones you snuck up on last season gobbling during the middle of the day, or what time were you sneaking on them? Did you just happen upon them, or did you know they were there?

I read on here to just sit tight all day in an area where they might show up. Do you only go on the prowl for them if you can hear them gobbling, or do you 'still hunt' your way around with locator calls and hope to startle one into gobbling?

One was on the roost yet, before daylight, the other about 9-10:00. I heard both gobble from a ways out and snuck in as close as I could, both probably 100 yards or so. You're right about the calling. If they're coming you have no reason to call again, if they are hung up a decoy may have brought them in...or maybe not.

I think stillhunting with locator calls is much more effective earlier in the season, but you never know. Few of us have enough property to stillhunt, or "run and gun" and more often than not you will scare them off your property onto the neighbors where you don't have permission to hunt. If you have LOTS of acreage to roam then knock yourself out, just don't say I didn't warn you.

Sitting in one spot all day is my favorite way to hunt. I set up in a blind with a thermos full of coffee, water, lunch, a good book and a comfortable chair. Call maybe only every 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour and let my decoy(s) work for me. If they show a strong negative response to the decoy(s) then I will go without, but my first attemt is always with the decoy(s).

[rbs]

Don- How many times have you fallen asleep hunting all day? I did....once last year....woke up to myself snoring and a bird putting and running within 10yds....dangit! That didn't happen again!

[DonBo]

Oh yeah. Was bowhunting one day, laying out in the open, flat on my back. Woke to a cluck. Three strutting toms and 4 or 5 hens in my decoys all within 20 yards...my bow up against the tree. Nothing to do but enjoy the show.

Another time had a couple hay bails stacked in front of me. Woke up looked all around, stretched and two jakes popped out from behind the bails no more than 10' from me. They got away too.

[goblueM]

like donbo said, later in the day sometimes the bankers hours are very productive

i like the 10 AM to 2 PM time period. gets hot sometimes though. i utilize the selective napping strategy as well last year the bird i shot woke me up by putting from 10 yards behind me

unlucky for him that he stopped in a clearing momentarily before taking off

[Dave S]

unlucky for him that he stopped in a clearing momentarily before taking off

if it was unlucky for him, I'm guessiing it was taking off towards some high speed dirt on his way to the gorund

[Cheetah]

I have always hunted public land, and I've found on the years that I hunt one of the last two time slots the birds are dead silent almost the entire time. Sometimes I would get some shock gobbles in the dark, but once it is light out they shut up and disappear. They almost never respond to calling of any sort. The times I have shot birds it was either some dumb bird that would gobble mid-day and let me locate him, or I would spot one walking in a field that I could sneak up to and ambush.

Keep in mind the area I hunt has a lot of guys hitting it each spring.

[Borch]

By best luck late season is usually mid morning trough early afternoon. When the hens go to laying the toms are still looking for loving. Sometimes we hear a lot of gobbling and other times none.

Personally I rarely use decoys especially late season. They've cost me more birds than they put in range. If I do use one it's usually a jake rather than a hen. Seems that the tom sees the hen and hangs up strutting and gobbling until the real girls come to him, "Game Over".

We've thumped several birds the last two seasons.

We're all hunting the G season this spring. I figure that we'll have plenty of chances.