Located a gobbler. Game plan time!

[1eyeReD]

Had a little time to kill and drove on over to a well known tract of public land. No cars in the parking lot and doesn't look like anyone's gone through there for some time surprisingly. Took a trail down to the edge of the woods, walked in a bit and was surprised to bump two medium sized deer. They blew at me. Nice.

Threw the diaphragm call in, moistened it and yelped a few times. Nothing. Continued down the trail another 100 yds or so, yelped.... Heard what I thought was a faint gobble in the distance. Thought to myself, "nah can't be..."

Continued, got to a pond. Moseyed around lookin for deer tracks, checked the water for fish, being a bored guy in the woods, ya know, minding my own business. Yelped. Did some cutting.. "Gobble gobble!!" Closer..

Headed back up the trail towards my vehicle, got to the spot where I heard the first faint gobble in the distance, cautiously walked slowly and quietly.. Yelped. "GOBBLE GOBBLE!!!" Sounded like he was just on the other side of the hill which would be less than 100 yds. I made it out quickly and quietly as possible without another peep.

I have probably until 8:00am at the latest in the morning to hunt at this spot and earliest in the afternoon 5:45 til dark the next day.. With a bow. I have a hot mamma Avian X that just came in the mail. Should I try to get at this guy? I know guys kill turkeys plenty early, but what about the late afternoons up until dark. How late have you killed a tom?

[sticknstring]

I was 10 yds away from getting a shot at 8pm Tues night. It can happen anytime if you know where they'll be at the time of day you're hunting. Hearing one gobble in the middle of day just tells you he's there at that particular time.

You need to get find out where he's roosting if you only have mornings or evenings. Get in there the next quiet morning and listen. If nothing gobbles on the limb naturally, try and get one to shock gobble. Hopefully you'll hear something and put a puzzle piece together. If not, that doesn't mean he's not there so don't get discouraged, but silent birds are frustrating.

[1eyeReD]

Yea I think Imma head out super early tomorrow and go near that location where I heard him and just do some calling. It'd be more of a recon mission than anything. Haha, in a blind with decoy set out, a tag and bow in hand of course

[fishdaddy]

My daughter got hers an evening after school around 7:15 pm. I had 2 toms come in at 3:30pm one day just not close enough and got one in the same spot at 7:13am. So it can happen any time of day. Just get after him when you can.

Good luck and take some pictures to share.

[Wanderer]

You can't get em if you're not there.

This time of year though I expect birds to start flying down around 5:30 am and back up around 7:30 - 7:45 pm. I do expect them to be drifting close to the roost by 4 pm or so I like to be in place no later than 3pm if I can help it.

Good luck tomorrow!!

[Borch]

Last week we shot birds at 9:10 am, 1:50pm, 2:15 pm, 4:40 pm and 5:50 pm. I shot two toms in the past 4 years with less than an hour left in the season. On the way home tonight I saw over a dozen toms out in the open with a lull in the rain.

This time of year if I could only hunt 4-5 hours it would be in the afternoon.

[nbadger23]

I have shot two birds within 10 minutes of end of legal shooting hours. I have a lot more confidence in the evening that I do in the morning. That may seem odd but if you've got some roost sites pinpointed you at least know they are headed back there at night. You may well know where they are in the morning but as to where they will fly down to and head off to, different situation there.

It kind of comes back to being where they want to go. It also has to do with what I consider to be calling skill that is still very much a "work in progress so the morning hunts usually end up with birds paying no attention to me :-)

Borch - your comment is interesting to me.. are you talking from 3 to close or earlier in the afternoon? Are your thoughts that they are more receptive to calling because hens will be on their nests in the afternoon by this time of year?

[Hoyt4]

There are a lot of birds taken off roost but the best time is the mid morning to afternoon when they leave the hens to look again. If you have the patience to wait them out you can be very successful. This year two of the mornings birds I took were after 3.5 hour wait once they left the hens then came to my calling and the other was 2.5 hours left the hens to see me.

[1eyeReD]

There are a lot of birds taken off roost but the best time is the mid morning to afternoon when they leave the hens to look again. If you have the patience to wait them out you can be very successful. This year two of the mornings birds I took were after 3.5 hour wait once they left the hens then came to my calling and the other was 2.5 hours left the hens to see me.

Very good info guys. Hoyt4... I'm a Hoyt man myelf

The ones you took after the 2.5 to 3.5 hr wait, did you hear them during the wait time? And did they hear you as well and just didn't pay attention.. Then came looking for what they heard earlier in the day?

This is all very good info guys, can't tell you all enough how much this forum teaches. I learned a lot about whitetail hunting from you guys and am now gettin schooled on turkeys. Makes a guy go out feelin more confident with tryin to figure em out.

[DonBo]

Birds are on their feet all day long. ANY time you can get out after them is the best time.

This last week, I shot one pretty early, 6:30. To my mind this is the best time to be in the field, only because I LOVE to hear the gobble. It gives me the confidence to sit the rest of the day. I also believe the best time to actually kill one is later in the day, as others have already said. My partner this week shot his at 3:30. He did answer a few of my calls from far off, but came in silent.

Last year I shot one right under his roost at the very last minute of legal time. The only way to find that roost is being there early morning to hear the gobbles. Again, I think early is best even if you don't get shooting, just because you can pinpoint those roost areas.

[1eyeReD]

dump I just got busted by two walking in. Not sure if they were Toms, but they sure saw me. Now Im sitting in a blind in a clearing near their location. Yelped, cutt, cuz thats all I know how to do.. Nothing. Got the Avian X out. It made me flinch a few times though. Just gorgeous out!

[Wanderer]

Cluck and purr if the birds aren't talking much. Rake some leaves if you can.

Seems like a great morning to hunt today. Last night was nice once the breeze laid down. Should be some good hunting to be had this weekend after all.

[Borch]

Borch - your comment is interesting to me.. are you talking from 3 to close or earlier in the afternoon? Are your thoughts that they are more receptive to calling because hens will be on their nests in the afternoon by this time of year?

I have found that they are more receptive to calling for what ever reason. Sometimes they still have had hens with them. They may not talk as much but if you get a gobble out of them it seems like it almost a slam dunk that time of day.

[DonBo]

...but if you get a gobble out of them it seems like it almost a slam dunk that time of day.

I completely agree. If you hear a gobble anytime after late morning, you stand an excellent chance of having that bird in your lap.

[brittman]

If you are limited to one spot, than sit tight and wait ... as other have noted waiting all day can pay off.

I also like to run and gun a little and also drive around my primary area in the late morning. Looking for other birds (hens, jakes and gobblers). Often focus on areas where distant morning gobbling was heard. Mid day scouting has paid off as much for me as sitting and waiting for that one bird.

Again access can dictate your strategy.

[1eyeReD]

I spent my first morning out on Sunday. As usual, my time is very limited due to family obligations so I was in the blind at 5am and left by 9:30am.

Overall, it was a good first morning hunt ever and though I didn't bag a bird (didn't expect to anyway) I had more action than I thought I would. Heard some early gobbling and because it was from the same location down the slope of the ridge, I figure he was probably still in his roost. Heard more behind me and some in the far distance across the pond.

After hearing the nearest one gobbling his head off for what seemed like 30 min, I went after him. I actually took the blind down and packed it along the edge of the woods to see if I can cut him off. And I did without getting caught!! Luckily it was foggy so I saw him before he saw me. He and a few other turkeys were working through the field and he was strutting hard. I backed into the woods and set up my blind on the edge slightly over a hill and then set out my decoy. From where I was at I just needed to walk about 20 or 30 yds to crest the hill and see him and the rest of the turkeys.

Called to him, and though he was answering, he never came to look. He had hens with him. Dangit!! When I first saw him, he was just 60 yds out!! I felt very lucky I had the cover of fog. Otherwise, I would've been easily busted when I peeked over the hill. He gobbled closer and right when I thought he was going to appear, he would disappear back into the fog covered field. Did that a few times. Then the gobbling slowly got distant and he hushed.

I later met a fella who was very nice and had some good huntin talk with him. He had a lot of good tips and was very friendly. I hoped that I wasn't intruding on his hunt, but turns out he's pretty hardcore and went out way past where I was. We saw some other hunters arriving too.. This tells me the place does get a lot of pressure so I felt lucky I even got to interact and see a tom.

I may try to go set up where I think that tom entered the field some time this week before work, but I wonder if he'll do the same thing again. When I ran into him it was about 6:30am.

[Borch]

Public land that gets hit hard is prime afternoon hunt territory. Most hit it early morning and the lot is empty later in the day, especially week days.