Mid Day to late afternoon

[Duncan7709]

I am hunting turkeys for the first time this year and will have limited time to hunt because of school so I want to make the most out of the time I have in the woods. My question is where is the best place to hunt in the afternoon around 3 o clock? Thanks

[woody1975]

My suggestion would be to scout the area you plan to hunt before your season but during the time you plan to hunt.

Find out where they are roosting and get in between where they are and where they want to be.

My .02

Best of luck to ya.

[erikh45]

I am not an expert by any means, but I have had quite a few plans fail. Depending on how much public land is around I have had luck glassing fields from a distance, finding birds, and then trying to call them closer or intercept them on their way back into the woods to roost. Just be sure you are on public property of have permission. This doesn't always work, but it is more fun than setting up and calling blind. For me it is nice to know that I have turkeys in the area. I mainly hunt South Dakota and don't have the time to scout, so this works well for me on a tight time frame.

There is my $.02

Erik

[Nate McVey]

Where I hunt in MI, there is really only one flock on the farm we have access to. Once we take a bird out of that flock, it becomes hard to call in the remaining birds for the rest of the day.

Mid afternoon I will head to public land and walk logging roads (making sure to stay clear of other hunters vehicles I come accross) and shock call to get a response. Once I get a response, I will set up and try to call them to me.

If you know where they roost, setting up between them and the tree is a great late evening tactic.

Good luck!

[Tipup101]

 Originally Posted By: Duncan7709

I am hunting turkeys for the first time this year and will have limited time to hunt because of school so I want to make the most out of the time I have in the woods. My question is where is the best place to hunt in the afternoon around 3 o clock? Thanks

Best time of the day to be hunting me boy. Look to the fields the will be feeding right before they head to roost that evening. If you know where they roost just set camp in that area and wait for them to show. Now they may not roost in the same spot every night the may go back and forth between many roost but there is a pattern there you just have to figure it out. Good luck to ya.

[Cooter]

I've killed numerous birds from 11-1:30...run and gun works and if you don't have lots of patience like me its fun. Call every 100 yards or so and when you call have a tree to sit by picked out. Lots of times they won't respond til you get close. Also have seen it where out of the blue a tom will start gobbling, for whatever reason he just gets fired up. Those birds are typically alone and often easy to kill, it just doesn't happen a whole lot. One a side note, I usually hunt the later seasons which tips the odds of finding a lonely tom - not that it doens't happen earlier though.

[Hotspotter]

Hunting roost locations has its pros, but more cons IMO; both from an ethical and a hunting perspective IMO.

Ethically, this topic is a challenge, and every person has to make their own decision. Just like out west, the birds will eventually learn to make their way to roost later and later, avoiding hunters. However, seeing a bird fly up, esp. after several days of tough hunting may tempt a hunter to take it out of the tree and/or shoot after hours. Not the kind of hunt you're looking for. After all, if you want to just kill a turkey there are other more fast, effective, and efficient means of doing it that are also outside of the law.

From a hunting strategy perspective, lets say that bird makes it around you, flies up to roost from another direction, or otherwise foils you while still getting up into the tree as they so often do......Now you have to leave. Without spooking him. Without spooking his hens. Without spooking other Toms that might be roosted with him. Unless you've got the grit and patience to wait a few hours and tip-toe out of there, you're likely going to ruin your next morning's hunt. Depending on the size of the area you're hunting and available roost locations, you're also going to probably blow those birds out of there for awhile. Maybe the duration of your season?

Setting up, sneaking around, or otherwise intercepting them on the way to roost is a better opton. Trying to entice/steer them in your direction with calling is a much better situation yet. You get your crack at the bird. It works or it doesn't, with no future hunt implications, and you get to feel a bit better about the end result.

Joel

[erikh45]

Good Point(s) Joel. When I first started hunting turkeys I tried to get too close to roost locations I think. It was very frustrating to bust a flock off the roost before the hunt began. Now that I have more experience I like to try to figure out what is important to them when they first fly down and try to intercept from a safer distance. That way even if I do bust them enroute I at least had a chance, and I haven't messed up their roosting location. Turkeys are probably the most frustrating animal I have hunted, now that I have made it a goal to take one with my bow it has gotten nearly impossible, but after all it's all about the hunt.

Erik