May turkey hunt

[threeway]

Has anybody hunted the last weekend in May? Just wondering how the birds act during this time compared to April? I'm taking a gentleman out hunting and he was drawn for the May hunt. I normally hunt the April with great success, just wondering if there will be a difference or different tactics I may have to try.

Thanks

[longcaster]

Try to find areas where the birds have not been pressured, this will be difficult that late in the season. I would be doing a lot of scouting and trying to find some smaller tracks of private land that have been over looked by other hunters.

[DonBo]

The hens should be long gone by then, nesting. The Toms will still be looking but will be very wary compared to your April hunt. I would tone down the calling and MAYBE use only one decoy, if any. The birds will tell you right off if they like them or not.

If you've got plenty of land to roam don't be afraid to head out after a distant gobble, he may be the only one willing to play.

If your hunting property is small, I may elect to get set up in a comfy blind and wait them out in a good spot frequented by the birds. Call spareingly.

Good luck!

[threeway]

Thank you, for the responses. I have lots of land with lots of birds. I was just wondering what works the best. These birds wont be hunted only once in April then once in May. The April season I'm usually done in 20 minutes of season. Maybe the May hunt will be a little more challenging? Will they still be gobbling in late May?

[DonBo]

Some will, don't expect as much as you're used to. But then again, every day is different.

[Borch]

I had a lot of gobbling several days final season last spring. Believe it or not gobblers were still henned up until mid morning. So still it out late as the hens go to lay and toms still get lonely. I avoid decoys like the plague late in the season.

[Powerstroke]

Each year is a little different. Last year we had a pretty late spring and so there still was some breeding behavior late in may. I did the archery hunt so its the last 2 weekends.

Call is very hit or miss depending on how much the birds have been pressured. The best thing to do is get lots of scouting in and pattern them like you would hunt deer. Try to find common feeding and roosting areas and the travel routes in between. We didn't get a bid with the bow, but we were easily within gun range a couple times.

[DonBo]

I also bowhunted the last two weeks of the season last year and never saw one hen. Did call in a few big toms, seven all together one morning, but that late season with a bow is tough. Should have gotten one with the shotgun without too much trouble.

Come to think of it, there was a pretty good share of gobbling most every morning.

[delzz7]

I agree with powerstroke, by scouting and patterning birds it will increase your odds of getting a birds alot. Its the most important thing in the pursuit of a turkey, knowing where they are or going to be.

[Bucksnort101]

I also bowhunted the last seasons last year. Was on a large parcel of public land and had birds Gobbling all aournd each of the five days I was out. Called in numerrous birds each day, but they refused to come close enough for a shot with my Recurve. They are a bit call leary late in the season and seemed to come readily from a distance to a call, the hang up and want whatever is making them sexy Hen sound to come to them.

Be prepared to back up and sound like you are moving away from the Gobbler you calling, leaving the guy with the gun in the same position.

I am currently reading a book where the authoer was hunting with another gentleman in the late season in the Eastern US. He called and called with his best calls (he had just recently won a calling competition and was proud of his calling) but was unable to call in a bird although they would answer him. His hunting partner then asked if he could call in a bird, he proceeded to do a seeminhly never ending stings of Kee Kee's on one of those push-pull calls and the birds came in. Said he did this several times at these birds and they just kept coming.

I think sometimes you just need to do something that has no rhyhme or reason to it, give the birds something different to listen to and make them curious.