ok, so ive had no problem finding turkeys in the early morning, 3 days in a row now, but after about 9 am on each day, its like they all dissapear, what are turkeys doing mid day to afternoon, hiding underground?
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ok, so ive had no problem finding turkeys in the early morning, 3 days in a row now, but after about 9 am on each day, its like they all dissapear, what are turkeys doing mid day to afternoon, hiding underground?
They take the bus and go to the beach.
Joking aside. Going by what you said I assume you're near a roosting tree. Between 9 am and 11 am turkeys should be in the field where the hens feed and the toms strut. Then around 12 am the hens go and tend the nest. This is a good time to search open fields or set up near an open field a make soft hen calls, this time of day toms are eager to respond to calling in the hope they get one of the few hens that are not sitting on eggs yet.
fantastic information!, i also think i must be by a roosting tree, same spot every morning i see them,, i think i will keep trying, as long as nobody beats me to it,,i keep trying to get to the location early ( 430 am ) to see if i can hear them fly out,, ive found their exit out of the woods to the clearing, so one of these days has to be the ticket, im torn to try new places, but my gut says to stay here until it happens,, ill keep you all posted as this would be my first. very pumped!
cheers
Because you seem like a nice guy I am going to give you one of my hot tips. But don't tell anyone else.:mrgreen:
If you know the exact location where the birds exit and it is constant then, provided there is enough cover, set up right next to the trail within shotgun range. Forget calling. All you have to do now is sit tight and wait until the turkeys parade by you within shooting range. Be ready to shoot as soon the birds come into view otherwise they will see you shouldering the gun and be gone. I often use this tactic on heavily hunted turkeys that are paranoid about turkey calls.
I used this tactic on my last hunt and would my partner not have moved in the wrong moment I would have killed the biggest Merriam's tom I have ever seen.
this is a very good point, and it did cross my mind, there is enough cover in this area, but dang its been so cold the last few mornings, its hard to sit still. i will definately give it a shot, cant wait to get back out there.
so here a question for ya,since we covered morning and mid day,,, i guess it would be right to ask should i be doing any evening hunting? after 5 pm kinda thing, will they still answer calls, or are they busy doing other things, ive never been out in the evening, but my wife works evenings wed, thurs, and fri this week, so ive come into some free time,, hehe
cheers
Yes turkeys do answer calls in the evening too. However, the birds hear so much calling, and bad calling at that, that I rarely call in the evening. If the birds are not disturbed they will head back to the same roosting tree. Set up near the roosting tree on the route the tom takes every evening and wait the him out. Set up within shotgun range.
On land where there are a lot of other hunters I do very little calling and often none whatsoever. Instead I use a whitetail deer tactic by setting up on the route the birds take and wait them out, like I would do when hunting deer from a treestand.
by the way thanks for sharring your thoughts here, it means alot to me,
lucky for me ive been out in this area 3 times the last week and not a sole looking for turkey but me. this tom, last time i saw him, he answered everytime i called him so he must not be bugged by other hunters yet,,i think i gotta seal the deal before someone else does, or before he figures out who i am!,,,, will keep you posted!
cheers!
ATTN:Boscheefish
As a member of HBC with less than 25 posts you must supply me with the exact location of of your turkey hot spot. I am doning this for safety reasons. Please PM me so no one else see's our hot spot. We can meet this Sat morning by 4:30am. :wink: