turkey question

[boscheefish]

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?

[huntwriter]

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.

[boscheefish]

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

[huntwriter]

Because you seem like a nice guy I am going to give you one of my hot tips. But don't tell anyone else.

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.

[boscheefish]

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

[huntwriter]

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.

[OutWest]

Any luck this weekend?

[knockturnal]

i know how you feel. i hunted a few turkeys for 3 days straight. First day out, i had 2 toms gobbeling up a storm within 100 yards of me. I set up, gave a couple calls, got some answers but could never get them to come up the hill towards me. They kept on getting further and further away.
Day 2 rolls around so i go back to the same place and find myself following another truck. So, i pulled over and started walking. I get about 20 yard sinto the bush and hear the truck stop a few hundred yards away. doors close./ then nothing. I am still standing in the bush. havent moved. Its a bit dark out still. And then i hear a gobble a few hundred yards away. Then those 2 guys started calling their heads off. It was a valian effort to say the least. As i am standing there, which i still havent moved, i hear a shuffle of wings and look up and here there is a tom roosting in a tree above my head. He flys straight down into those 2 guys setup but i hear no gunshot. They are still trying to call in the other bird. I move about 40 yards and bring up the binos and see that they have 2 decoys out in a little clearing and the tom that flew out of the tree landed inbetween their decoys and their truck. That was the last i saw of him that day. I sat down and watched from a distance as these guys tryed to call in this tom for a good hour and then i said ta hell with it and went back to camp.
Day 3
I was up even earlier that morning and brought along 2 other friends. We are first there and i slowly walk up to the tree trying to see if one was roosting there. Then we hear a gobble and set up down by where the other guys were the previous day. I make a few calls and realize that this bird is WAY far away and on private land. So we walk through the bush for an hour. Stopping and listening. Watching the grouse in their mating rituals like little turkeys. About 2 hours later we head back to the truck and who is standing not 20 yards from it is what i think the tom that flew outta the tree the previous morning. Little to say other then that they can run like the dickens!!!

[boscheefish]

well guys, i had a great last day on saturday, lots of bears out, was playing tag with one for a few hours, i think he liked the smell of my lunch.

no turkey to take home this time but had some very good action, and i know where to go next spring i guess..

being my first time hunting turkey id have to say im hooked for life, the highlight of this spring was having that one gobbler respond to me and put a show on for me, i think if it was not for the 2 hens that distracted him, he would have kept coming my way, owell thats what keeps me coming back i guess and thats hunting for ya.

thank you all for your help and info to a newbie.

lets talk fall turkey tactics??? i see there is an opening than too, but i would assume it would be a different approach than spring hunting?

cheers

[boscheefish]

anybody hutning these turkeys in the fall? with any success?

i would assume that its more of a just stumble apon one and shoot, or do they still need to be " called "