Afternoon turkeys

[Billy74]

What time do you call it a day.  If you’re hunting for a few days do you call it at 2, 3, 4 or do you split up the day and if so what afternoon hours do you hunt? 


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[Dan-o]

From a nonexpert who has enjoyed hunting turkeys the last dozen years:

Turkeys often get more callable as the day wears on.....   at least in my experience.

We've shot lots of turkeys between noon and 4 PM.

I'm no expert, but I do think there is a time in the afternoon when they start heading back to roost and if you're not somewhat in the way you are very unlikely to call them off their intended path.

Good luck!

[jasnt]

I’ve had success setting up right at the roost trees in the evening.  Put out a hen and Jake decoy and had a nice long beard wondering in about an hour before sunset, he saw the Jake and was ready to fight.  Never called

[jrebel]

I would hunt till dark....most he birds I see roost right before dark.  If they are headed to roost, they generally are not coming to a call unless you are close.  Best part about roosting them, is you know exactly where they will be in the morning. 

As for best times...we kill most of our birds withing 2 hours of the sun coming up.  We have killed birds at all hours of the day though, so unless I'm tired and need a break....I keep after it.  Biggest bird I killed was mid day....he was partying with the ladies in a swamp. 

[Pathfinder101]

We usually hunt the morning, go get late breakfast and maybe lunch then get back out there by 3 or 4 pm.  As mentioned a couple of times here already; if you know where the roost tree/trees are, set up an ambush with a couple of dekes.  If you can't get to the roost tree (where we hunt it's on the neighbor's property), try to set up to intercept them when they start working that direction around sundown.  We've killed a few that way.   

[brokentrail]

While there is no definitive answer, for me, because I am traveling to hunt, I hunt all day in one way or another.  You may find that henned up birds are harder to hunt until mid-morning when the hens leave for their nest and suddenly those gobblers become very cooperative.  It can happen at anytime and it all depends on what suits you best.  I know a few guys that sleep in and start hunting about 8am and they still kill birds but I love to sit quietly and drink my coffee while they gobble on the roost, even if it is unlikely I can kill them first thing in the morning.

[bearpaw]

Turkey hunting is good all day long.

[turkeyfeather]

Personally......I prefer afternoon hunts. Go out about 3 and hunt till dark.

[zwickeyman]

I hunt all day but kill most of my birds from 10-2

[HighCountryBC]

Canadian here, from just North of Oroville but we mainly hunt birds across the border from Colville.

Most hunters are very keen on the morning hunt as there is usually lots of gobbling and turkey chatter off the roost but if toms are roosted with hens, it can be challenging to get them coming your way at fly down.

Late morning into the afternoon I have always found to be the most productive time of day to kill a longbeard. We killed 3 on opening day. With the late spring, we found most groups still in large flocks. Had some opportunities at fly down but with multiple hens landing nearby, the toms turned and followed them.

Was able to pull one away from the group at 11:30 and then hit a double 2 hours later. Just my 2 cents!

[bucksbearsbeers]

Never call it. Shot mine last night at 7:05 PM. Have shot several in the afternoon and evenings.


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[Rob]

What I was told was:

Try to stake out a roost tree in the morning and call them off the roost
In the late morning and into the afternoon explore and leverage shock calls to locate, then make a plan
In the evening, stake out a roost tree and try to get one when the go up, or at least put them to roost for the next day.

Turkeys are going nuts right now in my area.  I hear hens calling with earnest in the morning from 3 different directions and toms answering from all over the place. 

Toms/Jakes are responding to car doors shutting, dogs barking, any other loud noise and me going "blu-Blu-Blu-Blub-Blub" on the porch

[Rob]

And the inch of snow we got today has not phased the turkey activity! 

[Machias]

I grew up hunting turkeys in the Ozark hills of Missouri in the late 70s.  In MO the spring season ends at noon each day.  So for most of my teenage years I hunted turkeys hard in the mornings and then crappie fished all afternoon and evening.  When I first moved up here in 1994 it seemed very strange to me hunting turkeys after noon.  Still feels foreign to me. 

[hunter399]

Sleeping in ,killing turkeys in the afternoon.
Is da way.
Son got his midday to afternoon.
Good luck boys.