Tactic Changes for late season

[wonder]

I'm leaving to go Turkey hunting this weekend and have not been out in 20 years so I'm pretty much a rookie again. Do you experienced folks out there feel that you can still hunt in the open fields and clearings this late in the season or would you have better luck going for an ambush in moderate cover?

Will be hunting over near Spokane and person that we're hunting on his property says the birds are still talking in the morning but have been getting quieter towards the end of the season.  Hunters are still successful he says so I was just curious if I need to totally change my tactics with the hens staying near their nests etc etc?

Any good advice for last few weeks?

[turkeydancer]

I would ask the landowner where he has been seeing the birds and when. But your tactics will depend on the weather, hunting pressure, and other factors too. Generally I usually will start out on field edges or forest openings, but later on in the morning I head up and beat him to his strut zones if known.   The toms will want to be seen and heard to attract more hens after his normal hens leave him for the nest.  But if its raining fairly hard, I stay by field edges or forest openings (since they do not like rubbing up against wet brush which penetrates their feathers).  Also if its windy I hunt lower, because they don't like the moving brush which messes with their vision and it also makes it hard for them to be heard.  I also call softly and sparingly, unless it is windy and I may pick it up so he can hear me.  I find if they are forming batchelor groups and I don't have to worry about other hunters that a gobble call can be effective this late in the season.  A tube or wingbone call ... one that they haven't heard a lot of ... can also be very effective. 
 

[wonder]

Thanks for the feedback Turkeydancer.  My buddy and I just got back from our hunt and got skunked.  Paid some decent money to hunt areas where there were known concentrations of birds but guides were tight lipped about where those exact areas were.  They put their guided clients right on top of birds but we were left to wander and hope we ran into them.

Birds were extremely quiet and didn't talk after about 8:30.  I can count the gobbles on 1 hand for almost 2 days of hunting.  We did manage to jump a few birds but could not tell ethically whether they were toms or hens so could not even attempt a shot.

I will look into some type of gobbler call for the late season but I'm afraid we're going to have to wait for Fall season now to make another attempt.  Birds were there but because of our steep learning curve we don't have the expertise to be successful just yet.  As they say we need more mileage.

Thanks so much for the advice

[Camp David]

I was North of Spokane late May last year for a few weeks. I heard a lot of birds Morning, noon and evening. I think the late season on property that has not been hunted hard can be better than early season. The Toms will be looking for that last fling while a lot of the hens will be nesting. They might not come in gobbling so sit, call and be patient...you will find one. Find those strutting spots (ridges are always good) and set up close by.