# Rookie question: Morning, Afternoon, Night....



## Mightymouse (Sep 19, 2007)

Ok, I've mentioned on here before that I've decided to give turkey hunting a try this year for the first time. I don't really have any mentors and am pretty much going in blind with little to absolutely no experience. I have low expectations and am looking forward to trying to figure this thing out on my own but am still trying to iron out a few basic questions first.

I know from what I've seen on TV, heard from others, read on here, etc that morning hunting is very common and very effective. My question is how are the afternoons and evenings?

Are there techniques that may work better in the afternoon/evening? Is calling equally effective at all times of the day? Basically, do you guys hunt all day long or is it mainly mornings?

I ask for a few reasons. Obviously I am trying to figure out when my odds are best but I am also asking because my 4yr old will likely be at the cabin and has already asked to come along like he does during deer season. Trying to figure out if taking him out mid-day is a decent plan to get him to see some birds.


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## limbhanger (Feb 10, 2010)

Anytime of day can be effective and action packed. Sometimes it depends on the day as to what mood the turkeys are in. Mornings get lots of press cause birds almost always are sounding off on roost and hooking up so it can be exciting. Often though, gobblers are roosted with the hens and what he does on fly down is pretty much dependent on what the hen does. When the hens start nesting, then midday is the hot time in my opinion b/c that gobbler that was henned up all morning is now alone and looking. Warm afternoons are also great times to hunt dust bowls. My opinion is that most of the time, birds talk less late in the day but they will still come to the call. Really no bad time to be hunting them in my opinion.


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## ezcaller (Feb 21, 2009)

You want to hunt mornings because like Limbhanger says that is when they sound off.That will help you decide if you want to stay in the area. Late morning to early after noon is when you can strike a bird that has lost his hens and probably your highest chance for success. I only hunt late if I have not tagged and it is late in the season. I am always roosting birds in the evenings and if I find a spot that they reliably roost in then I will hunt in the evenings. They are much more subdued in the evenings most times with little gobbling and flock talk until fly up- then its too late to hunt. Give all three times a shot and tailor it to your style of hunting.


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## TheLionsFan (Dec 20, 2011)

I think all day is the best option. Though I agree the toms arent as vocal as the day goes on, I have seen them be VERY vocal in the afternoon before. 

The mornings, like mentioned, are probably the best. The birds are more vocal and usually henned up. But this can be tough because its pretty darn hard to talk a tom out of leaving his girls. This is when patience really comes in handy. Those hens are going to leave him, making him all alone and looking for love. And then your calls (assuming you waited it out!!) really can be effective. In my area and from observing over the years, this happens around 9-10AM. If you can hunt all day, do it. Turkey season isnt as long as deer season, so every minute counts.

What I like to do is bring a big lunch. Hunt for a while, walk back to truck/4 wheeler and take a break for 20 min. Let things settle down and move around. Then go back at it. On a nice day weather wise, this can be extremely relaxing.

Since you are a rookie, Im gonna tell you this: That tom is going to outsmart you a lot more than you think. It is NOT like it shows on TV. Its not as simple as making a locator call, hearing a gobble, "There he is", go set up, put decoys out, start calling, "Here is comes", then he comes right to the decoy and you shoot him. NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL. Sometimes, it can be that easy. But again, they dont show them getting outsmarted like you are going to experience. And I mean that with all due respect. (Sorry to go off topic). You're gonna find out real quick that they can see VERY well. And i swear they have a 6th sense...they just KNOW when something isnt right.

My best advice to you is be PATIENT and keep at it. Dont give up. It is very rewarding when you cash in.


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## cedarlkDJ (Sep 2, 2002)

Taking your 4 year old out is the biggest ? here! He sounds like a trooper if he goes deer hunting with you. Only you know how he is sitting quietly for any length of time. Turkeys dont seem to mind low noises, but their vision is their 100% defensive sense. One wrong move before you see themand you will not see them at all. Use a blind, take plenty of snacks and entertainment (reading) and take many good suggestions here into account. If hes a real trooper and a morning person, mornings would be better. He will at least hear them and see them if you are close to a roost. That will get the juices and interest going. Good luck! Turkey hunting is addictive! The more you know, the more you know you dont know!


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## Ack (Oct 3, 2004)

limbhanger said:


> Anytime of day can be effective and action packed. Sometimes it depends on the day as to what mood the turkeys are in. Mornings get lots of press cause birds almost always are sounding off on roost and hooking up so it can be exciting. Often though, gobblers are roosted with the hens and what he does on fly down is pretty much dependent on what the hen does. When the hens start nesting, then midday is the hot time in my opinion b/c that gobbler that was henned up all morning is now alone and looking. Warm afternoons are also great times to hunt dust bowls. My opinion is that most of the time, birds talk less late in the day but they will still come to the call. Really no bad time to be hunting them in my opinion.


Well said. I rarely ever hunt roost areas in the morning because once they hit the ground they are usually on the move, and if you're not right where they pitch down you're often out of the game and chasing them down. Determine where the flock goes at different times of the day and hunt them there. If you can strike up a response mid-morning to mid-afternoon, chances are you'll have a tom in your lap if you wait him out.


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## itchn2fish (Dec 15, 2005)

The best time to hunt turkeys.....is when you can.........


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

Lots of great advice!
Here a few things to keep in mind. Turkeys desire a few things, food, nesting areas, a means to digest their food and good roosting trees.
They will travel to food sources after they roost and before they roost.
They will seek out sand and gravelly areas to aid in digestion. They will seek out grassy fields to nest in after they have eaten and digested their food .And then eat and digest some more before they roost.Toms love to strut their stuff in all these desired areas. Put all that together in the area you hunt and come with a plan in acordance to their daily activities.


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## Mightymouse (Sep 19, 2007)

Thanks everyone for the great advice/tips offered up so far. Believe me when I say I am taking them all in and doing my best to become a sponge and absorb this stuff. 

Our neighbor up there has the birds on his place all figured out and keeps telling me to go over to his place and have my pick of toms since he won't be out there that week. I am hoping to get lucky and have some success on my own on our place and not be lured into taking him up on his offer. He has awesome land (I jealously refer to it as "the zoo") and I'm sure he's got some nice birds out there but I'm gonna try to get it done myself......till that last day anyways, then we'll see...  :lol:




TheLionsFan said:


> Since you are a rookie, Im gonna tell you this: That tom is going to outsmart you a lot more than you think. It is NOT like it shows on TV.
> 
> My best advice to you is be PATIENT and keep at it. Dont give up. It is very rewarding when you cash in.


Hahaha, yeah I'm definitely very aware of that reality! I am very much expecting this effort to go poorly with a great bit of comedy along the way. I'm actually looking forward to that part of it in a sense, it should be entertaining to say the least. If I'm lucky and get a blind, dumb tom to stumble his way across my path I will accept the gift from the hunting gods and understand it as such: a gift earned through luck rather than skill :lol:




cedarlkDJ said:


> Taking your 4 year old out is the biggest ? here! He sounds like a trooper if he goes deer hunting with you. Only you know how he is sitting quietly for any length of time.
> 
> Use a blind, take plenty of snacks and entertainment (reading) and take many good suggestions here into account. If hes a real trooper and a morning person, mornings would be better. He will at least hear them and see them if you are close to a roost. That will get the juices and interest going. Good luck! Turkey hunting is addictive! The more you know, the more you know you dont know!


He did pretty good last fall (as a 3.5yr old) and sat with me a handful of times during the hunting season. He won't sit for very long yet, his max was about an hour and 20 minutes last gun season in a shack blind, but he enjoys it. Hopefully the warmer spring weather will help him sit a bit easier. I'm thinking a morning may be best because the action will keep him interested but at the same time it may be the most demanding in terms of him needing to be still, move quickly, etc.

I'm thinking some mid-day hunts will probably be the best for him but I was wondering what our chances of seeing/hearing birds would be. Would like to get him into some action to keep him excited and interested. He loves being in the woods so seeing some "real" hunting action would probably be something he'd enjoy greatly.


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## limbhanger (Feb 10, 2010)

I wish you the best of luck in your adventure and hope your 4 yr old is with you when that monster Tom presents you with a shot. No two days in the turkey woods seem to be the same. I have entered the woods mid-day to have birds double gobbling on their own and come in all fired up, other days they may come in silent and other days they may just ignore you. One additional piece of advice I would offer is if you get a hen to answer you just mimic her right back. I give her the same speak she is giving me whether its aggressive cutting or content purrs. Ususally this invloves excited yelps and cutts. Once you get the conversation going just keep repeating her. Just about everytime I get into this situation, morning, day, or late afternoon, the hen comes right in and most the time there is a flock in tow. This can be very effective.


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## fishagain (Jan 2, 2014)

Turkey hunt in the morning and fish for brook trout or hunt mushrooms in the afternoon. A little siesta might also be in order.


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## fishagain (Jan 2, 2014)

Turkey camp Newaygo public.


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## mi duckdown (Jul 1, 2006)

Hunt all day. On state land. I pack a lunch and run and gun. Shot more turkeys at noon then I did at first light. Never know which direction there going to go off that tree. BUT you can cut them off


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## Mid Michigan Outdoors (Feb 5, 2014)

If your hunting in a blind you should be fine to bring your son, I've had the damn things see me click my safety off. They have insane eyesight


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## Mightymouse (Sep 19, 2007)

Well, spent some time messing with my calls last night. Feeling pretty good with the slate call in terms of being able to control it and mimic sounds I was hearing on the computer. Also able to work the owl hoot call as well and am pretty confident that I have that one working as it should and am hoping it can be a locator for me.

I also have a cheap gobbler (Thunder gobbler from flextone I think it is) and can't get that thing to do much of anything that sounds like a gobble. Two diaphragm calls came in the call pack I bought and while I can get them to make noise I am far from comfortable with them, and when the reeds vibrate it almost tickles my mouth. Very odd feeling, still have some work to do on those guys before I'm busting them out in the field!!

Starting to formulate a plan of attack and have also talked to a few neighbors and secured some additional access so I can chase birds across the borders if need be. 

The fun will start in the Friday morning predawn darkness atop a hill in our field hoping to hear some birds making noise as the woods wake up. Hopefully if I hear them I can make a move from there and let the action begin.

It's looking like my son isn't going to be along with me now. It's a bummer because I know he would enjoy it, and so would I, but it also free's me up time and committment wise and will allow me to stay out all day if need be. I'll also be toting the camera around so I can share the video with him since he can't be with me. Probably a lot of video of me walking, setting up and calling and not much video of turkeys..... haha 

Good luck to everyone else out there!!


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## Cobb1973 (Oct 21, 2011)

Hunt all day!!!! This year my dad shot his at around 9am, my step mom shot hers at 3 pm. I shot mine at 5 pm and my nephew squeezed his in at 7:50 pm

Sent from my PantechP4100 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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