Early or Late?

[Doug Coats]

Disregarding the effect of increased hunting as the season gets older, are hunting conditions better or worse as the season gets older? In other words, are the birds generally more active or more receptive to calling, early or late in the season?

[Durado]

Doug,
I believe they are more receptive to calling later in the season when most of the hens have left him to go and nest. Pressure is a big factor, though.[smile]

[Tracker12]

Agree. Easier to get a gobbler that is not courted by hens. Pressure can have a tendency to keep the birds quiet. they often come in silent late in the season but there is never a rule of thumb with a gobbler. Just when you think you got him figured out he does something different.

[RUBLEML]

TURKEYS,WOMEN@FISH............UNPREDICTABLE!

[AdamCSA79]

It all depends on when majority of breeding took place in relation to the season. In recent years turkeys have finished breeding before season opened and hunting was pretty hard, could not buy a gobble. This year season opened right as breeding was on the upswing. Birds gobbling everywhere. I like to hunt when breeding is hot and heavy. Later in the morning at any part of the season the Tom usually wanders away from the hens. Around 10:00am or so you can usually call him in if you find him.

[RUBLEML]

THATS EXACTLY HOW I GOT MY FIRST ONE THIS YEAR!HE WOULD GOBBLE HIS BRAINS OUT IN THE MOURNING(UP THE TREE)then fly down ......respond a couple of times to my calls,then go off with the hens!well i decided to go back after him around 9 or so and he hadnt gone far!This time he had competition!(3 of them within 300 yards of us!)Two of them were double and triple gobbling,the other one was not as hot.Well to make a long story short the two loud mouths wre coming in real slow,but the other one came in quiet and fast,didnt make a sound until.............boooomm!!!! 19ilbs. 10.5 1.5 spurs not a giant ,but not a jake either!!!

[AdamCSA79]

Nothing wrong with that bird RUBLEML!!! I'm still trying to get my first this year.
I call them satellite birds. They hang around the dominant Toms flock trying to pick up some scraps. They heard you and thought they had their own hen to go after. The race was one. There is almost always one Gobbler trying to sneak in quietly so he can get to the hen first without the other birds knowing. They're gobbling and strutting around trying to get that lone hen to come to them. Meanwhile, that sneaky Tom or Jake has slipped in and is taking care of business, or getting his head blowed off. Good hunting to all. Gobbler down.