The Hunting Beast

Which is your favorite time to chase longbeards? For me I would have to say mid-day......mainly for the fact that all of the birds I have killed in the last 10 years or so have come between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm. Don't get me wrong....it's awesome to hear the birds fired up in the morning, but generally they are henned up and it can be VERY frustrating trying to call a tom from his girls.

I would agree Ack mid morning has been very good to me I have had great luck with lonesome toms during that time period!

In fact I do prefer morning for approach and noon until lately for blind.
More efficient here...like I did explain on a "oldies" subject.

Mid day hands down!! 9 out of my last 10 birds have been between 10-12.

First light while the bird is still on the roost is the best time to kill one. In NY the season closes at noon daily. The second best time is after 10:00, if you can find one gobbleing. They are easy to call in then if they are looking for a hen.

My favorite time to hunt them is first light. I love to set up on them and hear them gobble when it starts to get light out. If I had to choose a time where I had to kill one, it would be from 9-12.

Definately mid to late morning to early afternoon is the best time in the later seasons, but I find in the early season right at first light is the best time to get a mouthy 2 year old to come running to the call.

The majority of my toms have been taken from 10-2. But it depends on the way the season is going for me to make that call when the best time to kill a bird is. If the birds are locked down most of the day, I will wait until roost time, get in a good vantage point were I can hear, maybe see, but can't be seen. I will wait for the birds to fly up. You will hear when they fly up. If I hear birds fly up single, I will mentally mark the spot. Fly up multiple, mark the spot. Try to get the tom to gobble. If the tom isn't roosted with hens, I will walk under the spot the multiple birds roost, that is usually the hens area, and I will bust those hens off the roost. Now this is done after dark, and I only do this if the gobbler is at least 100 yards from the hens. I do not walk under the gobbler or near him! Next morning, I will set up on that gobbler, and be the first hen he hears that morning, game over by 7:00 am. LOL if everything goes right! But it does work when you have lock jawed henned up toms all day!

In my turkey infancy, I believed you could only kill them early in the morning. As I gained experience, I agree with most that midmorning to early afternoon can be a great time.

My FAVORITE time would be mornings...love hearing the woods wake up. But I have killed more birds late morning.

Mid day... Mornings are magical and beautiful. But mid day produces.

mid to late morning. My turkey huting routine is this: Night before, head out to my parents farm. Set alarm for 4:30. At 4:30, turn off alarm and go back to sleep. Get out of bed at 7:30, make coffee. Take a cup of coffee to the hot tub. Sit in hot tub listening for the toms in the valley to gobble. Mark the location of the last tom gobbling at 9 am. Shower, get dresses, grab gun and call, cut the distance to him, make about 3 yelps and putts, shoot and kill, got back to the house for brunch!!!!! If that doesn't work on day one, then I have to resort to hunting and will be out at daybreak. But most of the birds I have killed have been between 9:30 and noon.

Early morning for me! 3 longbeards early morning, 1 around 8 am. Can be tough to find one gobbling after that, you can only hunt till noon in PA as well. I have also had many a tom so close, but pulled away from me by hens in the early morning though, setting up real close is key and the most exciting IMO! Nothing beats having 4 or more toms within 50 yards all fired up strutting, druming, talking to me... now I'm all fired up for turkey season!!!

I truly feel sorry for those who can only hunt until noon......you have no idea the amount of "mature bird" action you are missing out on!