First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

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When do you do your best turkey killing

Early morning
34
47%
Late morning/mid day
36
49%
Evenings
3
4%
 
Total votes: 73
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Black Squirrel
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby Black Squirrel » Tue Apr 02, 2013 3:00 am

I too sleep in, then drive around the farms, spot a Tom and put the stalk on. I do miss being all set up before first light waiting for the first gobbles of the morning, just not enough to wake up so early. ;)


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backstraps
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby backstraps » Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:33 am

I like to roost birds and try and coax them off the limb to the barrel but I have better luck late morning midday

Once the hens begin to head to nest those gobblers like to seek attention and I am there to accommodate :D
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rfickes87
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby rfickes87 » Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:38 am

I'm suprised how many guys have said midday. I've always considered the first light time to be the best due to how much they gobble and seem to interact with my calling. If they come off the roost without hens you've got a great chance.

However thinking back to last year, I struck out. i only hunted 3 days but I had a few answer me one morning at first light, maybe 50 times and they never came in. They wanted me to go to them i assume. I assumed they had hens but i couldn't see them. Then another day around 10 am i had a lone bird answer me and come straight in. He caught my movement from just 8 yards away and bailed. (i was hunting with the bow). But he came in straight to me very easily. So you guys talking about them being hen'd up in the mornings must be spot on. I understand the logic to hunting them after they've left their hens in late morning. That has been my struggle the last 2 season. They'll answer me but never come in to me (early morning).
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rfickes87
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby rfickes87 » Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:40 am

backstraps wrote:I kike to roost butds and try and coax them off the limb to the barrel but I have better luck late morning midday

Once the hens begin to head to nest those gobblers like to seek attention and I am there to accommodate :D


I never really thought about this but... I guess hens roost at night and nest during the day? So they abandon their nests during the night? OR if they actually have eggs then they'll sit on them 24 hours a day?
"Pressure and Time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure, and time..."
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backstraps
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby backstraps » Fri Apr 05, 2019 4:52 am

rfickes87 wrote:
backstraps wrote:I kike to roost butds and try and coax them off the limb to the barrel but I have better luck late morning midday

Once the hens begin to head to nest those gobblers like to seek attention and I am there to accommodate :D


I never really thought about this but... I guess hens roost at night and nest during the day? So they abandon their nests during the night? OR if they actually have eggs then they'll sit on them 24 hours a day?



Hens for sure wont sit on them 24 hours a day, but I have indeed seen hens once they get a clutch of eggs sit on them throughout the night

In most cases, the hens will roost near the gobblers and pitch off roost and feed until late morning (usually 10-11:00 am around me) then they’ll make their way and nest most of the day.

Early evening before the sun begins to set I see the hens back out filling the crawls just before pitching up to roost.
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby matt1336 » Fri Apr 05, 2019 9:42 am

The mornings have been good to me when I get the boss hen mad. I cut her off when she’s making noise on the roost. I call aggressive. That’ll some times bring her my way and she brings a Tom in a of of times.
Most of my luck as been mid morning. There’s something about 10 o’clock that’s been lucky for me... Turkeys and deer
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thepennsylvanian
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby thepennsylvanian » Fri Apr 05, 2019 1:24 pm

I have, by far, killed more of my turkeys after 10 o'clock, than the early morning. I have killed them at first light, but I have found that on public land, the pressure keeps the Tom's close to a hen in the evening which means he's roosting near by. He'll breed her in the am then spend the day finding a new hen to do the same! Last year, I called 3 gobblers in at the same time in WV, I shot o e of then @ 1215, the were super aggressive and gobbling their heads off! I realize this is the same every in my area but it just what I have noticed and have been able to have alot of success using that info!
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Hawthorne
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby Hawthorne » Fri Apr 05, 2019 1:37 pm

I’ve killed in all 3 times. Early morning my best slightly above late morning early afternoon. I have a turkey hotspot. It’s a roosting area, travel funnel for turkeys, and a strutting zone in one. I’ve sat it all times a day and shot one.
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby Ack » Fri Apr 05, 2019 6:26 pm

Around here most toms are with at least one or more hens almost all hours of the day.....even during nesting. It gets annoying.

But if you can locate a lone tom after 9:00 am he's as good as dead.....those are the boys I go looking for.
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby Jdw » Sat Apr 06, 2019 12:59 pm

My answer would depend on what part of the season/breeding phase it is.
That said it is a lot of fun to have the turkey killed and cleaned before breakfast.
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby oldrank » Sat Apr 06, 2019 1:20 pm

I have been killing them in the evening lately. Mainly due to my work schedule. If I had more choice of when to hunt I would pick mornings. I kill em when I can though n have never had issues finding evening birds to work. If they won't respond to calls I will stalk them down. Sometimes to me stalking them is more exciting.
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ThePreBanMan
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby ThePreBanMan » Sun Apr 07, 2019 4:11 am

Mornings. Because here in MA shooting hours end at noon during turkey season.
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brancher147
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby brancher147 » Sun Apr 07, 2019 9:49 am

Early morning catch them coming off the roost is the best for me by far. Evenings are completely foreign-can only hunt until 1pm in WV.
Some do. Some don't. I just might...
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thepennsylvanian
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby thepennsylvanian » Sun Apr 07, 2019 2:27 pm

brancher147 wrote:Early morning catch them coming off the roost is the best for me by far. Evenings are completely foreign-can only hunt until 1pm in WV.

We have only recently got half of the season, all day hunting in PA, but I still really enjoy hunting long birds in WV every year!
Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.
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Re: First light, mid-day, or late afternoon

Unread postby walking river » Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:44 pm

Mornings are my favorite to experience but midday seems to have an edge on producing.
I can't stand this indecision married with a lack of vision...


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