How long do you hunt

[Moose]

I know i have 2 1/2 months till first season and trying to do as much research before my first hunt. Im having a hard time finding how long people are actually hunting. During the rut alot of people sit from dark to dark. I hear alot of mornings and mid days. So lets say 5am-10am and go home then come back at 2 till dark? Or just hunt once a day? What do all you beasts do?

[Jdw]

Typically the most popular timeframe is morning but if your area allows hunting all day then I would hunt as much as you can.

On a typical day in my area I hear more gobbling early but when I hear a bird late in the morning or around mid day there is a much better chance he is alone and I can call him in.
It is good to listen in the evening to put yourself in the right position for the next morning.

[simpzenith]

I try to spend as much time in the woods as possible, dark to dark on most days. Deer and turkeys are apple and oranges. Deer can go nocturnal, turkeys can not so spend every bit of daylight in the woods and you'll be successful a lot more often.

[cspot]

Check your seasons as a lot of states only permit hunting in the morning time frame especially early in the season. I pretty much hunt whenever I can and with turkey finding a hot one is the key. My best times have been within the first 1/2 hour after they come off the roost or after 10AM. Mid morning a lot of times the hens leave the gobbler to go to the nest. This leaves him lonely. Where I hunt we can't hunt evenings until the last couple of weeks of the season. I haven't had as much luck in the evenings, but I still give it a go.

[Cchez]

I typically only have 3 days to hunt on my Nebraska trip, so im out there from dark to dark. Im not always in the same spot, but im out there all day. I've shot them at all different hours.

[may21581]

As long as it takes to get the job done. From the opener to the closer and anything in between.

[thepennsylvanian]

This is a totally relative question, as there are so many factors that correlate directly to the hunt. I can only offer you my opinion based on my experience, but I'll base what time doing directly from what I'm seeing and hearing in the woods, and the weather. On bright and sunny but cold days, birds in my area kinda clam up and arent real talkative. On days like this I usually call it quits early and like to drive around to locate flocks. Now I never really "sit" like a deer hunt, I'm moving until I strike something up. The best time to get on them is first thing in the morning, the next best time is late morning. They'll start talking again once the hens head to the nest. i am a very impatient turkey hunter, so I'm constantly moving trying to locate birds. . . Most importantly just get out there and get yourself some experience!

[bigredneck61088]

I have killed them almost ever hour from sun up til noon! Afternoons and evenings I have limited luck because by then it’s late in the season here, and you need the right bird...

If it’s rainy, I am in a blind or gore Tex sitting on a field they use

Other than that I’m running and gunning trying to get one fired up, sometimes I’ll sit in a spot they frequent if it’s quiet and blind call, but if one fires off I’m moving and setting up to make a play

It only takes one lonely gobbler to change the day

[Robert501st]

In Missouri we can only hunt until 1pm so I’ll hunt every minute of legal shooting time if I have to. I used to get wigged out if I wasn’t in the woods an hour before first light thinking dawn was my best and only chance but I learned a while back that’s not true. I’m guessing now that 70 percent of gobblers I’ve killed over the years have been shot between 8am and 12. If I strike out that day, I spend the rest of the afternoon scouting, looking for mushrooms, or fishn.

[Racks&Beards]

As long as it takes to get the job done. From the opener to the closer and anything in between.

Yep. Unfortunately Missouri only lets you hunt till 1pm for the spring season though.

[Racks&Beards]

In Missouri we can only hunt until 1pm so I’ll hunt every minute of legal shooting time if I have to. I used to get wigged out if I wasn’t in the woods an hour before first light thinking dawn was my best and only chance but I learned a while back that’s not true. I’m guessing now that 70 percent of gobblers I’ve killed over the years have been shot between 8am and 12. If I strike out that day, I spend the rest of the afternoon scouting, looking for mushrooms, or fishn.

I feel like mine have all been either/or...where I'll either smoke one right off the roost and be done before my truck's engine is even cold, or it'll be somewhere between 10-12

[greenhorndave]

In Missouri we can only hunt until 1pm so I’ll hunt every minute of legal shooting time if I have to. I used to get wigged out if I wasn’t in the woods an hour before first light thinking dawn was my best and only chance but I learned a while back that’s not true. I’m guessing now that 70 percent of gobblers I’ve killed over the years have been shot between 8am and 12. If I strike out that day, I spend the rest of the afternoon scouting, looking for mushrooms, or fishn.

I feel like mine have all been either/or...where I'll either smoke one right off the roost and be done before my truck's engine is even cold, or it'll be somewhere between 10-12

When’s a typical off-roost time? Sunrise?

[Racks&Beards]

When’s a typical off-roost time? Sunrise?

Yeah. I'd say it's usually about the time the sun is just starting to peek above the horizon. I've seen them stay in trees later, or fly down earlier too though. Most of the time it's between 6:30-7 in my experience

[greenhorndave]

When’s a typical off-roost time? Sunrise?

Yeah. I'd say it's usually about the time the sun is just starting to peek above the horizon. I've seen them stay in trees later, or fly down earlier too though. Most of the time it's between 6:30-7 in my experience

Gotcha, thanks.

I certainly recall on-roost times when I’ve been in the treestand. It’s like, if elephants could fly, I’m not sure they could be louder than turkeys coming back to roost.

[Robert501st]

In Missouri we can only hunt until 1pm so I’ll hunt every minute of legal shooting time if I have to. I used to get wigged out if I wasn’t in the woods an hour before first light thinking dawn was my best and only chance but I learned a while back that’s not true. I’m guessing now that 70 percent of gobblers I’ve killed over the years have been shot between 8am and 12. If I strike out that day, I spend the rest of the afternoon scouting, looking for mushrooms, or fishn.

I feel like mine have all been either/or...where I'll either smoke one right off the roost and be done before my truck's engine is even cold, or it'll be somewhere between 10-12

When’s a typical off-roost time? Sunrise?

Depends on the weather. If the skies are clear it can be a good 15 minutes earlier.