Opening day of turkey season has its perks. A new season will make you forget about the previous year’s mistakes or misses, and it’s hard to beat that first spring morning after you’ve been cooped up all winter. Morale, energy, and expectations sit at an all-time high, with a season full of promise straight ahead. Killing a turkey on opening day might be your most exciting hunt, but killing a turkey during the last days of the season will be your most rewarding.
Despite what the outdated hunting forums or comment sections say, birds still gobble well into (and even after) the season. They might not be as eager as they were opening week, but there’s plenty of good turkey hunting to be had during those last few days of the season. Whether you’ve yet to fill a tag or you’re in a multiple-bird state, here are a few tips on how to kill late-season gobblers.
While this tip applies to turkey hunting across the board, it really pays off if you hunt pressured turkeys, especially in the late season. It’s tempting to think that the next call will be the one he gobbles at, but that’s rarely the case. If you’re hunting public ground or other hammered areas, put your call away and scout for turkey sign. Just because the birds aren’t talking doesn’t mean they aren’t around. Fresh tracks, scat, and scratching will help you find birds faster than cranking down on the yelps.
If you come across an area littered with scratching, post up and keep the calling to a minimum. When I find areas like this and the birds are quiet, I try to impose a no-yelp ban on myself. I’ll scratch in the leaves, cluck, or purr, and then wait. It’s tough, and I’m not always that strict with it. However, I’ve had multiple encounters where I called lightly and a curious hen brought a gobbler in or multiple gobblers came in silent. And, yes, the occasional fired-up tom will stroll in too.
I promise, I’m not sending mixed signals. Nor am I an advocate for overcalling. Successful turkey hunting has more to do with interpreting an individual bird than it does being a champion caller, though that certainly doesn’t hurt. While it’s generally a good idea to call less, some longbeards seem like they fire up the more you call to them. After all, sometimes punching a tag comes down to not just finding a bird but finding the right bird.
I’ve had gobblers, especially in the late season, that gobbled all the way into my setup, like they couldn’t get there fast enough. Those hunts aren’t frequent, but they are awesome. I don’t have the research to back this up, but I have to imagine it has something to do with hens going to nest, a reestablishing of the pecking order, or a combination of things.
Recently, I killed a turkey that wanted to play the game exactly the way a turkey hunter dreams. He gobbled at yelps, cutts, clucks, purrs, and scratching in the leaves. I got to watch him strut and gobble his head off around a field. Only, every time I’d go quiet, he’d turn the other way, quit strutting, and start to leave.
When he’d start to walk off, I’d turn my head the opposite way and yelp. Just like that, he’d blow up, turn colors, and start strutting toward me again. I’d go quiet, and we’d repeat the process. Finally, I decided to keep calling, even though it felt wrong, and everything inside me told me to shut up. I’m glad I didn’t. He put on a show, gobbled his tiny brain out, and strutted all the way to 35 yards where I shot him. While this goes against turkey hunting 101, there are always exceptions to the rule.
This should go without saying, but in the latter part of the season, most of the killable turkeys are in someone’s freezer. There are still plenty of turkeys out there; they just might not be in obvious places (like in earshot of the road). If you’re not hearing any gobbles, it’s probably time to trade out your heavy rubber boots for some hikers.
One of the best ways to do this is to pick a large parcel of public ground and work your way through it, calling sparingly and listening for walking or scratching in the leaves. If you come across a place with fresh turkey sign, park it for a while. It’s probably a good place to kill a tom at midday.
Turkey hunting in the late season can be both rewarding and challenging. As spring progresses, hens begin nesting and gobblers become more wary from hunting pressure. You’ll need to adjust your tactics if you want to tag a longbeard in May or June. Follow these proven tips to find and fool pressured late season toms.
Understand Late Season Turkey Behavior
During the late season, many hens are sitting on nests. This leaves gobblers looking for available females, making them susceptible to calling. However, some hens have lost nests and are still breeding. You may encounter lone gobblers or groups with hens in late season.
Gobbling and responsiveness can be inconsistent in late season. Some days turkeys seem to have vanished with no gobbles anywhere. Other mornings, gobblers tear it up at fly-down. This unpredictability is typical of late season hunting. Don’t be discouraged by silent mornings – try calling later to fire up reluctant toms.
Hunt Tough Toms Like Whitetails
Pressured late season birds often gobble but won’t commit to calls Treat them like wise whitetail bucks. Observe strut zones and feeding areas Set up blinds or ambushes where a tom is likely to appear based on patterns, not calling. You may not need to make a sound if you’re in the right spot.
Find Short Grass Strut Zones
Tall grass and crops make fields less attractive for strutting in late season. Look for grazed pastures or mow known strutting grounds. Short grass allows toms to strut and be visible to hens. They’ll avoid soggy vegetation in the dewy mornings too.
Stay Out Late
Most hunters are out of the woods by 9 AM. The mid to late morning hours can be prime time for calling in pressured longbeards. Toms are likely to respond to calling once other hunters have left. Be willing to stay out later than the crowds.
Target Dominant Toms
The boss gobbler is often the toughest bird early in season. But as hens start nesting his attitude changes. Don’t overlook dominant gobblers just because they were hard to call in previously. Their need for hens makes them vulnerable.
Get Tight on Gobblers
In late season, gobblers may answer but not walk far to your calling. Thick spring foliage allows you to get very close before calling. Try to be within 100 yards or less of a gobbler to increase your odds. Prevent hung up toms by reducing the distance he needs to cover.
Make Milk Runs Between Strut Zones
Gobblers visit multiple strutting grounds through the day. If you can’t call one in, move to the next known zone. Set up and try calling. Or just ambush their movements between strutting areas. Copy this natural behavior to intercept pressured toms.
Call Less Aggressively
As the season progresses, match your calling to real turkey sounds. Loud, aggressive calling often makes pressured toms hang up. Instead, rely on realistic clucks, purrs and soft yelps. It sounds less like hunters and predators.
Scout Backcountry Areas
Look for remote terrain like swamps, rivers, or steep hills on public land. Be willing to work harder than the average hunter to access backcountry areas. Gobblers in difficult to reach spots see fewer hunters and respond better to calling.
Stake Out Dusting Areas
When hens start nesting, dusting sites become gobbler hotspots. Toms check these areas hoping to encounter females. Calling and setting up decoys in a dusting area is extremely effective in late season.
Team Up on Roosted Toms
Some gobblers fly away from calling in the mornings. Have two hunters set up in different known strutting zones. The tom will likely fly to the hunter not calling, so one of you is in the right spot.
Imitate Young Hens
Late season can bring a second breeding peak with first-time breeding hens. Use high-pitched, raspy yelping to imitate these “jennies.” It’s a sound gobblers rarely hear from hunters and may draw in pressured toms.
Pick Fights with Toms
When toms start regrouping, challenge them with gobbler yelps, gobbles, and fighting purrs. It simulates rival gobblers in the area, triggering a territorial response. This tactic often works on stubborn late season birds.
Use Locator Calls
Pressured toms may not answer hen calls but will gobble to locators like crows, owls, or gobble tubes. Keep him gobbling, pinpoint his travel route, and set up an ambush ahead of him. Realistic decoys and soft calling seals the deal.
Hunt Roosting Areas
In states that allow all-day hunting, focus on gobbler staging areas near roost sites in evenings. Toms visit these spots before fly-up. Either kill the bird or pinpoint his roost for the next morning.
Pursue Less Pressured Birds
Public land gobblers move away from hunting pressure towards the back corners near private land. Use maps to find these sanctuary areas, then scout to locate a more responsive tom away from the crowds.
Avoid Roost Calling
Calling to roosted birds only keeps them in the trees gobbling longer. They expect hens to come to them. Restrain yourself until fly-down, so toms hit the ground promptly and become vulnerable.
Double Up on Hung-Up Toms
When a gobbler approaches but hangs up out of range, a partner can help. One hunter keeps him occupied while the other sneaks in closer for a shot. Leaf scratching can also draw a hesitant tom those last few fatal steps.
Adjust Your Setup and Decoys
Avoid large decoy spreads in late season – they look unnatural when turkeys are dispersing to nest. Often a lone hen or jake is most realistic. Get very tight to gobblers before calling, within 100 yards if possible. And pick setups with shooting lanes through dense late season foliage.
The late season brings changes, but you can still fill your tag. Hunt later than the crowds, target lone roosters, call less aggressively, and be mobile. Do your scouting homework, pattern gobbler behaviors, and set up proper ambushes. Apply these proven tips to outwit even the wariest longbeards.
Hit the Unconventional Spots
Covering ground doesn’t just mean racking up the miles. Sometimes, you’re better off working through unconventional spots that don’t scream “turkey woods.” Everyone wants to kill a longbeard in old-growth forests or wide-open river bottoms, myself included. But you have to go where the turkeys are, not where you want them to be.
A few years ago, I killed a longbeard that was roosted in a stubby pine stand that had yaupon thickets interspersed throughout it. You wouldn’t have pegged that spot on a map. He wouldn’t leave that stretch of woods, and I had to crawl my way in there before getting a shot.
Honestly, there’s no real secret to killing late-season turkeys. It might not be the gobble fest of opening day, but it’s still better than the off-season. While these tactics can help, the majority of your success depends on your patience and persistence.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve punched a tag on mornings when I wanted to hit snooze. If you can wait out the crowds, you can wait out the season for sneaky good hunting. After all, patient hunters kill more turkeys.
Feature via Justin Michau.
How to Hunt Late Season Turkeys
FAQ
How to hunt turkeys in the late season?
Use the predawn darkness, thick cover, and terrain features to hide your approach. Crawl if you have to. And be quiet. Don’t march through dry leaves like every other turkey hunter. Walk softly and stop often. Try to sound like a squirrel or a deer going through the woods.
What is the best strategy for turkey decoy in late season?
When a decoy is placed out in the grass, it may look visible from your vantage point, but it may not be to a turkey. In all situations, but especially the late season when grass at other vegetation is thick, try to place your decoy on a hill or rise where it’s most visible.
Do turkeys still gobble late season?
Despite what the outdated hunting forums or comment sections say, birds still gobble well into (and even after) the season. They might not be as eager as they were opening week, but there’s plenty of good turkey hunting to be had during those last few days of the season.
Is early or late turkey season better?
The late season is always my favorite time to hunt turkeys. The main reason is by the end of the season most turkey hunters either have limited-out on gobblers or given up hunting them. So, the turkeys have much less hunter pressure than they’ve had at the first or the middle of the season.