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When hunting new places, either new state or new ground that is too far to put boots on for scouting. Who likes opening weekend with more pressure or later in season less pressure but area has been hunted? 

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I'm a later guy, sometimes much later.

I am a later guy. Not to get on a soap box, but personally, I like to stand back and let the residents have the 1st week on public without me interfering. I'm not saying it's wrong to hunt the first week, I just know what it's like to get mobbed by nonresident hunters and try to be a little more mindful.

Quote from: Happy on June 30, 2025, 08:08:24 AMI am a later guy. Not to get on a soap box, but personally, I like to stand back and let the residents have the 1st week on public without me interfering. I'm not saying it's wrong to hunt the first week, I just know what it's like to get mobbed by nonresident hunters and try to be a little more mindful.

Good point. I generally hunt later in the season, as well, but hadn't really considered that rationale for doing so.  In most cases, I just want to avoid the "cluster" that typifies public land hunting anymore at the start of the season.

There are exceptions such as limited-entry hunts...or windows of opportunity I have for going somewhere...or season dates conflicting with hunting my own state. Most of the time, after sorting through those things, I find that my trips to new places are mostly going to take places towards the end of the season wherever that is.

I am good with that. Anymore, I actually prefer the challenge of hunting somewhere that I figure has been hammered by the time I get there just to see if I am capable of figuring out how to kill a gobbler in those places. If I end up getting my butt handed to me by the gobblers in those locales, I have learned to reluctantly accept that result.  ;D  ::) 

Quote from: Happy on June 30, 2025, 08:08:24 AMI am a later guy. Not to get on a soap box, but personally, I like to stand back and let the residents have the 1st week on public without me interfering. I'm not saying it's wrong to hunt the first week, I just know what it's like to get mobbed by nonresident hunters and try to be a little more mindful.

I'm down with this. I would rather let the woods clear out and do my own thing as well. Z

Quote from: Upfold99 on June 30, 2025, 07:43:01 AMWhen hunting new places, either new state or new ground that is too far to put boots on for scouting. Who likes opening weekend with more pressure or later in season less pressure but area has been hunted? 

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Depends. 9 times out of 10 later in the season. However, if it's a draw state and I need to plan earlier to make the trip work, I'll try to draw earlier (especially a certain state that only has non resident draw)

Mid season to late but in the end I'm just happy to be there.

It depends on alot of variables. Leafed out vegetation i always seem to be more successful and birds seem to be more willing to come to the call. So it depends on what that state sets the dates.

Whenever the location fits my schedule, I guess......

It depends on what your goals are. If your goal is to kill a turkey then I'll say the early season. If your goal is to have
a good time without being aggravated then give me the late
season.

I'm an early guy, I need all of the advantages I can get with turkeys that have not been pressured or called to yet...

But just getting the opportunities to do either is fine with me, as long as the season is open...IMO

The preseason early season has always been good with me

Quote from: crow on July 01, 2025, 12:40:30 PMThe preseason early season has always been good with me

:TooFunny:  Yeah, I hear the competition is slightly less in some places before the season starts...not a lot less, mind you...but slightly less... ;D  :angel9:

I would normally not hunt the first couple days. I'm not a crowd guy.

I will hunt from the opener, all the way through the last minute of the season on any ground. I'll work around pressure, but no matter what, I will spend the time to know the terrain. I enjoy turkey hunting so much, the only thing sending me back to the truck is lightning. I do enjoy the later part of every season with most of the hens bred, and more foliage forcing them to come in for a closer look.

Great comments. I prefer to hunt as early as I can.  My home state comes in pretty early, so it allows other opportunities at the end of the season. But man, the woods these days seem to be full of people no matter what part of the season you hunt.

This year in my home state, the woods were as full last weekend as it was opening weekend. Causes me a lot of early mornings and long walks.. lol

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I personally don't care. I usually am scheduling other hunts, so somewhere has to be first.

If I could avoid opening weekend....I wouldn't. Hunters with no etiquette don't stop hunting after the opener. You will have to deal with them sooner or later!