I love being out there before the sun comes up and hearing those birds get fired up on the roost... But generally, looking back, I kill far more birds later in the morning.
When I do kill birds before the sun comes up, it is generally early in the season... And it usually seems it is cause I pulled an angry hen over to check me out... I have had fly-down cackles work, and I have had roosted toms land right in front of me, but those have been the exceptions as opposed to the rule.
From mid-season on, I find I do better later in the morning. The birds are far more quiet, but if I can get a gobble at 10am, I have some degree of confidence of killing that bird.
As much as I enjoy hearing those birds thunder off on the roost, I get far more excited when I hear that single gobble a ways off late in the morning.
When hunting roosted birds, I find that decoys can be helpful, but if I am going to run & gun to stir up a gobbling bird, I leave the decoys behind.
How about you all, more birds killed early in the morning, or later on?
Probably half in the first hour of daylight. That would probably be cut to a third if I was able to hunt all day more often.
70% between 9am - 2pm. Get one to gobble at that time he can die
Proverbs 3:5
"Trust in the lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding"
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I teach High School and make quick hunts in the morning before school. Therefore, I would say 60% of the birds I kill are in the first hour. Also, in Missouri, we have to stop hunting at 1 pm. If my circumstances were different, I'm sure those numbers would be different.
I do like hunting in the evening when I travel out of state. Can't beat those hunts when you run across a bird gobbling on his own at 4 pm.
My results are skewed a little because I don't hunt as much in the first few hours as I do the rest of the day. Since I bowhunt, Im generally set up in open fields rather than close to a roost, so the majority of my kills/encounters are later in the mornings after the hens leave the toms, and the toms head out on their own. I'd say I see the most activity between 9-11, and again in the later afternoons.
When I get one to answer me at 10am, I get real excited.
A few years ago in Nebraska, I was heading out to one of the properties at about 9am. I hit a crow call and had 3 toms gobble from 3 different directions, and it sounded like I was directly in the middle of them, so I quickly set up and hit a few yelps on the call. All 3 birds again gobbled at me, and within 20 mins, I had all 3 toms all making their way toward my decoys.
I would say 6:30-9 is when I have taken most of my birds mainly bc where I usually hunt, season closes at noon....
Majority between 8:30 and 11:00
Last year was the first we could hunt all day. I killed one at 1030 and one at 1440 and in NH we doubled early in the morning around 0710. on different days, day 3 of season and day 6. The double in NH was our first day of hunting in NH. Previously they were mostly from first light ahead 2 hours and 1000-1200. We hunted the afternoons but did not bother them going to roost. We did not want to pressure our local birds too much. On a trip, I would hunt them all day if legal.
For me it's all over the clock(daylight hours of course!!) I've only killed about 25-30 so my opinion might not be best. The one thing I have found is that when I kill one I'm done for the day. In thinking about it if the turkey are going to allow themselves to be called in early they will most likely do it later too. Go when you can and hunt hunt hard.
0700-1000
Only killed a dozen, but they were all before 11 am.
I can hunt all day, save an hour or two in the early afternoon for a lunch break. When it's really hot outside I tend to hunt less in the mid day when I'm on my home ground. Here is last years kill times from memory.
1. 13:30
2. 17:45
3. 07:10
4. 07:30
5. 11:20
6. 17:30
7. 11:15
8. 16:30
I am highly confident in afternoon hunting.
9-11
Before noon but I've killed them from sunrise yo sunset.
Most of mine have been killed right before the alarm clock goes off.
Being fairly new to this crazy thing we call turkey hunting, this will be my eighth year. I've taken four toms, first one was at 0700, second one I worked for about an hour and took him just before noon, third one was a 30 second hunt, sat down just before first light thru out a few yelps he flew down hit the ground and was shot in the face. Fourth one was about 0900.
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All but a few have been between 9 am to 1 pm
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After 9
I've killed them at all times of day but usually later in the morning is when I shoot most of them. Early in the season when they're with hens I have rarely shoot one off the roost. It's usually a few hours after sunrise when I find a lonely gobbler. Later in the season is usually when I kill them right off the roost. My favorite time to hunt them is in the evening. If one gobbles at you in the afternoon then you're in for some action.
I have taken the majority of my birds well after flydown, between an hour after sunrise and 11 AM.
The second best time for me has been between 3PM and 5 PM.
More than half have been between 10:00 am and 12:00pm, just over 1/4 have been before 9:00 or so, the minority in the afternoon/evening. I grew up in MO, so most of my hunting up until 5/6 years ago was ended by 1:00 daily.
Shortly after I take my safety off....
I have been fortunate enough to take them from right at daylight to just before dark but the best time is in the afternoon. If you can get one gobbling after noon he has a pretty good chance of dying.
Quote from: guesswho on March 01, 2015, 08:35:47 AM
Most of mine have been killed right before the alarm clock goes off.
You are a lucky man... My alarm usually goes off just as I am taking off my safety. :'(
Quote from: Bigspurs68 on March 01, 2015, 06:20:16 PM
Shortly after I take my safety off....
Ahh... A smartazz... Which is admittedly far better than being a dumbazz... ;D
Thanx for all of the interesting replies... Looking at the forums and the tactics, most of us are obsessed with getting at those birds right off the roost... I drag my butt out of bed at 3:00 a.m., stumble around in the dark, sit and patiently wait for shoot-time, and generally kill my birds later in the morning...
And, in fact, harassing those birds on the roost has probably hurt my hunting more than helped... This year, I might wake up, have breakfast with the wife and kids, and head out for a leisurely day in the field...
I have killed far more from mid to late morning than right at daybreak. The first two weeks of the season we must quit at 12 pm. Three years ago I worked my gobbler for 2 hours and 10 minutes and killed him at 1152 am. I had 8 minutes to spare. :o Plenty of time. LOL!
Quote from: Marc on March 01, 2015, 10:50:40 PM
Quote from: guesswho on March 01, 2015, 08:35:47 AM
Most of mine have been killed right before the alarm clock goes off.
You are a lucky man... My alarm usually goes off just as I am taking off my safety. :'(
Quote from: Bigspurs68 on March 01, 2015, 06:20:16 PM
Shortly after I take my safety off....
Ahh... A smartazz... Which is admittedly far better than being a dumbazz... ;D
Thanx for all of the interesting replies... Looking at the forums and the tactics, most of us are obsessed with getting at those birds right off the roost... I drag my butt out of bed at 3:00 a.m., stumble around in the dark, sit and patiently wait for shoot-time, and generally kill my birds later in the morning...
And, in fact, harassing those birds on the roost has probably hurt my hunting more than helped... This year, I might wake up, have breakfast with the wife and kids, and head out for a leisurely day in the field...
In all seriousness, I have hunted Ohio and West Virginia the more than anywhere and having to stop hunting by mid day has led to killing a bunch of morning birds. There seems to be a magic time between 10 and noon that has seen the end of many birds. Now that we can hunt all day in Ohio for half the season, I enjoy finding those afternoon birds as I do in other states. Last year my oldest girl killed a bird in Kentucky that was hammering at fly up time. We had to rush to get pics before dark.
As far as sleeping in...it isn't worth missing a sunrise.
Here in PA majority of my kills happen in the first hour, however if I can get one to gobble from 10 - 11 it usually is promising for a kill. I have hunted quite a few states in the west and I actually had better luck in the evening hours out there.
If you find that right bird you can kill anytime!
I've always done better with birds already off the roost say 9am to 11am, seems like I can set up on roosted birds and they never follow along with my plan LOL.
I have found that in the last couple years that 4pm in the afternoon is pretty good time also. I was tagging along with a buddy and he got his then.
Ive always felt better about hunting the morning's but the afternoons are just as good!
Quote from: tomstopper on February 28, 2015, 04:49:55 PM
I would say 6:30-9 is when I have taken most of my birds mainly bc where I usually hunt, season closes at noon....
This
My Easterns have been killed anywhere from flydown to 1 PM when IL ends for the day (used to be Noon). An average would probably be mid-morning.
My Merriams are skewed more toward late morning to early afternoon.
The greatest benefit to hunting at daybreak, beyond experiencing a sunrise over the turkey woods, is it gives me the greatest opportunity to hear birds gobbling on their own and have some idea where they are and how many there are.
Called in the best ones midday
I've killed them at first light & last light....
I guess maybe 10 am to 1 pm...
But in dark to dark states, I love late afternoons....
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8-9 am.. I assume it's after they get done with their first hen usually. I'll take the sloppy seconds though. :fud: :OGani:
9 t0 2. killed them all day at different times , but I think most have fell for me during this time frame.
The lion's share of my longbeard kills, and particularly those on public land, have been in the afternoons. Know where the birds like to hang out. Bounce around from likely area to likely area calling aggressively, strike a bird, make a move, and call him in. No doubt, it's a fun and rewarding way to punch tags, and still one of my favorite ways to hunt public land.
The past couple seasons though, I've really focused on learning how to kill them in the mornings. Honestly, I hadn't figured out how to kill birds before noon with any consistency, and it frustrated me that so many people found this easy. "Just get close on the roost and when he flies down, call him in." Sounds simple enough right?
What I learned is that secret to killing a longbeard in the morning is patience. Just let him know you're there and wait. Don't pay any mind to what he does after he flies down. Don't try to move if he goes the other way. Don't try to get him fired up, he'll almost surely gobble up a hen before he makes it to you. Just sit there and let him know you're there. If he hasn't gobbled in an hour, call a little. So long as he doesn't get shot first, he will eventually make his way to where you are before 9:00 and likely at or before 7:30. I watched gobbler after gobbler die last spring using this very method. I do think a portion of them were not the hot bird on the roost, but instead a satellite gobbler that was looking for hens outside of their buddy's harem. Either way, a longbeard in gun range is a win.
Now, if you can consistently kill birds within half an hour of flydown, you are really doing something. That requires having your crap straight, and being in the right place at the right time. I've done it a couple times and it sure feels good when it works, but I've learned that when it doesn't, just get comfy, get hid good, and sit tight. Curiosity is a damn fine call.
I have killed most of mine between 10am-2pm. It is an exercise in patience sometimes to withstand calling to hear them gobble their heads off in the morning. If they are not headed in I'll wait until they gobble again later in the morning when they are looking for more love, and then it is on. Call soft, rake the leaves around me, and wait for them to arrive. :z-guntootsmiley:
changes for me some years mid morning but last 3 years filled my tags with barely getting set up straight out of tree couple years before that long sits were required for Easterns. Now for Merriams I find them harder to kill straight out of tree killed some that way but most been between noon and dark
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/PKay2004/TommyThreeToes92/fbae3652.jpg)
Most of my kills are between the hours of "off the roost" to 9am. I rarely hear gobbling after 10am in southern NY, but my peers would give you different stories. I've only killed one bird near the deadline of noon many moons ago.
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We can only hunt til noon in the spring here in NY. I've probably killed more birds between 8 and noon than I have earlier, but I wouldn't miss being out there first thing in the morning for anything.
Bob
I'd say mine are fairly even between right off the roost and around 9AM. Very rarely hear evening gobbling where I hunt.
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Whatever time it is that I finally find one that is dumb enough to come to my calling.... ;D
The places I hunt limit me since they're so small, generally. I'm forced to wait until they come to me (can't head them off or any of that).
Every so often, they'll be roosting close by and I can get them in early. Mostly though, I have to wait for the early morning flurry of activity to calm down before they'll come looking.
I can't tell you how many I've shot a couple of minutes before noon (stop time here in N.J.). I can recall a few that I pulled the trigger and looked at my watch and it was 3 or 4 minutes before noon. One in particular came in after a fairly long battle. I shot. Looked at my watch and the second hand was sweeping noon. I called a buddy while I was approaching the flapping gobbler and put the phone next him so he could hear it flapping...
Mostly I get 'em around 10 or so...
Ive had a lot of luck in last couple of hours of the hunt. Between 10/12. I've had a couple of buzzer beaters in my career as well.
;)
Earliest was right at legal shooting light, latest at 12:57, and 1:00 is our cutoff time. The majority have come between 10:00 and 12:00 though.
Seems like 0800 -1100. I'm always hopeful for that 0630, and sometimes it happens but not as much as I'd like. My states stop at 1200 1st half of season. 2nd half all day. I'll admit, I haven't been man enough to hunt all day from 0530 to 0-dark-thirty in the 2nd half of the seasons! I have had to walk away from a few at the high noon bell. That always stinks!
Between flydown and quitting time. Have had decent success off the roost but I will hunt as long as I can if I am not successful and is legal.
Between 10:00 and noon, Can't tell how many hot birds I had to leave at noon quitting time here in PA over the years? I strictly hunt Public Areas and it seems like most hunters have gone home by 10:00?
And for the reason after 10:00 once hunters thin out, is when I'll cover more ground, which is why I believe I've had good results then? Otherwise I wouldn't have covered as much area as not wanting to bump other hunters setups.
Quote from: Cutt on March 01, 2016, 08:48:55 PM
Between 10:00 and noon, Can't tell how many hot birds I had to leave at noon quitting time here in PA over the years? I strictly hunt Public Areas and it seems like most hunters have gone home by 10:00?
And for the reason after 10:00 once hunters thin out, is when I'll cover more ground, which is why I believe I've had good results then? Otherwise I wouldn't have covered as much area as not wanting to bump other hunters setups.
Yep, Walking away from a gobbling bird stinks to say the least, I've had to do it many times myself. I give you credit for thinking about the other guys out there too, I wish there were more people around here that did.
Bob
Quote from: OldSchool on March 02, 2016, 07:37:48 AM
Yep, Walking away from a gobbling bird stinks to say the least, I've had to do it many times myself. I give you credit for thinking about the other guys out there too, I wish there were more people around here that did.
Bob
Me too, have had many hunts boogered by others, so I know what it's like, and avoid doing it to others.
Most of mine have come between 8am-10am. Killed a few right off the roost but those birds later in the morning seem to work much better.
For years I thought if I didn't have one dead an hour after first light then the day was pretty much over. In more recent years I've gone 360 degrees. Now days I get up early for the roost gobbling and the classic turkey hunting ritual but I hunt from 10:00-noon to kill longbeards! I love lonely midmorning birds!
More birds for me are mid-late morning, kill them off the roost now and again but if that doesn't work out seems to be a few hours after flydown.
MK M GOBL
Most of mine have been between 9:00 am and noon.