New to turkey hunting and have ?'s

[bigcountry25]

I have been turkey hunting a few times but still consider myself new to the sport. The ?'s I have are the rain will be ending tonight and the temp will be around 40-45 degrees in the morning with 10-20mph winds. Well birds gooble in these condition or do they clam up? What is the best conditions for turkey hunting?

[huntinMN]

I am also fairly new to this sport, but I did get my bird on the second day off my season. We hunted in similar conditions last weekend, except we didn't have any rain. The colder temps didn't seem to affect the birds none, but the wind did. When the wind seemed to get more than 15 mph the birds clamed right up. We knew there were birds around because they were gobbling before the wind. It possibly could have been that they couldn't hear are calls to. Less wind the better I found. Good luck and hope to see a post about your bird.

[Strut&Rut]

Typically, if you're hunting the Eastern subspecies:

1) Changing from a low pressure to a high pressure system, ie. rain to clear weather, especially after prolonged periods of rain (2-3 days) the birds can and usually do go nuts on the roost. They will gobble hard and will fly down early; likewise, the hens will also be very vocal.

2) Wind affects the birds primarily two ways: they have a hard time hearing each other, and also have a hard time detecting predators. With one of their key defenses rendered mute, they will typically go quiet as a self-defense mechanism. They will typically either go to large open areas, such as fields or cutovers, or go to deep hollows (usually with evergreens) which break up the wind and noise. When hunting these birds, call softly, and move very little. They are relying on their vision for predator identification, and the slightest unnatural movement will set them moving.

Personally, after a rain, I try to get there early and listen for the birds in the roost. The soft moist ground will allow you to get close to the roost, hopefully between the toms and their hens. If not, this is where patterning is key, because at least you will know where they are going.

[HDLLC]

I agree with Strut&Rut-

My experience with the opposite - high pressure to low - the birds won't gobble very much (if at all). They seem to stay on the roost longer as well.

I have had good luck in rain, and prefer the damp conditions. Even though due to barometric pressure, or other factors that keep birds silent, if you can spot them your movements are masked pretty well in the damp, wet wooded floor. I'll take that any day over the snap, crackle, pop of a dry leaf bed in the spring.

Be careful in high winds as well. I grew up in Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Hunting big 'ol Easterns there had me hunting in ways that did not pay off our here on the Nebraska high plains.
Out here, the hilly terrain and the fact that birds (Merriam's) don't gobble as loud, had me running over them the first year or so I was here. My point is that wind can give you similar trouble and amplify or muffle their calls depending.

Hope that gives a little help!

Good luck and be safe!

--Jeff