I would greatly appreciate your opinions and input on this. I use an owl hoot to locate gobblers in the evening and also some mornings when I dont get a chance to roost the night before. Right at day break I usually "hoot" and they gobble back. I was just wondering, how early can you hoot and have a gobbler respond. For example...... here in NY it starts to break day at about 5:00. I usually slip into the woods between 4-4:15. If i were to use the owl hoot when i first entered the woods do you think they would respond? If so great! If not, how early would you get a response?

I would think 4:15 would be too early. In my opinion, when you're doing it is probably a good time. Sometimes I get to a good listening point, and when I hear my first gobble, then I will owl hoot. So I listen close, so I can hear even the fantest faraway gobble. At this time, it is still dark enough to make a good setup without being seen.

I concur with zubba. Although you could try it who knows they might respond but Im guessing 4:15 will be too early

ive never ever blown a locator in the morning. i go into my predetermined listening spots and listen. if they aint talkin on their own they surely aint coming to a hen call. that IS why they gobble anyways. then when they start sounding off i pick one. usually the first gobble, closest gobble, or the one gobbling the most...usually the same bird...at that time its dark enough to sneak in fairly close and setup without getting busted.

i wouldnt wanna wake them up early...they could become irritable

We don't do much locating in the mornings, but in the evenings after we hunt, we will go to different spots where we suspect turkeys to be roosted, and we use coyote howlers to locate them. Works really well for a good thirty minutes after they've roosted. The howler is louder than a owl hooter, and we can shock gobble turkeys from a long ways away.

If its a full moon, you could have one gobble back, but ordinarily not that early!

In my area of northeast Ohio, we usually can't get them to gobble in the evening.But in the morning we go into the woods really early and get in good listening spots and they usually gobble on thier own. An owl call will get them going if nothing is working usually. Another tactic we use is to get in the woods really early and set up where we know they are roosting. Like as close as 30 yards from the exact tree. I have walked under sleeping gobblers using this tactic, and they never know you are thier. Usually it works best with someone else calling from behind you about 80 to 100 yards away. They will drop down out of thier tree right into your lap even in they have hens with them. Just where some real good camo.

They're usually sleeping untill 450-5:00...had one gobbling at 5:04AM yesterday morning...nuts[:-]

It all depends. I usually get to a listening spot and start with the owl call right away, early. Then try every 10 minutes or so. You are not gonna scare them or anything. Owls hoot at all hours of the night anyways. I've had times when the wont gobble till right before flydown, and also had times when I've gotten out of my car at like 4:10 and one was already going off. That was on a full moon night and doesn't happen alot but I say go ahead and give the owl call a try.

i have had them gobbling at my owl hootin' @ 4:16 a.m., 2 hours before daylight, at the time....i always hoot as soon as i get there...i say try it, if they gobble, you know where they are, if not, try again later......