I'm a deer hunter who is learning turkeys. I hunt in Southern Michigan.

Our season goes from Mid April to the end of May. When is the best time to turkey hunt in Southern MI? By "best" I mean the time when the gobblers are most active and receptive to calling?

I know for deer there are a few magical days in early November that you don't want to miss. Are turkeys the same way?

Thanks.

in CA. the brids mate from late march up to almost May...the better hunting is the month of april....weather plays a HUGE key in turkey hunting.....i find the absolute best time to hunt is after a storm or on a day that is stormy then the clouds clear and you get some sunshine...this, atleast in my neck of the woods, drives those turks crazy......but for you i would say your best bet for most active gobblers will be begining of the season.

In Vermont the season runs all during May. Birds are strutting from mid April to late May here in the Green Mountain State.. The seasons are usually set to coincide with breeding to enable the hunters to call them in. Early season is always good because the birds aren't that wise yet due to lack of pressure. But lots ofmature birds are shot later in the month after many of the hens are on the nests and the 2 1/2 year old toms have been shot off. I have shot most of my biggest birds mid season in late morning.

hahahahaha turkey rut. Now that caught my attention. Ive never thought of it that way but your right. Well here in Indiana our season runs late middle April into the first couple weeks of May. The weather has a lot to do with the breeding activity. I would get out early in the season. I like the first few days to catch them off guard. The less hunting pressure the better.

Ditto

I also liked the term "RUT!"

Hey I hunt Michigan and have for over 20 yrs - I can inform you how I found it as I ahve harvested birds almost every week of your season over them yrs.

You have been given great information above. Go scout your intended place to hunt and get back to us what you have seen. We all can go from there.

JW

In Iowa we have for different seasons. I do the last one because it is the longest, and some of the hens will be nesting, making it harder for toms to find hens, thus having them come to my calling, I think it works, but I've only been hunting turkeys for about 3 years.

That must be one hell of apiece of PRIME PRIVATE land you hunt there!!!