This is my 2nd year turkey hunting. I hunted Michigan's early season last year. (April 20 - May 3) I could always get toms to gobble, but not come in. They seemed to be really henned-up. Every one I saw was with half a dozenhens and not interested in me. I was wondering if I might have better luck in the late season. (May 4 -10 or May 11 -31) I'm new to this whole turkey thing, so any advice would be helpful. I was also told to try a jake and hen decoys. I used 2 henslast seasonbut will probably buy and jake for this spring.

Spark _ I have hunted Michigan for more than 20 years and we go after 1st season. Yes at times the Toms are henned up but we do several things.

1. We pattern Toms and try to be in their strut area before the hens get to them.
2. If we miss that we go back or just stay later in the day and wait for the Tom to be alone - no hens
3. Jake decoy has not worked for us at all - but a Strutting Tom decoy has.

My partner is at 98% while I am at 92% - which means - Ya we did not get a bird every year - but one of us always do!

Now if you the time the 265 season which allows you to hunt the whole month of May and is a good deal. But we just don't have the time.

Looking at our journal we have hunted at times in both Months of April and May and have scored. The real key issue is to have a consistent pattern of where the Tom wants to be.

JW

Hey I hunt the late season becuse the birds are not as hened up but at times they are its easy becuse when they fly down they but the hens to nest then they will come looking for more action i have killed one every year in the late season! We killed 8 in are group last year. And you have a whole month cumpared to 2 weeks.

I am not from Michigan but if you have time to do some intense scouting you will be able to shoot a tom in any of the seasons. i would find what they do when they fly down and where they go. once that happens you can get between them and there destination they will walk right by you and, you might not even have to call. Good Luck.

if ya dont have time to do alot of scouting then i would hunt the later season. the hens will start to nest and toms will start to answer calls a bit better.

A tom with hens first thing probably won't come to your calling. But, he will remember it. Once he's done with those hens he maysneak back around to look for that hen he heard. So if you strike out first thing, you can stick it out right there, or try another set-up and come back to the first spot after a couple hours. I have really good luck after 10:00 AM in the early season. Afternoon is good too if it's legal where you are.

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll have to try sitting it out later into the morning. As a deer Hunter I'm too used to the early morning and afternoon routine. The toms were always with hens and would pass by out of range on the neighbor's property. The mosquitoes always chased me out of the woods by 9:00 am. I have a Thermacell for this year. There's a sandpit there surrounded by woods also that always had tracks and dust bowls, but the turkeys and I were never there at the same time. Some friends and I were target shooting in that sandpit on Labor Day and spooked about 25 turkeys out of the cut cornfield on the way in. So there's birds around for sure.

Sparky, I have hunted turkeys all over the USA and one State that I have spent the last 8 yards at is PA. PA is the toughest State to kill a spring gobbler and I have learned to hunt it the last week of their season.

If you have not got a lot of experence in turkey hunting the end of the season in any state will be less hunted and will create more workable birds. Mi will show better signs in the lastest hunt...