ManofTheFall

My grandson and I will be going out in the morning after I get home from work. We probably won't get out to our spot until about 8:30. I have always gotten out there before sun rise. Should I approach this hunt differently. Maybe try and locate some birds then try and set up on them. Input would be appreciated.

Sheridan

Set-up on a corner of an open field with a single hen and call softly & infrequently .........

Oldtimr

If you see any vehicles where you are planning to unt, keep going, they birds were probably over called to.

JoeA

In answer to your question...yes. An NWTF survey showed that most toms were killed at 9:30am.

JW

Typical day of the Tom.
He gobbles from the roost to call to his hens. He might gobble on the ground and struts to impress the ladies. If chosen he gets to mate. After all hens are mated they start to wander away from him as the hen(s) are picking a nest sight. He may find he is all alone a few hours after sunup. When this happens he will start gobbling again.
The above is a typical scenario.

Or is no mating is allowed he will continue to walk around strut and follow his hens. There will almost no gobbling at all which is very frustrating to us as we don't know where he is. Thus many people over call at this time.

To answer your question - Yes go! Be careful entering the field. Glass it well before you go to your ideal set up place. I wouldn't call at all to check but would glass the field real well. You have hunted there before you know where and how they enter the field.
I have taken quite a few Toms well after sun up to noon and even past that.

JW

hks95134

Last minute hunts are seldom fruitful.

The birds are active at dusk and at dawn, same as the ungulates.

So that's when you need to be set up by.

Noon and 2 a.m. are the best times to get set up for either.

You'll need sunglasses for noon and a bright spotlight/flashlight for 2 a.m.

olsaltydog

2am? Not sure why you get in so early, 530-6am has been plenty early for me.

As mentioned be careful getting in and take it slow.

You can use a crow call to possibly locate any turkeys in the area something that wont overdo it though.

I had this yesterday, issues all morning so didn't get out to my field till about 8:20. Tom was already with hens in the field and in the back corner. I hunkered down cater-cornered from them in some saplings and waited. They where still mulling around the field and the Tom was trying. They finally went into the woods and about noon, I decided to pack it out to the next field and give that one a break. Well when I got out of the saplings there was another Tom on the gravel road that spotted me. He never made a noise but was making his way in to the field where the other birds where. So even if you get out there and the other birds are not talking or moving around, doesnt mean other birds are not. Had to remember not all Toms are the cream of the crop like this guy but he was still open for a dinner invite.

archeryelk1

If i can't be out there before daylight and locate them by listening for gobbling on the roost, then I change to a "run and gun" style of hunting like hunting elk during the rut. I locate call, walk several hundred yards and locate call again. I keep doing this until I hear a tom answer, and then move as close to him as I safely can and then hunt him. I do more subtle hen calling, scratching leaves, etc. A tom with hens can be tough to call in, but sometimes you can get the hens stirred up and pull them in and the tom will follow. DO NOT overcall...just let them know there's a hen close by. They'll come if they're interested. Be patient, many times they'll hardly respond, but suddenly an hour later they'll show up. Also be aware of natural obstacles that may hang them up. If this happens, try to walk out around them and set up from a different direction. I've gotten several toms early in the morning fresh off the roost, but I've also probably gotten just as many between 8am to 3pm.

Oldtimr

2am setup, is that some kind of a joke? It must be because turkeys will be firmly on the roost at that time of the morning. You set up at noon in my state you are hunting after hours for the first part of the season. This has to be something that was supposed to be funny for a member who asked a serious question.

Topgun 3006

It sounded more to me like tips from a person that has no idea about turkey hunting, rather than a joke. A turkey is active from the time it drops to the ground shortly after daylight until it goes to roost shortly before dark. There should be no reason to be out in the woods to set up for the morning hunt until about 1/2 hour before it gets light and birds begin to wake up and gobble, so that 2AM comment was either a poor joke or a typo. Many birds are killed several hours after daylight and the reason is basically because of what JW stated. A gobbler will call the hens to him and will normally be with them for several hours after they drop from the roost. If you don't kill him before the hens get with him, it's hard to draw him away just like it is trying to draw a bull elk away from his cows during the rut. From the middle of the morning when the hens leave him to go nest throughout the rest of the day until legal quitting time is a great time to be out. I hate mornings, so I'll be out early for a day or two and then sleep in for a day or two and not go out until the middle of the morning and use the technique that archeryelk1 mentioned that he uses. Of all the birds I've killed I can only think of two that I killed within the first 1/2 hour after they flew down and it was because I had roosted them and got close enough that when they flew down the next morning I got them to come in for a shot before a hen got to them. Up here in MI we can hunt until about 1/2 hour before they go to roost in the evening and one of the biggest birds I've ever shot was at about 8PM as he was leaving a big field and heading for the woods where he roosted every night.