I agree with the general concensus, try to get one off the roost, or within an hour or so after flydown, then try to catch them running hens/strutting. After that, i may just wander aimlessly hoping to run across one, since we cant get our birds to gobble after 9:00 or so to save a life.

Mat

I'd be willing to bet that I would have had a greater chance of tagging out if i didn't run and gun so much. Having said that I had a whole lot of fun doing it and it kept me interested for the whole morning. Some people are just better at sittting still for hours. It's one of this years goals, to stay put longer.

I try to get one close to the roost but my best luck on mature birds is actually walking the tops of the ridges and calling from about 2 hours after sun up to noon when we have to stop hunting. I stay high away from the fields and call every 300 yards or so. Often I hear an answer way down low near the roads and have pretty good luck getting them to come up to my level. I hunt public land and the birds probably learn most of the hunters stay down near the fields. Interestingly enough I have tagged most of my larger gobblers between 10 and 11 am.

What ever the situation calls for! You've got to be flexible and willing to try something different sometimes. I'll sit and call for the first couple of hours then get up and move, calling and glassing as I go. Sooner or later, you'll get into some action if you can cover enough ground!

I cover as much country as possible as fast as possible while they are at the gobbling peak..which is early morning.

I always try to get in the woods about 30 minutes before daylight. I then get to where I'm going and wait a little bit for him to gobble on his own, or if that dont work use a crow call. After I hear him gobble once or twice I set up my decoys and get between them and the gobbler and hope he comes to me. I have a relatively easy hunitng area because there is a railroad track that runs throught the middle of my hunting ground where the turkeys like to go to strut after flying down off the roost, so I had at least some idea of where they are going. I like to sit and call the bird in as it seems like more of a challenge, but its easier and less tiring also.