Late season can be the best time for spring gobbler
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A friend who now lives in Alabama says all the "good ol' boys" in his area -- given their choice of one or the other -- would always chose to hunt the final week of spring gobbler season rather than the first week.
Some of those native locals grew up learning their skills from fellow Alabamian and Godfather of turkey hunting, the late Ben Rodgers Lee. So taking a bird that week put a capper on the trip, which was truly an education.
Listening to their tales of tails, beards and spurs was an education in itself, and seeing them apply their knowledge and experience on a hunt was like taking a college course. To this day, reviewing the notes containing the wisdom they shared with their tips, advice and tactics is part of my preseason preparation before hunting spring gobbler from the woods of the Northeast to the fields of the Midwest to the pines of the Deep South.
Some of the information pertains to specific situations, but the overall underlying tone of those notes is the importance of having a positive approach when trying to outsmart a boss gobbler. Each year, as the final week of spring gobbler season draws ever closer, it is important to remember how important it is to hunt with confidence.
In fact, there are some real advantages to hunting late-season birds for those taking to the woods with persistence and confidence. When it came to hunting spring gobblers, the final 30 minutes of the last day -- which this year ends 30 minutes after sunset, Wednesday, May 31 -- can be just as successful as was the first hour of the opening morning.
What must be understood is that strategies and tactics in the closing days of the season must change because those with unfilled tags must recognize that the seasonÌs game plan has failed. Yes, late-season birds are usually the most challenging, but not always, but by the closing days, most hens have gone to nest and many have already hatched their clutches.
These factors play into the hands of hunters, as even the most wary gobblers are less cautious than at anytime during the season in their search for hens. Very often, a decoy and a few subtle calls will bring the same longbeard that was impossible to call into shotgun range from 60 yards away early in the season on the run across an open field.
While decoys can be effective throughout the season, life-like decoys are usually deadly late in the season. They are especially effective when simple clucks and purrs are used, rather than aggressive calling, to attract gobblers.
When hunting a gobbler that has refused to respond to calling during the season, now is the time to move in on that bird and get into its living room. Two factors that allow this tactic to be effective is the thick cover from foliage hides movement and being able to setup on top of the bird before calling -- or more accurately, merely talking.
Very often, a challenging gobbler will not respond to calls once it flies down from the roost, and is very likely to come in silent. This is why blinds can be so effective in the late season because it is all but certain a sharp-eyed gobbler is going to see a decoy before it is seen.
Taking advantage of natural cover and blinds can result in putting a gobbler literally in the lap of a hunter, which means that extra-full, long-range choke capable of delivering a payload of No. 5 shot some 40 yards down range early in the season can be disadvantage in the late season. Switching to a standard full, or even a modified choke, and trusting in the extra pellets in Federal No. 7 Turkey Loads will provide a wider, denser pattern at 20 yards or less.
It is important to remember that by the closing days of the season gobblers have heard every sound possible from mouth, slate, glass and box calls. So, no matter what type of call is used, the contented sounds of feeding hens are often the most effective.
One more factor that often leads to success in the late season is the lack of hunter pressure. This aspect alone is why so many veteran hunters -- north and south of the Mason-Dixon Line -- believe there is no better time to take advantage of what is the best time to take a spring gobbler.