Best time to kill a Turkey?
Wisconsin
IF you ONLY had a two hours window to kill a Tom, what 2 hours would you pick?
The first two of daylight. Although my second would be around 11:00 when the Toms are running around looking, and I am cutting and running.
Whenever the 2 best hours present itself. Some people hunt small private parcels. For myself, I hunt the bigwoods. So If i had to choose. It would be near the roost.
Tough question. If you know where they're roosting, either the first 2 or last 2 hours. If forced to choose. I'd take the first 2 hours. I've had luck early and late, however.
Most of my birds are between 10 and 3 so somewhere in that window
I would say 8:00 to 10:00 am has been best for me.
I agree with the mid to late morning crowd.
1st 2 hrs. If it doesn't happen take a nap until 9:00 or so, lol. I like to harvest animals in the morning. Then you have all day to show to family and friends, take pics, butcher, celebrate, etc.
First two hours of the day... Easily.
8 to 10. But you have to be there before light to avoid bumping birds.
Early season 11-1, late season at daylight
10 to noon if you want a tom who will come to your call with no decoy needed. I love the hunt in the morning, but overall (all seven seasons including youth), more toms would die after 10, if people would call and decoy less. Also after a rain, and you only have an hour window. Find their strutting zone, and get there before he does.
It all depends on where they are in their breeding cycle. If they are henned up I would choose a later window then if they are roosting alone and really looking for hens
my buddy complained there is no gobbling which is true in our area.... Washington and Sheboyan County......... he said no birds are around,,,,,,, I said its going to rain this pm, and I set up my T2 on a corn field,,,,, by 5pm 20 birds hit the field,,,, by 530pm, he killed a 24lb bird.....
no calling, no decoys, nothing,,,, just set up in an area that you know they come too, and sit on your ass,,,,,, I told him every time it rains they hit that spot....
scouting scouting scouting...............these are all public land areas, but really no pressure
I have private land,,,, its a no brainer there,,,,,,
I used to get out a half hour before shooting time and killed most of my birds around 10:00. Now that is in eastern MN, so if you are eastern WI, adjust accordingly. Eventually I got wise and did not get in the blind until 9:00. I was always home by 11:00. It got so easy I eventually quit hunting them it got so easy.
I figured the toms were too busy with the hens they roosted near to pay any attention to me until later in the morning.
One time I had 4 nice toms within 5 yards of my blind. They were strutting for each other and moving so much I could not get a clear shot on any one. Eventually I took my shot and darn if a jake didn't sneak into the group and I shot him.
How desperate are you? When I've spent hours in a blind in the morning and when I get desperate, I hunt the last couple/few hours in the evening near the roost site.
its no different than deer hunting,,, its now how you hunt, its where you hunt
GH: That’s an awfully bold statement! Lol. There’s good deer hunters and there’s good turkey hunters though.
Funny as it is, I’d be willing to venture to speculate that most posting on this topic don’t kill em with bows and a few hunts are exaggerated into years of experience.
Duke, your post made no sense? What does killing a Turkey with a bow have anything to do with this topic? Gh made a simple statement about time. Unless I missed a bold statement?
Our little group killed 2 Gobblers today - one at 10:15 am and the second fell to an arrow at 11:00 am....
I absolutely LOVE sunrise and hearing them gobble off the roost. Youth hunt was a gobbler off the roost that B-lined for the deaks!!
All fun!!
Nocturnal: I was agreeing with him as to being at the right place, hence the “lol” comment in there.
As to the comment re weapon... Simply stating that it’s totally different shooting a turkey in your lap with a bow than killing one with a shotgun. I don’t have issue with either by any means, but it’s much different.
Gotta laugh when people talk about turkey hunting being to easy.Just like deer hunting its what you make of it. On one end of the spectrum you can hunt farmland birds with a shotgun. On the other end of the spectrum you can hunt northern bigwoods birds with a self bow. Or anything in between that suits your fancy.
The only way there could be a best "time" is if all turkeys behaved the exact same way. You can make any 2 hour window work if you adjust your tactics to what the birds are doing currently.
Duke I am not saying it is easy at all,,,, believe me I am still trying to kill one with a long bow,,,,,,,, but I know for my area, there are spots, that are filled with a lot of birds, and if you can get permission, you will get a shot,,,,,,,,,,,
when you hunt a lot of public, that sometimes is not as easy,,,,,,,,,
as far as the best time, for me its anytime during the day, I can get a shot....
I don't turkey hunt but it seems that the last few hours are the best.
I was scouting (deer) last weekend and found myself surrounded by a half dozen. I'm sure if I had a tag though I wouldn't have seen any.
Totally depends on where they are roosting, feeding and the weather of the day. I generally like the first two hours after daylight.
Ok, I get to go this evening, so hopefully I can tell you exactly the best time today to kill a turkey, Turkey's!!!
So, I have a dilemma. Right now there are 4 toms strutting outside my office window. I can shoot a bow there. What would you guys do!!!
I guess I have to wait till tomorrow when no body is in the office.
My son (11) shot his last night at around 6 pm!!!
We killed a bird Thursday at 10:15 AM and one at 11:00 AM.
I'm beginning to think 9AM - 12 noon as the "hot" ticket!! So I would go with 9:00 am - 11:00 am for my pick!!
I probably kill the most by numbers from 6:30-8:30 but if I had to play percentages and also get to sleep-in my favorite time time is probably 12:30-2:30. I find the big difference between the times is how much wind is around usually. Low winds that time slot drops them. Mention it because noone else has. For some reason that time has been particularly good to me walking logging roads on public land, blind calling any season. I walk wait, give it about 15 minutes in a spot. A half mile walk and random gobbles happen. When they do, that bird is dead, he is coming and not getting cut off. Easy to play because you just walk about 50 yards in his direction and wait. He will come to where he last heard you call. I believe I would kill more birds in that time slot if I didn't fill my tag so regularly in the early slot so I am not hunting in the 12:30-2:30 slot.
