© Copyright John Trout, Jr.

There’s no need to give up just because the early-morning gobbling has subsided.

Most turkey hunters agree on one thing:  When gobblers stop talking after the early-morning hours, the hunting gets tough.

First, consider his early-morning activities.  When he talks enthusiastically at dawn, he is attempting to get a response from a hen.  There’s nothing a gobbler likes better than locating a lady friend before hitting the ground.  If he does not find a hen from his roost tree, the gobbler will often continue talking for an hour or two after getting down.  This combination of factors is the reason many hunters enjoy success during the first couple of hours in the morning.

As the morning progresses, a gobbler concentrates more on breeding and following hens.  He will often follow a hen to her nest during the mid-morning hours or toward midday.  Once there, he will hang around and strut.  Just how long he hangs around will vary.  Some gobblers may spend hours, while others may move away to other locations, including other strutting zones.  At this point, the bird is long out of the mood for gobbling, and he knows that it’s the wrong time of day to attract new hens.
 
Preferred Areas

The main reason a hunter might fail during the off hours is simply because he his hunting the wrong areas.  Where are the right areas?  Where the hens are.

Hens begin looking for nesting areas long before they begin breeding and laying eggs.   Preferred nesting sites include logjams, cut-over areas, fencelines and brushpiles.  Once nesting begins, the hen will usually lay one egg per day.  Keep in mind that a gobbler knows precisely where a nearby hen’s nest is located, even after she begins incubating.

If you can find a potential nesting area during the off hours, there is a good possibility that a tom will be in the area, even though you have not heard him gobble.  The only thing he has on his mind is strutting, and he prefers to do this is an area where a hen is located.

Last spring, while photographing from a blind in a field, I watched a hen and strutting gobbler walk into a pine thicket.  Moments later, the hen climbed up into a brushpile and then vanished.  I assumed the hen had a nest in the brushpile, and the gobbler confirmed my belief.  For the next hour, he circled the brushpile and strutted.

A gobbler will often move to a strutting zone during the off hours.  He may arrive there after he follows a hen to nest, or he may do it soon after the gobbling subsides if he does not have a hen with him.  However, once he arrives at the strutting zone, he may spend hours there before moving away.

Gobblers seem to have preferences when it comes to strutting areas.  Primarily, a strutting zone must allow a gobbler to be seen by any hen that passes by.  Some gobblers strut in open fields near the edge of timber.  Others choose ridgetops or old roadbeds.

If a gobbler spends much time in a strutting zone, he will leave sign.  When a gobbler struts, he drags his wings across the ground.  A careful examination of the area will reveal drag marks in the soil or leaves.  If you find such an area, you have found the perfect place to go during the off hours.

Locator Calls

After midmorning, the locator call becomes the ultimate weapon.  A gobbler may not have said a word for hours but will talk when he hears the right locator call.

Persistence is the key.  If my first attempt on a locator call fails, I always come back with more volume.  I use the locator call at least three times before moving to another location.  Simply said, after hitting a locator call in the off hours, I never take “no” for an answer.  A bird that is reluctant to answer the first or second call often finds the third one irresistible.

A gobbler is more likely to answer a locator call than to answer normal hen yelps during the off hours.  That’s because he knows that the hen talk has subsided for the day.

Hen Talk

Okay, you have finally located a gobbler.  Before you call, make it a point to get as close as possible to the gobbler you have located.  During the heat of the day, and when a gobbler is spending time in a strutting zone, or near an area where hens are nesting, you want to make it as easy as possible for him to get to you.

Once I get close to an off-hours gobbler, I use gentle hen talk.  Clucks and purrs are better than consistent yelping.  Switch to yelps that are more aggressive if the bird fails to respond.

An off-hours gobbler may come in without saying a word, or perhaps after gobbling only once.  That’s why patience is very important any time you work an off-hours turkey.

Last Hopes

If you fail to locate an off-hours gobbler, and you have spent time hunting near nesting sites and strutting zones, you can consider other options.

Turkeys often visit dusting areas during the off-hours to remove bugs.  Look for dusting sites in fields and along the fringes wherever there is loose soil.  If you find such an area, and the dusting site looks like turkeys use it frequently, consider setting up and spending a couple of hours nearby.  If there are open fields near where you hunt, you may see turkeys in them during midmorning.

I will always prefer to hunt the early morning, because this is when the action is at its peak.  But hunters often have to compete with hens during the early morning; think how many times you’ve had a hen intercept a gobbler you were working.

John Trout, Jr.