By Mike Collins
Turkey hunting in the evening is very different from the action-packed spring mornings we all know and love.
In the evening, a gobbler is not the same bird that he was at the beginning of the day. To hunt the evening gobbler we need to understand the differences and keep them in mind when planning an evening hunt.
Gobblers are far less vocal in evenings than they are in mornings or even during midday. Turkeys are more cautious in the evenings and will keep a low profile as they work their way back to their roost sites. Most of the time, you’ll only hear them sound off after they’re already on the limb. If you hear anything at all.
Go light on your calling. Turkeys aren’t making much noise so you shouldn’t either. Stick to softer calls. Purrs, yelps and clucks. Slate calls are perfect for purring. If you’re sitting in a transition area where birds feed on the way back to roost, mix in some soft purrs and thrash the leaves around where you’re sitting. This mimics the sound of a hen scratching leaves around to find food. Gobblers won’t be as focused on breeding in the evening as they are in the morning. Using natural feeding sounds can be an effective tactic in getting a gobbler to come into your set up.
Turkeys will move around quite a bit during the day. Often they return to the same roosting areas as they were in the night before as long as they haven’t been busted out. Birds spend the afternoon and evening hours lingering in cover and feeding while they work their way back to those roost sites.
We had an excellent acorn crop last fall. Turkeys will be scrounging around the woods for any left over acorns this spring. If you’ve done any scouting, maybe you’ve found some of these places. More than likely birds are doing that in the evenings while they travel to roost. You should set up in these feeding areas and travel routes rather than hunting under the roost tree. Catch those gobblers working the travel routes. Plan to hunt these feeding areas and travel routes between 3pm and 6:30pm. Try and get in there and be prepared to sit for a while. Almost like you’re deer hunting. Again, gobblers will do most of their feeding in the afternoon and evening, find those food sources sit down and be patient.
Hunt away from roosting trees. You could do more harm than good by getting too close. If you bump the birds you’ll throw them off their pattern and could push them off your property. Hunting away from the roost will also ensure you have enough day light to work with.
Get set up along travel routes and food sources before the turkeys go through. That time frame will vary, it’s best to get in there as early as you can. Don’t expect a lot of gobbling. Call softly using using yelps, clucks and purrs. Avoid hunting too close to the roost. Be patient!
Good luck this spring!
