# Best time of day to hunt Turkey



## Bullhound (Feb 5, 2004)

You left out my favorite time. NOON! :thumbs_up Seems like Toms that the hens get tired of will go off and look for a hilltop or "special spot" to strut around and admire themselves. This seems to be late morning or noon in my experience & in my area. Toms are easiest top pull in at this time it seems. That's just been my experience.:beer:


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## Buster of Xs (Nov 28, 2008)

In this state, PA, we have to leave the woods when the morning's done.


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## muleguy (Jul 11, 2009)

If you don't have a lot of hunt pressure try to locate birds in evening late-hang around until you hear them fly up in trees right at dark then be within 75 yards of tree well before light next morning. If you have lot of pressure like he said wait till everyone leaves area then go in at 11-2 and get high and just listen. Always try to get within 100yds before calling.


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## BP1992 (Dec 24, 2010)

Right off roost.


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## snoman4 (Jul 1, 2011)

Right off the roost with Osceolas because once off the roost they quit gobbling most of the time because they have 15-25 hens with them at all times.


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## SHPoet (Nov 13, 2009)

I have always hunted turkeys by being where I want to be at least an hour before it gets light enough to see.


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## [email protected] (Jan 17, 2005)

BP1992 said:


> Right off roost.


100% disagree on that. Cool time to be in the woods but far more disappointments than successes for me. 9-10 am and then 12-2:30 has been far far better for me.

I would easily give up mornings if I had to pick a specific window of time to be out there.


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## thegwh3 (Jun 14, 2011)

I usually don't even leave the house until 10:30 - 11:00 in the morning. Of the two birds I harvested last year both were at 2:30 in the afternoon. Afternoon is when I do my best but to each there own 


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## gnlz32 (Dec 20, 2011)

I enjoy hunting off the roost because it's exciting w/ all the gobbling and the sun rise but it's not always the most productive because the Toms often times already have a plan of what hen they want to pair up w/ and where they want to go before they fly down from the roost. 
If you are not successful in shooting a Tom off the roost give them a couple hours to "do their thing" w/ the hens they're with. At about 9:30-10 AM those Tom's will be back out on the search for hens they can breed. Gobbling will pick up and you can usually find them strutting their stuff in "strut zones" trying to attract hens towards them. These Toms are usually easier to call than a Tom off the roost that is already "henned" up.

All this said.....I think you should get near a roost before daylight and try and kill a Tom after they fly down. If you're unsuccessful it's still worth getting up early and learning about the birds you're hunting while at the same time enjoying one hell of a show! Use the time between fly down and 9:30 AM to scout for turkey sign while calling periodically. At 9:30 lots of guys head out of the woods for breakfast but as mentioned earlier the Toms are just getting ready to get fired up again so find a place where their known to strut and start calling. 

I live in Illinois and we can not hunt after 1pm so I don't have much experience hunting in late afternoon or in the evening. I would think that if you knew where the birds were roosting you could get to those trees an hour before roosting time and ambush the Toms on their way back to roost. 

Good luck and welcome to your newest addiction!


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## Fullstrutter (Jul 8, 2008)

gnlz32 said:


> I enjoy hunting off the roost because it's exciting w/ all the gobbling and the sun rise but it's not always the most productive because the Toms often times already have a plan of what hen they want to pair up w/ and where they want to go before they fly down from the roost.
> If you are not successful in shooting a Tom off the roost give them a couple hours to "do their thing" w/ the hens they're with. At about 9:30-10 AM those Tom's will be back out on the search for hens they can breed. Gobbling will pick up and you can usually find them strutting their stuff in "strut zones" trying to attract hens towards them. These Toms are usually easier to call than a Tom off the roost that is already "henned" up.
> 
> All this said.....I think you should get near a roost before daylight and try and kill a Tom after they fly down. If you're unsuccessful it's still worth getting up early and learning about the birds you're hunting while at the same time enjoying one hell of a show! Use the time between fly down and 9:30 AM to scout for turkey sign while calling periodically. At 9:30 lots of guys head out of the woods for breakfast but as mentioned earlier the Toms are just getting ready to get fired up again so find a place where their known to strut and start calling.
> ...



Excellent advise above!

I often agree with [email protected] on many things but have to respectfully disagree on this one. By far the best time of the day for me is the first couple hours of daylight. 

As mentioned above, you get the whole roost gobbling show, plus a beautiful sunrise. One of the most surefire times where you can ALMOST guarentee a tom will gobble is on the roost in the morning. There are many exceptions and also many times when they will not. But compared to all other times & scenarios...the dawn roost is the highest percentage time to confirm the location of a gobbler (i.e. hear him gobbling and know where he is). They are also stationary at this time, until flydown of course, allowing you to close the distance providing you are able to do it stealthy and undetectably to them. 

My success in the early mornings may be more attributed to the fact that I mostly shotgun hunt Spring gobblers. Attempting to hunt them with blind & bow may change things but I don't have any experience with that method of turkey hunting. Since you didn't mention how you are going to try your hand at it, I assumed it might be with shotgun in addition to bow as well. 

Take a look at the poll though to get your real consensus. I'd reckon the highest probability reason that people prefer mornings is because you have the luxury of information (gobbling birds on the roost give away their location thus making them easier to locate/hunt/pattern/kill). They also gobble more frequently on their own in the morning, throughout the morning, but especially in the first hour or two after flydown, in my experience. 

Best thing you can do is locate gobblers and learn the areas they like to frequent. If you wanna do it with bow, use blind and deeks and get in an area they will be able to see you. Don't worry about blinds...turkeys are very ok with them unlike deer. Set the dang thing up anywhere anyway anytime any shape or form without concern...AS LONG as you have deeks right in front of it. They will key in on them and careless about the blind. That is, as long as they don't see or hear anything from within the dark confines of the blind as they approach. 


Part of my high success rate in the mornings is attributed to my "take the fight to them" approach. Since they gobble so frequently in the mornings, you can keep tabs on them as they move about their habitat. I like stalking them equally as much as I like calling them into a setup. Going rounders on them, using terrain features to get in front of them undetected. The amount of stealth required is absolutely maximum levels, as their hearing and eyesight border on unbelievable. 

It's been said if they could read, that they could read the fine print of a newspaper at 50 yards. And they can also pinpoint sounds (calling, breaking branches from you walking, or rustling in the leaves of turkeys, or you, etc) extremely accurately. If they are within a quarter mile, and you are setup in the corner of a field calling...they know exactly what corner of what field you are in 100%. 

Any questions, PM me. I love talking turkey.


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## pTac (Jun 25, 2005)

Fullstrutter said:


> Excellent advise above!
> 
> I often agree with [email protected] on many things but have to respectfully disagree on this one. By far the best time of the day for me is the first couple hours of daylight.
> 
> ...


I am going to try to bowhunt out of a ground blind that I will set up the evening before after I find where they are roosting, I hope..........


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## [email protected] (Jan 17, 2005)

Fullstrutter said:


> Excellent advise above!
> 
> I often agree with [email protected] on many things but have to respectfully disagree on this one. By far the best time of the day for me is the first couple hours of daylight.


It's ok to disagree...but you said excellent advice above to gnlz32 and his post pretty much said what I was trying to say. Sunrise is cool but not always productive...9-10 better...then 12-2:30. Hearing them is great and all, but hearing them ain't killing them. Like gnlz32 said, toms lots of times have their mind made up what is going on when they fly down and no amount of calls or decoys will change their mind. At least that's what seems to happen where I hunt mostly.

I'll contend that the poll's consensus is skewed because the majority of turkey hunters only hunt the first couple or so hours of daylight. 

I've lost track of how many I have killed, but have killed fewer than what can be counted on one hand right off the roost. By far most of mine were around 9:30 with right at 12-1 next. I hate the stupid quit at 1 rule here in MO. So many times I have sat and listened/watched birds that would be so easy to kill at 2 or 2:30 it is ridiculous. I don't claim to be a good turkey hunter or even but killing them with a gun has proved to be very easy for me once I learned to stay out till the whistle blew. When I finally figured it out, I found that if I could get one to answer after 10, I was going to kill him eventually. Now that I bowhunt them and have travelled out of state and been able to hunt all day...right around 2:30 has been really good also. Last two years for me and my cameraman our bowkills have been: 9:30, 1, 9, 9, 10, 2:30, 2:30. If my cameraman hit all his chances you could add a 2:30 and a 3 to list. :wink:

I am sure locality plays into when is best too, and more importantly timing because I know if our MO season was earlier in the spring there is a good chance I would like daylight much better. During our youth seasons, getting one right in off the roost has been much easier and the same was true way back when I was a kid and would go out before the season and call in a bird before school just to see how close I could get one.


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## devin4484 (Jul 6, 2010)

mid morning is my vote so I voted morning. I love calling them in off the roost but love when they separate from the hens and are out looking. Killed my biggest birds around 1030-1200. I only know of one killed in evening and that was my stepdads first bird back in 08.


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## MoBowHunter41 (Aug 17, 2011)

ive had most luck right off roost. i locate them and find a clearing near where i hear them gobble while still on the roost. i set up my decoys in the clearing and start calling to them while on roost to get their attention. about 80% of the time they will fly off the roost straight to my decoys. from then its easy.
if they dont come in off roost i try to find some later in the morning and attempt to call them in. usually 9ish or later


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## FlinginCarbon (Feb 18, 2010)

Right before or right after a rainstorm.....regardless of the time of day.
I agree with Robin that the 1 o'clock rule in MO sux.


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## evobowhunter (Dec 14, 2011)

See more in the morning


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## GSLAM95 (Oct 31, 2004)

The best time of day is when they are gobbling well and responding to your call, right? 
Seriously guys my attitude towards turkey hunting is "Go early, stay late as you can, treat each day like it was opening day"
I have killed and called in for others way too many birds to make myself choose an actual best time. It depends on the area and the stage of the breeding season as well. Good luck this spring chasing long beards everyone..


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## va limbhanger (Dec 12, 2008)

I've never found an all around best time through out the whole season. I pretty much try to adapt to what the birds are doing.


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## ArcherAdam (Nov 27, 2007)

Though I love the sunrise and gobbling on the roost, I have more luck 9am to noon. Last year was the 1st year pa allowed afternoon hunting and I did not partake so I have no experience with that.

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## QuickReflex (Jul 28, 2008)

Either at flydown or mid morning.
Flydown theyll come a running unless they are henned up.
Mid morning if they are henned up they'll break away especially if theres more than one Tom.


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## Liv4Rut (Mar 24, 2006)

From my experience, if you don't have one in the first hour. Sit back and relax awhile. Don't get too crazy with the calls. From about 10-2pm I have killed a pile of them. In the evenings it seems like from about 4-6 is good and then right at dark if you happen to be in line with where they are going. I have killed turkeys at all times of the day but if I can get a bird fired up after 10oclock I have a great chance at getting that bird.


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## talon1961 (Mar 13, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> 100% disagree on that. Cool time to be in the woods but far more disappointments than successes for me. 9-10 am and then 12-2:30 has been far far better for me.
> 
> I would easily give up mornings if I had to pick a specific window of time to be out there.


Same here! Also, around 3:00-5:00 in afternoon has really been a good time for me.


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## RCL (Apr 23, 2004)

Between a half hour before sunrise until noon.........it's the only time of day we can turkey hunt in the spring here in NY.......might as well make use of all of it....:wink:


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## Ack (May 13, 2005)

It's pretty easy to kill a bird with a shotgun near the roost......not so easy with a blind and the bow. 

10:00 am to 2:00 pm is without a doubt the best time of the day to shoot a lone, mature gobbler.


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## Buksknr53 (Mar 30, 2006)

Va. has a split season. During the first part, you can't hunt turkey after 12:00 During the second half, you can hunt later. There's a stand of old pines where they roost right behind my clubhouse. They come in between 5:00 and 5:30, like clockwork every evening to fly up and roost. They have been roosting there for years. That is my go to spot and time to get a turkey.


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## RxBowhunter (Feb 16, 2005)

GSLAM95 said:


> The best time of day is when they are gobbling well and responding to your call, right?
> Seriously guys my attitude towards turkey hunting is "Go early, stay late as you can, treat each day like it was opening day"
> I have killed and called in for others way too many birds to make myself choose an actual best time. It depends on the area and the stage of the breeding season as well. Good luck this spring chasing long beards everyone..


I have to agree with GSlam95's quoted part above. 
I love everything about sunrise hunts. Sometimes the hunt ends quickly but more often it doesn't. 
10AMish is the time frame I've had the best success on mature birds. Just be in an area where you know they frequent and occasionally give some relaxed clucks and prrrs They will find you. Usually I see them first with the glimpse of a red head or a turning full fan since they often aren't gobbling at this time. 
Noon is another good time but the hunt ends at 1pm in MO so it becomes a race against the clock. I've had several hunts end at 1pm when birds were working in. 
In KS hunting later is a luxury. I don't like being too close to their normal roost late in the day unless it's later in the season and I'm trying hard to fill my last tag. Scaring them near the roost can mess them up for several days from their routine. 
I've hunted a little in NE. So far my limited experience there is to be between the roost and where they want to go at sunrise. Then watch the wagon train of turkeys march by and HOPE I can get a good shot before they get by me. Since they're on a march, not a leasurly walk it can be really challenging but the volume of birds is amazing!
Full draw, heart pounding, a few dozen turkeys in bow range. Exciting


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## Kb83 (Dec 17, 2011)

Shot my biggest bird right off the roost. Watched him fly up the night before and set up about 80 yards directly down a open path. Set one hen decoy in the open and hit the box twice. Shot him at 12 yards 10 mins after daylight. 11 3/4" beard 1 3/4" spurs 31lbs. He's on the wall. Shot others this way. 2nd favorite time is about 1-3pm. Hit the woods with a crow call and get a shock gobble. The only downside to this tactic is if try are already henned up it's hard to call the big boy off the girls. First thing in the morning they are looking for the rest of their flock so it's alot easier to call them in. I have stalked them in the afternoon and scattered the flock then set up. Both have worked. But nothing like a fast paced morning hunt. Love ending the season in the first hour of opening day. Then I can get back into the steelhead and browns I'd rather be going after.


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## dhom (Jun 10, 2008)

I could not pick just one of your answers because I have taken turkey at all times of the day with no one time seeming to be better than others.


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## bucksdown4ever (May 18, 2006)

My best time to hunt turkeys is at sun-up until about 9. Then my A.D.H.D kicks in and I start thinking about morel mushrooms....and have to get up and walk around! Lmao! Looks like I might have to take my meds this year to stay out longer!


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## Stanley (Jan 18, 2005)

Great thread.


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## BP1992 (Dec 24, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> 100% disagree on that. Cool time to be in the woods but far more disappointments than successes for me. 9-10 am and then 12-2:30 has been far far better for me.
> 
> I would easily give up mornings if I had to pick a specific window of time to be out there.


110% disagree.


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## zap (Mar 13, 2008)

The beat time is when you know where the birds are and where they want to go......


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