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The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Best Time to Hunt Wild Turkeys

As an avid turkey hunter I’m often asked when the optimal time is to hunt wild turkeys. This seemingly simple question has a rather complex answer, as turkeys behave differently depending on the time of day season, and weather conditions. Through years of trial-and-error in the field, I’ve learned that being flexible and adaptive is key to consistently bagging longbeards. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll break down the pros and cons of hunting turkeys during different times of day and seasons so you can maximize your chances of success.

Early Morning: Fly Down Time

Without a doubt, early morning offers prime turkey hunting opportunities. This is when gobblers are still roosted in trees and hens are on nests, making toms eager to respond to calls. I’ve found the hour right before sunrise to an hour after offers the highest chance of luring in a vocal, lovesick tom.

Advantages

• Toms are usually gobbling on roosts, allowing you to pinpoint their location.

• Minimal hen interference as they remain on nests,

• Toms looking to regroup with hens are more responsive.

• Cooler temps keep birds vocal.

• You can ambush toms as they fly down from roosts.

Disadvantages:

• Requires pre-dawn preparation and setup in the dark.

• Birds may fly down away from you.

• Increased hunting pressure during this prime window.

• Weather changes like rain can shut down morning activity.

As you can see, the early morning offers prime turkey hunting opportunities. As long as you’re willing to wake up well before sunrise, have scouted bird behaviors, and set up properly, this is often the optimal time to bag a longbeard.

Late Morning

After fly down time, turkey behaviors start shifting by late morning. While not as active as early morning, late morning (9am-12pm) can still offer productive hunting if you adapt.

Advantages:

• Less competition from hunters.

• Can intercept toms traveling between feeding and roosting areas.

• Birds are settled into daily patterns and can be patterned.

• Temps are warmer so birds continue activity.

• Can target lone toms whose hens have left them.

Disadvantages:

• Less vocal and visible than early morning.

• Have to compete with real hens.

• Toms are often with hens making them less responsive.

• Heat reduces mid-day movement.

Overall, late morning requires more scouting work to pattern behaviors, but the reduced pressure and ability to target roaming singles makes it a viable option. Just be prepared to call aggressively to compete with real hens.

Early Afternoon

By early afternoon, most turkey activity declines as temperatures rise. However, this siesta time can still produce if you know where to target lonely toms.

Advantages:

• Minimal hunter pressure.

• Can target toms traveling to roosting areas.

• Vocal birds will still respond to calling hens.

• Best chance at previously pressured/call-shy toms.

Disadvantages:

• Majority of birds are inactive during midday heat.

• More challenging to locate roosted toms.

• Increased foliage provides less visibility.

• Calling must be extremely realistic to get a response.

Unless you’ve patterned a gobbler’s midday habits through scouting, early afternoon is one of the hardest times to consistently kill turkeys. But for savvy hunters, the reduced competition and call-shy toms make it worth sitting through the heat.

Late Afternoon

Many hunters hang up their shotguns by late afternoon, but this can be a prime time to kill lonely longbeards. As daylight fades, toms get a last burst of energy and vocalize before roosting.

Advantages:

• Birds vocalize and strut before roosting.

• Minimized hen interference.

• Reduced hunting pressure compared to early morning.

• Cooler temps stimulate activity.

• Roosted toms can be patterned for next morning.

Disadvantages:

• Limited shooting light/visibility.

• Birds less responsive than early morning.

• Requires scouting birds’ roosting habits.

• More foliage compared to early spring.

Late afternoon offers a great chance to capitalize on pre-roost tom activity while avoiding pressured birds. As long as you’ve scouted roost sites and toms are still henned up, late afternoon can be almost as productive as early morning.

The Effect of Season Changes

When targeting turkeys, it’s also important to factor in how their behaviors change as breeding seasons progress. Here’s how early, mid, and late season affects hunting strategy:

Early Season (March-April)

• Toms in large winter flocks, very competitive.

• Limited hen interference.

• Cool weather keeps birds vocal.

• Less foliage aids visibility.

• Target food sources and winter flock areas.

Mid Season (April-May)

• Toms starting to break away from flocks.

• Hens getting bred and nesting.

• Warming temps stimulate breeding.

• Increased foliage provides cover.

• Target known gobbler haunts and strut zones.

Late Season (May – End)

• Most hens on nests.

• Lonely toms seek hens aggressively.

• Hot temps suppress midday movement.

• Thick foliage reduces visibility.

• Target roost sites and food/water sources.

As you can see, turkeys behave very differently during each part of season. Aggressively hunt the early mornings during early season when winter flocks are still intact. Then switch to midday and evenings as more hens sit on nests and toms get lonely. Finally, in the late season target areas toms rely on daily like roosts and food/water during the heat.

Best Times Based on Weather

Weather is the final factor that can influence daily turkey patterns. Here’s how different weather impacts hunting strategy:

Clear and Sunny

• Ideal for early morning activity.

• Warmer temps mean less midday movement.

• Target shaded food/water sources midday.

• Afternoon can produce as temps cool.

Overcast and Cool

• All day activity with vocal turkeys.

• Birds stay active later into morning.

• Ideal for targeting midday feeding/strutting.

• Still hunt roost sites in the afternoon.

Rainy or Windy

• Suppresses gobbling and movement.

• Target sheltered areas out of winds.

• Later in day best once rains pass.

• Roost sites produce in high winds.

As you can see, weather can play a huge role in daily turkey patterns. On clear days target early and late when it’s cooler. Overcast cooler weather allows productive midday hunting. And hunting during and after rain targeting their shelters can still produce.

Key Takeaways

After decades chasing turkeys across North America, here are my top tactics for finding the best times to hunt:

• Early morning fly down time is prime, but expect competition.

• Late morning requires solid scouting but reduces pressure.

• Early afternoons can produce call-shy toms if you know their patterns.

• Hunt late afternoon as toms become active before roosting.

• Early season target winter flocks, while late season focus on roosted toms.

• Sunny days hunt mornings and evenings, overcast days offer midday action.

• Rain and winds require hunting sheltered areas toms rely on.

The most important lesson is that flexibility based on weather, season, and scouting is key to killing turkeys consistently. While early morning fly down time is a prime opportunity, don’t underestimate late mornings or afternoons on properly scouted birds. Try various times and keep detailed notes to discover when your local flock is most vulnerable.