Late Season

[IlliniHunter]

I have been turkey hunting for almost three years now and every year i have hunted it has been in late march and early april, but this year i have tags for the middle of may. Any tips or techniques i can use for late season? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[Turkeybuster]

You may not hear as many birds but if you take it slow you will probably to work the ones you do hear. Keep calling low key and be patient, good luck.
Turkeybuster

[mark hay]

i don't prefer the LATE season , but i DO prefer the thicker vegetation . and like T'BUSTER suggested , i'll back off on call volume and intensity . it has been my experience that the later season birds will respond to calling but i've yet to see them run in to die. generally they sneak and take their time . probably due to the thicker vegetation hindering their field of view. too many times in the past i figured i had given a bird time to respond or sneak in , and pick up and move out of that location only to hear tom gobble from that same spot 30 minutes later .
there is a lot said about PATIENCE. as the season gets closer to the end , i think many of us tend to get in a hurry , believing we are running out of time ,,,trying to hit as many likely spots as we can in an attempt to strike a bird. when in reality , we would likely be rewarded if we would sneak in to that LIKELY SPOT and ssllloooowwww down and wait him out. easy to suggest and hard to do sometimes , i must admit .
  ''old school turkey tactics''

[trkynut54]

My mentor told me one time that an older gentleman said, "When it's late in the season soft clucking is all you need to use, sparingly. If you hear one gobbling once, just cluck three times and put the call down, kick back, relax and wait. Sooner or later he'll come." He had a drawer full of Longbeards to prove it. 

[IlliniHunter]

what are your suggestions for decoys?

[Turkeybuster]

I don't use them much but I tried a single hen decoy next to the last day of our season last year in a field turkeys were useing and it worked. If you use one use extreme caution and be aware of your surroundings at all times!!!!

[Fan Club]

The Michigan general season runs through May 31 st and is one of the last seasons open in the country. I have filled my tag on the last day of the season at least four times and two of those were my absolute best birds with inch and a half hooks for spurs. Rob Keck of the NWTF told me that "The late season is your best opportunity to take a mature boss gobbler if you can hold onto your tag that long. A couple weeks earlier birds like that are still henned up and you'll more than likely tag a 2 yr old."  Food for thought, and a great reason to stay positive and not be bummed about drawing a late tag.
 
From my experience, several late season pointers come to mind.
 
1. With heavier foliage you can get a lot closer to a gobbling roosted bird than earlier in the year. I still don't like to get much inside 100 yards though as you might flush other roosted turkeys. Likewise, because of thicker foliage, a gobbler honoring your calls may be much closer than you think.
 
2. Early season, turkeys are feeding on seeds, green shoots and whatever they can find. With the late season and warmer temperatures, insects come into play. Freshly plowed fields are prime targets and birds will often head there to feed straight off the roost.
 
3. Speaking of insects, mosquitos come into play as well. Invest in a Thermacell unit so you can concentrate on hunting, not swatting bugs.
 
4. With late season comes much warmer weather. Turkey movement slows when temps soar and they tend to loaf in the shade when its hot. My best late season hunting has been early in the morning when it's still cool and birds are active.
 
5. I haven't noticed anything specific about late season decoying. Decoys are always a hit or miss proposition. I got my gobbler on the final day last year using the Pretty Boy and a couple hens. I did have to wait until the first cutting of the knee high hay so the dekes could be seen along a field edge.
 
If you think of any other late season questions I'll keep an eye on this thread.
 
Good late season hunting!
 

[turkeydoghunter]

i kill my best turkeys late season.... [;)]

[turkeylimb]

i agree with trkynut 54 late season hear a gobbler three clucks and a couple of purrs sit back and wait. i also put the decoys away after the second week. let them come looking for you.