Afternoon Hunting Advice

[Trask Outdoors]

Hello there. I'm new to the site and am asking some advice from hunters who have hunted in states that allow all day hunting.

I am sure that many of you already know that this is the first time that Pa is allowing all day hunting and only for the last two weeks. I took a nice longbeard on opening morning but it has been tough sledding ever since.

The birds have been deathly quiet ever since the start of the season. They very rarely gobble on the roost and never make a peep when they are on the ground. I cannot get anything to answer my calls once they are out of the tree. Since I shot my bird I have only been able to call in two jakes that snuck in quietly only clucking.

Monday was the first day for afternoon hunting and on my way to the woods I spotted 3 longbeards not 60 yards off the road strutting for two hens. On my way home from work around 3 I am constantly seeing gobblers strutting in fields. Is this a sign that too many hens still haven't been bred yet? Is that the problem with the lack of gobbling?

Monday afternoon I headed to and area that turkeys frequent and did some loud cutting to try and get a response. Nothing. I then owl hooted and one gobbled about 200 yards away. I closed the distance and hooted again and he gobbled again from the same area. I had an idea of right where he was on a pasture edge so I moved to within 100 yards and began calling. Nothing. He never made another peep after that and I never saw or heard another turkey the rest of the night.

Last night I decided to set up in a roost area that turkeys have been using regularly. I sat there until 8:30 and never saw or heard a peep. Finally before I left, I owl hooted and one gobbled from the roost across the valley.

I am dumbfounded as to what is going on around here. I have dealt with henned up toms before but they usually will still gobble their heads off, just not head my way. The weather has been wet and rainy for weeks now, maybe that has something to do with it?

Anyway, I just thought that I would ask some of the experts on this site for some advice on how to hunt these tough conditions right now. Thank you for you time.

[ylpnfol]

va. started the afternoon hunting thing, during the last 2 weeks, 3 or 4 yrs ago i think, i have yet to get one in the p.m. but have had 2 [ blown ] opportunities, both were waiting at a known roosting spot, one bird gobbled but wouldn't come, the other would not come to a call in the a.m., but he roosted in the same tree every nite, both scenarios were alot like deer hunting, waiting for the bird to come to roost, not very exciting but it will work.....

[kygobbler]

Welcome to the TTH forum Trask. I personally like hunting in the afternoons but unfortunately it can be like deer hunting sometimes. I would find out where they are roosting and get between that and the field they like to graze thru. In one of my hunting spots it seems like there is one gobbler that likes to go to the roosting area a few hours before time just searching to see if any hens are around. Also, try to keep your calls soft and dont get too excited with them unless you find a gobbler that is hot and thats what he wants. Afternoon hunting can be tough at times but if your patient long enough it will pay off for you.

[mark hay]

This being our second year of half day hunting , and that only for the latter half , I have limited experience with such . But , I did go a few times last year . I was fortunate to spot a gobbler with some hens out in a field on a windy afternoon . I was hitting the call hard to get loud enough for them to hear me above the wind . They slowly moved across the field to the lee side of some woods . I don't really think they were coming to my calls , but rather just getting out of the strong wind . Later in the evening I did manage to get a responce from one of the hens . We yelped back and forth, and at one point I could see the fan of the old boy over the bushes  . I tried to excite or make her mad but didn't work out . They got within 100 yards and somebody came through the woods on a 4 wheeler and spooked them for me ,,,,,,saved me the trouble I suppose[:D].
 
 That was the only afternoon encounter I had last season . I went out 3 , maybe 4 times .
 
 This season I was out a total of three times . 2 times neither heard nor seen anything . But on the one evening I managed to drop the hammer .
 You can read the story in the ''GENERAL DISCUSSION'' under ''filled #2 tag .
 
 I didn't make any excited or aggravated calls . Mostly keekee's and yelps . Some clucking early on . Last call was a jake gobble and that was preceeded by some jenny yelps . The last calls were made probably 15 minutes before I spotted the birds . Maybe more ,,maybe less. Sometimes it's easy to lose track of time when your heart is up in your throat . I didn't make the jake gobble until I was certain they were coming in .
 This type and scenario of calling may never work again for me but I'm sure it worked one week ago today . The boss of the three gobblers was spitting n drumming and LOOKIN' .