What Time of Day is Best for Turkey Hunting?

As a passionate turkey hunter, I’m often asked what time of day I think is best for calling in and bagging a big tom. The answer isn’t straightforward, as different times of day can be productive if you use the right strategies. Based on experience and insights from veteran hunters, here is an overview of the prime times to target gobblers and tactics for each period.

Early Morning

Many expert turkey hunters swear by the early morning hours shortly before sunrise. There are a few good reasons for this:

• You can catch toms when they are still on the roost before they fly down, Roosting spots are habitual so you can pattern their location,

• Toms are eager to respond to calls first thing in the morning, especially if they didn’t connect with hens the night before. Their mating instinct is strong early in the season.

• There is less competition from real hens compared to later when they join toms on the ground

To effectively hunt the early morning period:

• Scout and identify active roost spots in your hunting area. Note the direction toms fly down.

• Use a ground blind or natural cover overlooking the expected fly down zone.

• Begin calling softly when there is just enough light to shoot. Challenge birds still on the limb with excited yelping.

• When toms fly down, be aggressive with cutting, yelping and fighting purrs to tempt them your way. Have your gun up and ready.

As the morning progresses, maintain your calls but tone down the aggression as toms focus on real hens nearby. I’ve had excellent action right at daybreak by catching gobblers at a vulnerable time when they are primed to react.

Mid-Morning

After fly-down, toms become intent on connecting with hens that are now on the ground. This can make mid-morning calling challenging as birds focus on the real thing. But the mid-morning hours still offer opportunities by using some strategies:

• Target known strut zones that toms frequent hoping to attract hens. Sit patiently and call sparingly like a hen looking for companionship.

• Adjust your calling volume based on how far away birds are. Louder, excited yelping and cutting tends to work better than subtle purring and clucking at this time.

• Stay mobile and use locator calls like crow calls to probe new areas for active gobblers. Be ready to set up quickly when you strike a tom.

• Use a tom decoy in a visible spot to peak interest. Combine with excited yelping and aggressive cuts to simulate a rival in the area.

Though mid-morning is considered a transitional period, don’t overlook calling to lonely gobblers traveling between areas searching for receptive hens.

Early Afternoon

After the flurry of activity in morning, the early afternoon hours from about 1-3 pm are considered by many hunters as an optimal time for tagging a longbeard. There are some clear reasons the early afternoon produces:

• Lonely toms are likely to eagerly respond after hens have left them to nest and tend to maternal duties. They want female companionship.

• Gobblers often gravitate to open fields and strut zones to display, making them easier to locate and work.

• The warming air rising from fields creates excellent sound projection for calling.

• Warmer temps make toms more active compared to mornings.

Tactics that work well in early afternoon include:

• Sitting patiently in a blind near known strut zones and occasionally calling with yelps, clucks and purrs.

• Using a hen decoy in visible areas to draw the eye of cruising gobblers.

• Employing loud cutting combined with excited yelping to get a lonely tom’s adrenaline pumping.

• Calling from ridge tops or edges where sound travels farther to reach distant toms.

The decrease in hen competition often makes the early afternoon the best time to entice love-struck toms into range.

Late Afternoon

The last two hours before sunset can offer prime opportunities as toms try rendezvousing with hens before nightfall. As turkeys start becoming more active nearing roost time, late afternoon calling can be productive.

Some tips for late afternoon success:

• Shift setups to fly-up zones and routes toms take moving towards night roosts. Ambush them in travel corridors.

• Use open yelping and kee-kees on roosted toms to simulate hens grouping up before dark.

• Employ a purple passion hen decoy to draw the eye of cruising gobblers eager to join up.

• Use both hen yelps and gobbler yelps to exploit jealous tendencies. Toms often come in to drive off rival males near their hens.

• Be hidden and ready as toms zero in on your calls in the fading daylight. Have a shotgun bead on likely approach paths.

Late afternoons can offer last chances on love-struck gobblers eager to reunite with hens before night.

No Single Best Time

As you can see, every period of the day can offer prime opportunities to call in and harvest gobblers by using the right hunting tactics tailored for that time slot. The most successful turkey hunters remain flexible, adaptive and open to calling and hunting whenever birds are responsive.

Pre-season scouting gives insights into daily turkey patterns and locations in your hunting areas. This will tell you when and where to concentrate efforts.

Likewise, stay alert and note changes in gobbler and hen behavior as the season progresses. For example, early season typically has more responsive birds overall, while late season may see gobblers call shy but more active midday without hen competition. Adjust your timing and tactics accordingly.

Rather than sticking rigidly to a favorite window of time, let the turkey’s habits and responses dictate your hunting times. Be where they want to be when they want to be there! With smart scouting and reading turkey biology, you’ll discover the prime times to target longbeards. Embrace every part of the day and you’ll tag more toms!