I want to know when youve killed the most birds. Since I usually hunt 50-75 miles away, I rarely get there before daylight. The couple times I have, it’s fun listening to them but I found theyre usually henned up. The vast majority of my birds have been between 10 and 2. Im no expert by any means, Ive maybe shot 22 or so.
Today, I got in at 630 and didnt hear a gobble til 1115. Bird dead at 1130. Those birds were fired up! Im done getting up early.

I've killed bigger birds after 9am then right off of the roost.think you get alot of 2 year Olds right off of the roost but later on get the dominant tom especially if your using a tom decoy with a full fan.killed my biggest bird at 11.15am and came in silent.

Birds tend to gobble better in the mornings down here. I’m not saying every single morning, but to hear the gobbling, mornings are the best time.
With that said most of my birds are generally killed after 0900. Still, there’s something about watching that sunrise.

Ive often wondered if my style of hunting, run n gun and stop at “good spots” to call for a bit, is the reason I think I kill a lot of 2 year olds, maybe some 3’s. The Merriam/Eastern crosses we have dont get as big as Easterns. Beards are usually less than 10 and spurs might hit an inch, but sometimes rounded. Today the bird I shot was touchin 12 inches with 1 inch spurs that were sharp. Im guessing a 3 year old. He was with his twin, both danglin pretty good.
I walk the ridges and am loud on a box call, cuttin and yelpin, tryin to get a response. I know i wouldnt win any contests. Turkey hunting is fun for me when theyre talkin back, so I wonder if I spook the old wise silent ones in order to entertain the teenagers who are fired up.

Most of my big gobblers have been killed in late morning when the hens go back to their nest.

Morning here mostly but we have quit at one . When hunting Texas three pm on was best

I never have any luck early morning. Mid-morning till midafternoon then evening till dark has been the best.

About 3 o'clock on the mature bird this year. Coming waltzing right in after a few calls. The other one I seen taken was at lunch time (high Noon).

Lots of variables to this question based on early versus late season, but rarely do I not try to be on a bird that I KNOW is there at zero dark thirty.

If I’m killing a bird straight off the roost or prospecting / running and gunning, most seem to be 2-3 year olds.

The majority of the birds I’ve taken with +1” spurs have come after 0900 on birds that I was targeting off the roost that were tied up with hens. With few exceptions, I’ve also had to make moves on those birds to make them think I was working towards them and got hung up or just so I didn’t sound like I had been at the same location for 3 hours.

I’ve been hunting them all week here in North Central Pennsylvania. They open up on the roost about 5:25 AM. About the time that it’s just getting light enough to see but still about half an hour before sunrise.

They’ve been flying down 15 or 20 minutes later. Depending on how hot they are, they will either go quiet or continue gobbling for quite some time once on the ground. They’ve been henned up this week so, while they were pretty responsive, they were not coming in, unless you could interest or anger their hens and bring them in.

By 9 AM, they’ve pretty much gone silent other than the occasional lonely gobbler still looking for love.

We have to quit at noon for the first half of the season, all day hunting after that.

I killed my first tom in 1993, and have killed between 50-60 in my turkey hunting career. The earliest bird was 5:58 AM, and the latest bird was 3:15 PM. To me, there is still nothing more exciting than walking around for 3+ hours hearing nothing, then you hit the box call at noon or 1:00 and gobbler answers you. You quickly find a spot to sit down and he comes in gobbling and drumming and he's dead in 10-15 minutes. That scenario will never get old.

At least 3/4 of my birds have been early morning, dead by 7:00 AM.

The river breaks VS the farm fields VS the forest all need different approaches. Hunting the thick cedar draws in April is often a waste of time they hang together in the thick cover more. Hunt that area in May and they have dispersed throughout the area into smaller groups or individuals by then. Seeing lone gobblers or hens by themselves is go time.

You can call a bird about anytime when they are hot my favorite hunt is getting close before sunup and calling them off of the roost. The cat and mouse game is what I enjoy about it move or don’t move keeps it fresh and exciting to me. Farm birds are more limited they have boundaries once they dispersed here but other birds seem to roam more it seems like.

Calling styles also change when you work a public bird it’s a bit different than a bird that sees less people. Come in loud and hot from the roads direction that birds will often just walk off.

My issue is I find birds for everyone else first, then I end up taking mine. When I scout, I want to know which tree, which limb, and the best route to a tree I generally have picked out for someone to sit and call from.

I don’t believe that all birds let it rip. Just like every other critter out there, the mature bird of that area generally does the gobbling. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard maybe 1 or 2 turkeys and thought we have a problem. Shoot that mature gobbling bird and go back the next week and you’ll hear umpteen different birds sounding off. Why? Because the dominant bird is dead or missing in their eyes and everyone is a contender now.

Issues arise when you have jakes flocked up and running gobblers off. They don’t run them off, but they curb their gobbling and do more strutting and drumming to attract hens.

Not sure what y’all are considering big/mature/dominant birds, but to me it’s 1.25” spurs or greater. This year was the first year in quite a while I killed a bird with less than 1.25” spurs. I don’t go by beard length due to too many factors that can affect a beard. I’ve killed 10”+ bearded birds in the past with less than 1.25” spurs and I’ve killed birds with 1.25”+ spurs with little 8” pencil beards.

My preferred hunt is having already located a bird on the roost and knowing where his hens roost and I get between them. I either entice the gobbler or tick off the hens and they all meet up where I am. I’ve had to check my watch on some birds to make sure it was legal shooting time, lol.

I also like to run and gun. I’m going to cover as much ground as possible until I find a bird that wants to play the game. Sitting and waiting on something just doesn’t do it for me. Throwing decoys out doesn’t do it for me. A silent bird creeping in doesn’t do it for me. Give me the experience or don’t even come in. Play the game my way or not at all. I ain’t there just to “shoot” I’m there to live it!!

Most of mine between 11:00 and 12:00. Do not even go out now until 9:00AM

Any time.

Most mystifying animal I've ever tried to hunt. Yelps, purrs, cutting...any documented cases of someone choking to death on a diaphragm call?

If I try it again, i may be the first. Until a gag sound calls a bird, Ill stick with my box and slate. I get the hands free benefit, but I just leave the slate layin in my lap.

Lol.

I have had good luck right off the roost, until about 8:00 then again about 10-11:30 am. There’s a period in the morning where it gets tough, the birds go silent for a couple hours. From my experience, if you get one fired up late morning there’s a good chance you’ll kill him . And a lot of times he comes quicker than early morning. Having said that, both my birds this year were killed before 8 am.

My tactic when I first started hunting turkeys was to hear the first gobble, and literally get as close as I could without busting him off the roost or his nearby hens. I had success with that, but have learned now, over the years how the birds naturally work our farms and properties. I love watching them and hunting them , never gets old! Good luck

John

They gobble from the roost to attract hens. Once the hens come or sound off, they’ll fly down and hook up. That period they “shut down” is when they’re doing their courting and breeding. Those are the times you may hear them but they ain’t gonna budge when they already got their gals. He’s just inviting another hen to his flock.
The 10-2 period is when the hens go off the lay or nest.
Generally if you strike a bird then, he’ll go against nature and seek the calling out. Sometimes it will still be on his terms, and that’s where woodsmanship really comes into play. He might have a spot he likes to go to wait for his gals, but he’s still killable. Other times it’s like they’ll run in just to find that new hen he’s never heard.
And YES, when you can get tight on the roost it’s “generally” a done deal.