High winds are the bane of most turkey hunters, but especially in areas you hunt long enough, bird behavior becomes more predictable during big breeze events. The weather conditions will concentrate birds into smaller locations, making them at times easier to hunt if you know where to look.
Do turkeys move when its windy?
Turkeys will often move out into fields just after sunrise when it’s windy. This allows them full use of their 270-degree vision and provides refuge from predators using the swaying brush to their advantage.
Do turkeys gobble on windy days?
When it’s windy, turkeys gobble less. … It also makes birds more nervous and reluctant to approach because they can’t see well with branches and bushes whipping in the wind. But if you adjust where, when, and how you hunt, as well as the calls you use, you can still kill birds in these conditions.
Where do you hunt turkey when it’s windy?
The main reason is you simply can’t hear anything. Seek out areas like protected draws, leeward sides of forage rich ridges and low spots in open, protected fields. Turkeys will take cover in these less windy areas where they can see and hear better. Go back to your turkey hunting basics on these windy days.
What is the best weather for turkey hunting?
Temperature also plays a role in turkey activity, and particularly in how much noise turkeys will make over the course of a day. They tend to be the most vocal in mild temperatures—around 60-69°F—and weather that’s too cold or too balmy will slow them down. Just like humans, they prefer weather that is comfortable.
What time of day are most turkeys killed?
Time of Day
Many hunters are in the woods before dawn, and most turkeys are killed before 8 a.m. However, turkey hunting after 8 a.m. can be rewarding. Most people leave the woods by 10 a.m. If you have the patience to stay late, there are fewer hunters in the woods competing for available birds.
Can turkeys smell you?
It is often said of turkeys, “If they could smell you, you’d never kill them.” Maybe so, but the senses they do posses are among the keenest in nature, honed by eons of natural selection to ensure survival of the species. Even novice hunters occasionally encounter a “foolish” bird that makes them feel like a hero.
Is turkey hunting good in the rain?
Turkey Hunting in the Rain. Not all wet days affect turkey behavior the same way. Some rainy conditions actually make turkeys gobble more, whereas others shut them up. Thunder shocks toms into sounding off; steady drizzle and overcast skies seem to prolong gobbling activity well into the day.
What to do when turkeys stop gobbling?
Slow down the run-and-gun pace, set up a decoy in an open area where the fake bird can act as a visible beacon, and offer up occasional calls. Sit tight to an area for an hour or two and give a turkey time to work your way. It’s not the most exciting way to hunt wild turkeys, but it can produce.
Can you shoot a roosting turkey?
In many states, it’s illegal. If the state(s) you turkey hunt don’t indicate the practice of roost shooting is illegal, chances are it’s legal by default. …
Does cold weather affect turkey hunting?
Turkeys are hardy and cold doesn’t affect them much. … Much like hunters on cool mornings, turkeys prefer to sleep in and may delay flying down from the roost.
Can you kill turkeys in the evening?
One of the best turkey hunting strategies for evening hunts is to ambush birds on their way to roost. That way if you blow it in the evening, you potentially will not disturb their roosting pattern and ultimately that spot for future hunts, including potentially the next morning.
Where do turkeys go during the day?
First, turkeys are on the move more than at any other time of day since early morning. In most habitats, turkeys make a circuit out from a roost area, spend the late morning and afternoon hours in loafing cover or other seclusion, then work back toward roost sites as the day wanes.
What time of day is best for turkey hunting?
General Weather Conditions: As a general rule of thumb, turkeys are most active during calm, clear days in morning and early afternoon hours. Turkey activity generally decreases with bad weather conditions including wind and rain. During extremely wet and rainy days, turkeys are neither vocal nor very active.
Do turkeys roost in the same tree every night?
No they don’t always roost in the same tree/trees. Especially easterns they tend to move around.
How long do turkeys stay on the roost?
It varies a little day to day depending on mood from my observation. Depends I have a 40 acre and and 80 acre timber within a 1/2 mile of each other the turkeys in the 40 always start about 1/2 an hour before the others.