Hunting the Turkey Rut

Not got your bird yet?  Don’t worry!  This is possibly the best part of the turkey breeding season…the rut!  Turkeys are actively pursuing and breeding hens right now.  Much of this breeding takes place in the first few hours of the morning right off the roost.  You may have noticed birds gobbling heavy around 7-8 p.m. each evening?  That is the tom rounding up hens to roost with so he can breed them in the morning when they fly down.  You will also notice seeing a good number of hens coming to your call or walking around alone now…they are nesting.   Don’t let lack of birds in the early morning frustrate you.  Set up near a roost and if the hens lead them away, sit tight and enjoy the morning.  Toms will lose their hens as the morning goes on and around 10 a.m. or so, will get lonely and start looking for hens again.  It is this time of day I turn my calling up a bit or just wander around giving yelps ever so often.  When you call BE READY because when that lonely tom commits he will often come  a runnin’!  Be safe and enjoy!

Get Em’ Out There

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