Last Season Strategy
In videos I hear it said that turkey hunter strategies don’t vary much late in the season. But that’s not the way I see it. The gobblers make a big change at that time — and so do I.
I go back to established roost areas I know of and set up a pop-up blind on a trail in the area. Preferably a trail close to a river or pond. While the hens are sitting on eggs and then supervising their hatchlings; the gobblers begin walking and gobbling. For example, at roosts along our area’s river I hear gobbles off and on during (1) mid day and (2) afternoon. They are looking for whatever hens want a visit from a gobbler.
I get a few sandwiches, plenty of water, every mouth call I own, a slate and aluminum striker call, some pop-tarts and I go to one of my pop-up blinds and hang out.
It’s possible to see solo gobblers and smallish groups of wild turkeys at this time. Wild turkeys are spread throughout their home ranges by the late season. You don’t usually encounter big wads of hens or roosts with 10 gobblers like you did during early spring.
Ok, back to the matter at hand, start with your best yelper call use it every 30 minutes. Make 2 to 4 yelp sequences. And when you hear a gobbled, near or far off, give him a series of cuts on your best Cutter call. And do every trick you know to bring him on over.
In addition, I use late spring’s dense foliage to slip closer to gobblers — roosted or on the ground. Woods that were barren in mid-April might be lush and green in late May, allowing you to sneak a few critical yards tighter to a longbeard. Just remember that foliage also muffles gobbling somewhat, so turkeys may be closer than you think.
