AVOID THE PRE-DAWN RUSH
Every turkey hunter is acquainted with rising before daylight and heading out to the woods before dawn in hopes of ambushing a gobbler as soon as he flies off the roost. However, this can be one of the toughest times of day to bag a bird. This is typically when the most hunters are out. And it's when gobblers call their harems to them from the roost. They fly down to meet their hens and then shut up as the flock moves off away from your calling.

However, at midmorning, about three hours later, a funny thing happens. Hunters get hungry and tired of walking and head out to the nearest restaurant. The gobblers have bred the hens in their harems and those hens have gone off to lay their eggs, leaving the gobblers alone and still interested.

I prefer to sleep in, avoid the early-morning rush and wait for the mid- morning lull. There's less competition from other hunters and gobblers often are moving around without any hens. They're on the prowl searching for more.

By being well rested and well fed, I'm at the top of my game when the gobblers tend to be most responsive to calling. For my money, a midmorning turkey hunt is far more enjoyable and productive than heading out before dawn.

Every spring, thousands of turkey hunters are successful following the tried-and-true tactics of turkey hunting. If you find those tricks just aren't working for you this spring, break the cycle and get radical. Eventually, you will find yourself staring down the barrel of your shotgun at a big, old longbeard.