When a tom gobbles on the roost, he’s letting his harem know where he is and that he’s ready for them to come meet him. The hens dutifully flock to his position and then he flies down to them, leaving you high and dry with your calls and decoys.

As the morning wears on, the tom will breed every hen he can find. By mid- to late morning, those hens will peel off one by one to go to their nests and lay eggs. Eventually, the gobbler will find himself alone but still in the mood for love. And now he has to go looking for some new girlfriends.

That’s where you come in.

Also, consider this. Most hunters follow turkey-hunting tradition and hit the woods before dawn. That’s when you have the most competition. If they don’t bag their bird quickly, they will eventually become tired and hungry and head back to camp or go to the nearest restaurant. Often, you’ll find the woods devoid of hunters come midmorning. Less competition for you means there’s less chance someone will cut in on you while you’re working a hot gobbler.

LATE-MORNING STRATEGIES
So let’s talk about how you should tackle midmorning gobblers after you’ve slept in and eaten a good breakfast.

Scouting
Scouting is just as important for midmorning hunts as it is when you’re trying to locate roosting sites for early-morning excursions. Turkey flocks usually have a standard route they take once they come off the roost in the morning. Typically, that route will take them through feeding areas and past water.

As long as they are not disturbed, a flock’s daily routine is fairly predictable. It’s up to you to get out there and figure out where they go once they fly down. Naturally, you’ll want to set up somewhere along that path, so that once the hens in a particular flock have gone off to their nests for the day, you’ll be right there to call in the gobbler.

As I said, this routine is fairly predictable so long as the flock isn’t disturbed. Well, we all know, a flock can easily be disturbed by other hunters in the spring turkey woods -- especially on public land. That makes scouting all the more important.

You have to stay on top of an area to figure out where the flocks go as the season progresses. The knowledge you gain about an area and its turkeys before the season opens might not do you any good two weeks after the shooting starts.

If you aren’t able to track a specific flock, find out where the preferred midmorning hangouts are for the turkeys in your hunting area. Fields, for instance, often attract turkeys once the sun climbs high in the sky. Hens that have not yet gone to their nests will utilize these fields to feed. And you can rest assured the local gobblers know where to find the ladies.

Go Get ‘Em
When you sleep in for your gobbler, you have two basic hunting methods to choose from -- “run and gun” or “hunker down.” The run-and-gun method involves checking out multiple locations for hot gobblers. With luck, your scouting will have helped you find several locations where you’re likely to find turkeys around midmorning.

When you run and gun, you drive or hike to one of these hotspots and spend a few minutes calling to see if you get a response. If you hear no gobbles, you move on to the next hotspot. If a tom answers your calls, set up and work him.