A tom with one or two hens will rarely leave them in the late season. Instead, hunt near or between areas where hens frequently congregate. (Shutterstock photo)
May 07, 2025
By Brian Lovett
You’ve probably seen the meme showing bright-eyed, apple-cheeked hunters under the label, “First day of turkey season,” then a picture of downtrodden, burned-out dudes with the banner, “Third week of turkey season.”
That might prompt a laugh, but it also strikes a chord. After all, turkey season can be a long, grinding rollercoaster ride. Some of that revolves around early hours and long days afield, but much of it involves the birds. After all, as the breeding season progresses and turkeys react to hunting pressure, they often change their patterns and behaviors , adopting distinctive personalities and creating scenarios you didn’t encounter on opening day. Consider these four longbeards, which you might run into late in the spring game—and some strategies on how to slap a tag on their leg.
THE SURVIVOR This might be the toughest late-season turkey—one that witnessed a flock mate or running buddy get shot early in the season and then bolted to safety. Studies indicate that turkeys react in various ways to human encounters. Some might relocate within their home range, while others simply continue living like they did before. But a gobbler that narrowly escapes when a comrade falls almost always changes his behavior.
Typically, surviving birds will resume gobbling as the season wears on. (They might pick up more hens, too, if their dead buddy was higher in the dominance hierarchy.) Often, survivors respond to calling and will approach your position, but many won’t finish or even walk within range. Despite your best setup and calling efforts, they draw a line in the sand and wait for hens to come to them. Or they might roam back and forth along a ridge or timbered bottom, again waiting for the hen to commit. Sometimes, they even circle your position or come in from behind, only to vanish when they don’t see the hen they’ve heard. And they can be finicky about decoys.
Advertisement
Strategies Usually, you must get tricky to outmaneuver a survivor. Observe and note the turkey’s movements and preferences and try to formulate a rough sketch of his routine. Then, identify areas to intercept the bird as he moves from his roost to spots where hens congregate in the morning. Planning a similar ambush en route to areas where the gobbler might strut during midmorning or loaf during hot afternoons can produce, too. Find a comfortable setup at those spots and resolve to be patient.
As spring progresses, gobblers become more wary. Set up comfortably along a path they travel regularly and use softer calling. (Drew Warden photo) Adjust your calling a bit, too. As noted, a survivor might gobble at your yelping and cutting, but you’ll likely have to use subtle, ultra-realistic soft stuff to convince him. Soft yelping combined with clucking and purring gives the impression that a content hen is feeding at that spot. Also, incorporate long periods of silence to play on the gobbler’s curiosity. Many times, a bird that hasn’t heard the “hen” yelp in a while will gobble or move closer to check on her.
THE LATE-SEASON ROMEO Some lucky gobblers stay consistently henned up from opening day until the season’s close. After all, many hens will lose their nests over the course of the season, and there always seems to be a good supply of jennies (young-of-the-year hens, some of which will breed) for a longbeard to court. And any gobbler with hens can be tough.
Advertisement
This scenario becomes more difficult during the late season because hens are about as widely dispersed in their home ranges as they’ll be all year. So, instead of seeing two or three longbeards strutting for 12 hens and jennies, you’re more likely to encounter one veteran gobbler with one hen or a small group. As with early-season henned-up gobblers, late-season Romeos might gobble at yelping but refuse to leave the real girls. However, late-season birds will usually gobble less and quit earlier in the day, especially as temperatures warm.
Strategies No secrets here: Stop trying to yelp that tom away from its hens and hunt the birds instead. Identify areas where hens, jennies and breeding flocks congregate to roost, feed, loaf or travel, then find a good ambush spot in these locations. If possible, slip tight to a roost before dawn and intercept the gobbler immediately after fly-down. Or identify areas where hens often feed in the morning—pastures, food plots, logging roads, ag fields, oak flats or open meadows—and set up shop there or between those spots and the roost. For warm midday hunts, find cool creek bottoms or shaded flats where turkeys avoid the heat. During afternoons and evenings, hit the food again, hoping to intercept a group feeding before they go to roost.
Slowly walking and calling through a big, timbered bottom or along an extensive ridge can work very well for roaming, late-season gobblers. (Brian Lovett photo) Be mindful of your calling to late-season hens. The popular strategy of antagonizing a mouthy hen doesn’t work as well during the late season. Instead, start calling sequences with relatively soft yelps and clucks, like a hen that’s simply seeking company. Old-timers call this “asking for permission.” Often, hens that are feeling social might respond to your calling with similar soft vocalizations. Respond in kind, and don’t get aggressive or mouthy unless the real hens ratchet up their intensity. If you can pull a hen or two close, a gobbler might not be far behind.
THE ROAMER You’ll really want to encounter these gobblers late in the season, but they don’t come around every day. Some longbeards—especially older, dominant turkeys—that were flush with hens throughout the early season and peak breeding suddenly find themselves alone once hens begin incubating nests. And after a few days of missing female company, some of those birds begin to expand their home range and increase gobbling to find willing partners. When you strike such a bird, it can create the type of late-season hunt we dream of, with a gobbler responding lustily and marching from a long distance to find your calling. But you must find him first.
Strategies You won’t find roamers by quitting after a quiet fly-down or visiting the diner during midmorning. Instead, spend as much time as possible in the woods, calling and hoping to prompt a lonely gobbler to sound off. In areas with sufficient foliage and terrain—and where property lines aren’t an issue—walking and calling can be a deadly approach. Find a logging road, long ridge or timbered bottom and slowly work your way through it, stopping to call about every 75 to 100 yards. Use terrain and foliage to cover your movements, and never call unless you have a good potential setup within arm’s reach. Nothing blows a cutt-and-run hunt like striking a turkey from a spot where you can’t shoot it and then watching the bird rush in and spook.
On smaller properties or more open areas, you’re better off finding a likely setup where a traveling longbeard should feel comfortable visiting, like an open ridge, a large hardwood bottom or a small food plot or secluded field corner. Set up, get comfortable, and resolve to call for a few hours.
Always start with soft calling in case a willing gobbler is nearby, then increase your intensity as the session wears on. And don’t get antsy. Sometimes, a roaming gobbler might blow your hat off after the first series of yelps. Other days, he might not gobble until he’s 100 yards away. If a bird shows any indication of approaching, get ready. Lonely late-season roamers can rush in quickly, and they’ll only give you one chance.
When gobblers start grouping back up late in the season, try hitting them with jake yelps, gobbler yelps, gobbles and fighting purrs. (Shutterstock photo) BACHELOR BUDDIES Sometimes, late-season gobblers seem to tire of the breeding ritual and start re-forming small bachelor groups, like those common during summer, autumn and winter. These birds can be vocal, but they might show little interest in hen talk and often won’t work to calling. At times, they might even gobble at each other from afar and eventually end up together. None of that does a hunter much good.
Strategies Ditch most of your hen talk and come at bachelor buddies with their own lingo: jake yelps, gobbler yelps, gobbles and fighting purrs. Just like you take the temperature of a gobbler while working it with hen talk, gauge the mood and temperament of birds in a bachelor group, and see what gets them to respond. Some days, simple gobbler yelps and clucks might prompt their social curiosity. Other times, gobbling at these birds or simulating a fight with aggressive purring can strike a chord. Start with straightforward stuff, but increase the intensity as needed.
You can replicate most gobbler talk on standard calls, producing aggressive purring, jake yelps and gobbler yelps on pot and mouth calls, and gobbler clucks, gobbler yelps and gobbling on a box. Tube calls work well for gobbling, gobbler yelps and jake yelps, too. And old-time favorites such as scratch boxes and trough calls also make good gobbler talk.
If calling fails and bachelor buddies seem content to feed and ease into summer, remember that they still roost in trees and feed daily. Redouble your scouting efforts and figure out where those turkeys spend time. Then, find a spot to intercept them there. That’s not the most enjoyable way to hunt, but it can work when bachelor gobblers won’t respond to conventional tactics. Late spring is almost a turkey season unto itself, with unique challenges and bird behavior. It’s rarely easy, but it can be extremely rewarding, especially when you trick a late-season gobbler with a specialized approach.
This article was featured in the May 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe .
