Another question...

[34NY]

Sorry for all the questions guys. Anyway, it seems to me like my best bet in the 1st 2 days has been within the first two hours of sunrise. I just haven't been able to seal the deal. After that it's far & in between. Is that just purely coincidence?

[RTGobbler]

I think that is normal. In my experiences there will be more gobbling and action before they fly down and then for an hour and half or so after that. That is when that gobbler is bringing his harem together for the day, letting the ladies know where he is. Once he has a good group established he will quiet down, and do his thing. He might gobble occasionally after that, but in my experience it will be very difficult to split him from the hens.

 

However that is not to say you won't find a lonely bird, or a bird who has hens and wants to play mid morning. It happens for sure, in fact I didn't hear a gobble until 9:30 on opening day, then chased that damn bird the rest of the morning. He's still alive though, so he won that round.

 

 

[PREDATE]

If you know there are birds in the area, it's best to stay put and don't over call. The hens will often get mad and come to inspect the "new" hen. This in turn will pull the Toms in too. Just stay still because the hens will creep on ya. Mid/late morning will often see a rise in activity because the hens may go to nest. This will leave the tom all alone and vulnerable.