Traveling with your Catch

It’s no secret that I love fishing wherever I can and feel strongly that fishing outside your comfort zone will make you a better angler, no matter the species.  Yet, there’s a primary wrinkle in the framework of enjoying that catch, especially if you travel far and wide.  Air travel or even length trips in the truck call for some specialized equipment and even more special treatment of the fish themselves.  Though there may be no one-size-fits-all solution to traveling with a bag of fish fillets, here’s a few considerations to take into account.

Airline Travel

Though this may be the most challenging portion of the subject, it could be the most worthwhile.  In the past few years alone, I’ve been faced with getting everything from halibult in Alaska back home, to blue crab and redfish from the Chesapeake bay.  Each scenario posed its own challenges, primarily in the form of volume.  In the AK example, we had nearly 70 pounds of salmon to come back as well, and in Virginia, I was looking at roughly 20 pounds.  Let’s use these two examples to break down a few strategies.

In most instances, it pays to check a bag here, especially if you don’t pay to check said bag.  Utilize an airline-specific credit card, promotional offers, or reasonable checked luggage prices from select airlines to permit the opportunity of a checked bag.  In some cases, if you fly enough, you’ve got the option to check several bags, or at least one bag per person flying.  If you have to utilize that checked bag for your traveling companions, it’s often worth the effort, which does require some pre-planning.

In recent trips, I’ve checked a cooler on the way out to my destination, and when I brought it back, ensured it was full of seafood.  That comes of course with some hiccups too, from latches and sealing, to making sure you’re underweight when it comes to your checked coolers.  In one instance, I was with a friend who flew Delta Platinum, and could carry up to 70 lbs. on each back, which was really handy for the salmon.  As a Delta Gold member myself, I was able to carry 50 lbs. which works for most cases, provided the cooler isn’t too heavy in its own right.

We start by freezing all of our fillets solid in camp, preferably with a vacuum sealer if on hand.  Then, take careful note to separate the fillets and lay them out in the camp freezer, again if possible.  Singular, individually packaged groups of fillets when layed out in this way freeze more solid, and therefore stay better frozen when traveling.  Still, unless you’re filling the cooler to the top with fillets, it’s best to at least fill empty space with towels, a random hoodie, or large frozen chunks of ice where available.   

Soft-sided Coolers with extendable handles and wheels make airport travel easier.

I’m a big fan of hard-side coolers when it’s possible to use them, for a number of reasons.  Durability is but one, but the ability of a well-insulated, hard-side cooler to keep frozen items frozen over a longer duration is probably the chief concern for most anglers.  Still, the roto-molded, ultra-insulated varieties both take up valuable checked luggage space, but also are heavy.  For that reason, you may need to go with a quality soft-sided cooler, or a smaller hard-side that both permits some volume of fish, while also staying light-enough in weight to not exceed your checked baggage standard.  Of course, there’s always the rugged and reliable cheaper hardside coolers.  I’ve used those before too, though most do not have wheels (which is a challenge in an airport), and the latches rarely stand up to long-term use.  For that reason, we have often completely duct taped the entire cooler lid to the cooler in multiple spots.  Not only does it keep the lid secure, it notifies you if anyone has tampered with your luggage. 

Truck Travel 

This option is probably more familiar to most people but does also take some considerations.  I’m typically traveling across country, and tend to keep two coolers onboard when fishing.  I keep a smaller rotomolded option in the back of the crew-cab for snacks, drinks, and anything like smoked fish I may pick up on the way, and I keep a larger cooler under the tonneau cover of my truck for volume.  It’s amazing how nice this 1 -2 cooler punch works out when taking big trips, and the options you have for a variety of fish and game. 

The smaller cooler in the cab is stocked from home with soda, water, and a variety of refrigerated snacks that keep me from having to make costly stops to gas stations that have the same items at a mark-up.  On longer trips where I’m often in charge of my own breakfasts and/or lunch, I’ll stop at a grocery store at our destination and fill up the bigger cooler in the back with just enough to get me buy a number of those meals.  Usually, if I am taking home fish, I have already cleaned out the big cooler, or can put extras in the small one, and, I’ve created space for the fillets I intend to get home. 

Keep in mind that some states require a skin patch per fillet or so for identification, so it can be best in those instances not to freeze fish while at your destination.  Instead, keep them on plenty of ice throughout the length of your stay, and consider keeping fish only the last day or so of your trip to ensure the freshest meal possible.  Regular ice does the trick, but I find that large frozen milk jugs will extend your cooling over a couple of days, even in really hot weather.  That, and it extends the duration that your smaller cubes stay whole in the cooler as well. 

Often, I’ll keep my fillet kit inside a one-gallon Ziploc bag and stow that in the big cooler as well.  This kit usually consists of a larger and smaller fillet knife, plenty quart and gallon sized freezer bags, and some specialized soap to get fishy smell off your hands (individually packed in its own plastic).  I always keep this in the truck, as I never know when I might need to fillet some fish, and there are times where I’ll even bring an electric knife and/or a vacuum sealer if I intend to run into and keep larger quantities of fish.

It's amazing how easy it is to keep a few fish at any destination, especially if you’re prepared.  At the same time, I’m also mindful of not necessarily focusing on a “limit” wherever I go.  Fish are a nice treat for me, but rarely the highlight or the sole mission on any adventure.  Even at the fish-factory type lakes where mechanized fillet harvesting is as much a business as the fishing itself, I’m content to enjoy some fish dinners at the lodge and maybe not take any fish home at all.  Regardless of which suits you best, going into it with a plan makes for an easier effort all around.   

Pulling a Tom Away from His Hen(s)

It could be one of the greater challenges in the sporting universe.  “Ain’t nothin’ like the real thing baby.”  You, a mysterious, fake hen who fails repeatedly to show herself, is supposed to draw attention from a gobbler in the catbird seat.  Especially early, male birds will always entertain an opportunity for more hens (i.e. – “you”), they just tend not to go very far or even offer many clues to their interest.  That said, for the early season hunters facing big flocks and henned-up toms, there’s a few things you can try to tip the odds in your favor.

Start Small

Consider it the first day of school, and you’re making friends.  Don’t start the conversation with a drop kick off the swingset, followed by a shouting match with the recess ring-leader.  Go small to begin with.  Maybe some scant tree talk, leading in to a hat or wing-simulated fly down.  A few yelps here and there, but mostly clucks and some purrs.  Be interesting, but not a suspect of interest.  Blend-in, and simply be another one of the group.  Hens offer subtle clues and especially body language when visible.  Usually you’ll know how accepting they are if your scouting and roosting activity has put you in a good position. 

Introduce Yourself

Eventually small talk has to give way to a real introduction.  As much to the lead hen running the show as to the bird you hope to bag.  Still, try to stay within the bounds of the general attitude that morning, at least at first.  Eventually if nobody is talking, you need to put yourself out there with some more excited yelping and carrying on.  Don’t interpret that as top-end and constant cutting, but hopefully as any other hen excited to wake up. 

Pick a Fight

Getting on a fellow hen’s nerves is one of the best ways to bring the boys into range.  It’s usually pretty simple, but is far from foolproof.  Nobody likes a copycat, and I’ve had the best luck mimicking what the lead hen says, to a “T.”  The better you can recreate her cadence, pitch, and overall sound, note-for-note, the better this seems to work.  Get her talking and get her walking is the best rule of thumb I can offer.  When she starts looking for you, or if you feel her slipping away, start stepping on her calls.  Amp it up by cutting her off, then calling longer and louder. 

It’s important to note that this may work like a charm, without ever drawing the tom into range immediately.  For that reason, it’s absolutely imperative that you’re comfortable, well-hid, and ready to have a hen mere steps away from you for an indefinite period of time.  Some of the worst standoffs I’ve ever had with turkeys have been with gobblers that approach slow behind their hens that are literally at my feet.  Talk abut being handcuffed.

Stay in Their “Back Pocket”

Perhaps the best tip that was ever given me by an old tymey woodsman style turkey hunter, was to “stay in their back pocket.”  Birds will move throughout the day, sometimes great distances on their own without harassment.  You start threatening a lead hen as a new jenny, and you’re likely to increase the speed and distance with which the group will travel.  That’s doubly true if you’re really leaning on them with the calling, after failing to pick a fight.  This could also be one of the tougher ways to kill a tom with hens early, as vegetation has barely afforded you the cover to sneak around at this point of the season.  Drop back if you have to, and use terrain to end-around them such that they’re working your general direction.  No matter what, stay in their back pocket and follow them around as long as you can get away with it.  Good things happen when you’re at least near their bubble.    

Last-Ditch Efforts

Harold Knight and David Hale pioneered the fighting purr call years ago now.  It was a double plunger style pushpin call that mimicked two hens really having it out, but I was never talented enough to run it well.  Instead, I utilize a mouth call as one hen, and a slate call as hen #2, mimicking that same fighting purr.  I’ve observed many times a schoolyard style hen fight where gobblers RUN to the edge of the ring and gobble profusely at the hens that are sparring.  While that tactic works occasionally, what I can tell you is that when it does work, it really works and will always be something to keep deep in your bag of tricks when you need it.  Many times now I’ve had toms abandon their hens and literally come running like something out of a game call commercial.  Still more times I’ve completely boogered the birds that were not prepared for that kind of racket.  Utilize it as the hero-or-zero tactic that it is.

Say you’re not practiced up enough on the calling to try that fighting purr, maybe the best thing you can do is to stay in their back pocket while calling occasionally.  I can say that in all the drawn out hen fights and grouped up gobbler blues I’ve withstood over the years, when I do kill a tom in that situation it’s almost rare when it’s the bird I was after.  More often, it’s a completely different bird that shows up unannounced, off to the side and from a completely different direction than I had intended.  Many more times yet, jakes show up in force provided the lead birds are working off or out of range.  Old birds and young alike don’t want the big fight with 2 and 3 year olds, so they approach cautiously and quietly.  For that reason, stick tight, be vigilant, and keep at it throughout the day.  You never know when a tom quietly loses interest in his existing game, to start a new one.      

Photo Credit - Matt Addington Photography

Mapping Your Way to More Turkeys

Photo Credit - Matt Addington Photography

As a self-admitted map-nerd, I’ll be the first to concede that I go overboard at times.  Long before Google Maps, OnX and readily available aerial photography, I was staring at topo maps and whatever bird’s-eye view I could get my hands on in the aid of chasing spring turkeys.  While the interest started back home, my skills were honed on public lands hunts in southern states and the west, where the National Forest Maps or WMA plots were coveted pieces of information.  They noted logging roads, peaks and valleys, but especially the all-important ravines or creases in the landscape where a hunter could sneak, undetected from A to B.  Most were at a scale that was truly too “zoomed-out” to be exceptionally useful, but for a stranger in a strange land, they were a godsend.

I’ve got a degree in mapping, something called Geographic Information Systems (GIS) – which involves fancy layering of information on customized maps.  It’s a spatial way of asking questions of the data, by adding or subtracting layers like aerial photography, land-ownership, topography, surface water, etc.  I started turkey hunting in the mid-late 1990’s when being a GIS person was one of the only ways to get your hands on this information, and wow did it work well.  Suddenly, not knowing the ground as well as the turkeys was less of a disadvantage, in everything from approaching roost locations, to determining how to make a play on a group of birds.  It took real work in those days to do some digital reconnaissance, print paper maps, and consult them in the field from time to time.

Apps as Maps

Digital offers so many advantages, from easy editing, viewing additional layers, and mapping your own features and sharing.

Old school paper copy worked, but the digital versions are far improved!

These days, everything is at your fingertips.  OnX brings the aerial photography, contour data, ownership information, and a host of other useful layers to life, wherever in the country you hunt.  Perhaps more importantly, with apps like these, you can now add your own data.  Mark waypoints, color code or give them special symbology to discern the difference in a point from a day-time loafing area to an early morning roost location.  While this is something we’ve been doing in a boat for walleyes since the advent of GPS technology, it’s just seeing more widespread use in the hunting circles I run. 

I’ll detail a hunt in Wisconsin a few buddies and I do where the use of the apps has been instrumental.  While I’ve been hunting there for the better part of a decade or more, some friends of mine are rather new to the ground.  They don’t know the landowners, the property boundaries, or even the lay of the hilly landscape.  What used to involve extensive hard-copy map planning the evening before, and constant consultation days-of hunting, is now something that lives on each of our phones.  We can share a waypoint from day to day to send another guy back to likely areas, and everyone hunts while knowing where we have permission.  All for cheaper than the gas it takes us to get there. 

When you do decide to use this tool, it becomes about efficient use.  That first begins with using it to scout.  In spending some time interviewing Aaron Warbritton of The Hunting Public fame, one of the biggest tools in new and unfamiliar land for him, is utilizing the apps to mark waypoints of early-morning, gobbling turkeys.  The goal is to spend some time early and late, marking as many roost locations as possible.  From that point, you’ve got a start to your day from which to continue to log waypoints and other information.  That could include good sign you find, mid-day loafing areas, and solid food locations.  The idea is to take the layers already given to you, and build upon them with your own information.  I’ve always said that on good ground, one more day of scouting means one more less day of hunting for your bird.  Not that the goal of any hunt is to end it quickly, but it underscores how effective it can be when done with some intelligence and purpose. 

Scouting - What to Look For

When it comes to the hunt itself, I’ll typically spend some time the night before studying my scouting spatially on the app.  I try to envision a day in the life of a turkey.  Where I’d want to roost, then fly down to, thinking about a good strut zone.  I also consider based on weather where I’d like to spend my day if I were a turkey.  Is that full-sun greenery with all kinds of fresh shoots and terrestrials to eat, or a cool and calm hole in the woods where I could get out of hot sun and blustery wind.  From there, I start thinking about an afternoon path that takes me likely uphill and to another (or same) roost location. 

I wake up in the AM with that uploaded in my brain, interested in getting to a solid roost location to start my hunt.  As birds light up all around me, I add even more waypoints before studying the aerial photography, and more importantly the topography, surrounding the gobbling bird I’d like to go after.  I’m not always looking for the closest bird, as especially early in the season, I’m looking for the most concealed and best approach.  Learning to read contour lines is important in this quest.  “V”-shaped contour groupings indicate a ravine or crease in the landscape that can conceal your early morning approach to roosted birds, with the tip of the “V” being uphill or higher in elevation.

From here I continually peek at the contours as I approach to monitor when roosted turkeys may come into view, or more importantly, where I may come into their view.  As the hunt progresses, I keep visual tabs on the birds if possible, considering additional approaches on the aerial photography and contours.  If they disappear behind a rise, I know generally where they are and how best to work towards them.  That was a luxury not easily afforded in years past unless you knew the ground really well.  Even then, memories from a year-ago or beyond can tend to fail you in the heat of the moment.

Handy Built-In Tools

The measurement tool in OnX can be crucial to determining how far a bird is from your general location.

Another handy function is the distance measurement tools.  On a recent hunt in Wisconsin, some friends of mine were actually able to measure the width of the annual hay/corn contour strips to determine that a group of birds skirting the edge would be just out of range.  It gave them the confidence to re-work them and cut them off at a different part of the field where the strips narrowed.  Ultimately, they scored a great tom in the process.

While I have heard from others regarding fair chase and such uses of technology to take a turkey, the simple fact remains that if all you ever use these apps for is delineating property boundaries, they’re still well worth it.  It’s really up to each individual hunter how much tech they’d want to invade their turkey hunt.  For me, the platform is a welcome tool, especially when birds are particularly difficult or when hunting new ground.  Personally, it has taken away some safety concerns and ignited a more fearless passion for hunting additional ground I’ve never seen before.  All worthwhile components of a more fun and successful season.

How NOT To Ask Permission to Hunt or Fish

The simple act of asking permission to access, hunt, or fish private lands is a book-length subject unto itself.  In younger years I read lots of articles and how-to advice on the topic, knowing that any stream trout, turkey hunting, or morel adventure outside of our own land would always first start with some permission.  Even growing up as a kid in the country whose father knew everyone, asking to fish and hunt on family friend’s and neighbor’s property, there was much to learn.  I was lucky to have that door at least partially opened for me, and still made mistakes.  Now I’m a landowner, regularly granting and denying access depending on the circumstance, such that maybe I can shed some light at least on “what NOT to do.”

Don’t:

Make Assumptions

I’ll admit, it’s gotten the better of me at times, especially as a young hunter.  You rationalize that such and such won’t care, or that “he always let me on in the past” and consider their property like it were yours.  I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t assume anything, and each entry typically requires a request to enter.  That’s difficult for those that have never been in the habit of asking in the first place, but something that’s ultra-important if you hope to access now or ever again.  For better or worse, first impressions make a big difference going forward, and assuming you have permission when you don’t may keep you out of there for decades to come. 

Take It Personally

I had a gentleman call and ask permission to fish the other day on a stretch of stream we have, and he was great.  He parked by my sign, called the number on it, and politely asked more information about fishing in the area.  He asked to be educated on property lines, do’s and don’ts, along with what my wishes and wants were for everything from what he kept to where he parked.  Contrast that with another group that called two days prior and were also kind and courteous.  That group I had to say “no” to, and the guy before I said “yes” to when both behaved exactly the same.  The difference was that I was fishing the same stretch with my kids that weekend and didn’t want anyone going through just before us.  Sometimes there are qualifying reasons as to why permission is or isn’t granted, and as a hunter or angler, we don’t always know why.  Don’t take it too personally, ask if you may seek permission again in the future, and look elsewhere for the time being.  

Ask Or Argue for Permission While Trespassing

This should seem obvious, but you have no idea how many people are willing to do the right thing after they’ve been on your ground.  Many more want to argue about details of posting, legal access, or high-water mark, etc., after they’ve parked in front of your no-trespassing signs and ignored them.  For the uninitiated, unless you have truly researched the legalities and know the signs to be errantly or erroneously posted on purpose, you’re likely in the wrong.  A landowner that otherwise would’ve just asked you to leave might now be doing all he can to ensure you’re ticketed. 

I’ve been yelled down by other hunters standing together in a field I own, while they told me I wasn’t standing on my ground.  Having signed the deed and paying the taxes to prove it apparently wasn’t enough for them.  These people and their friends will never access again, no matter the friends or connection.  I’ve also had stream anglers tell me they waded up the stream legally past impassible logjams, mudholes, and deep water, right next to their bootprints on the shoreline.  Others yet have hidden from wardens looking to make contact with them, dumped their fish in the weeds, or ditched rods to say they got lost while hiking.  It’s experiences like these and others that make private access harder and harder these days.  Most landowners just don’t want the hassle, and it’s hard to blame them after seeing this with my own eyes. 

Go In Blind

These days, it’s easier than ever to be in the right.  Mapping apps like OnX, which display property boundaries on top of aerial photography, contours, and so many other layers, make it nearly impossible to be somewhere you think you’re not.  Not only has it helped me stay on ground that I do have permission for, it’s given me ideas for access and permission granting that I never would’ve otherwise sought out.  It’s opened up more opportunities to both access legally, and in the end, hunt and fish better land that I would’ve previously thought access to be unattainable.    

Stockpile

Sometimes, in certain areas with the right connections, it’s easier to come across multiple chunks of ground to access.  The temptation becomes gathering access more to keep others out, than to use for yourself, or, to take more hunters in as friends or family to the burgeoning acres of land you have growing permission to hunt.  Well guess what, neighbors and landowners frequently talk, and before you know it, may wonder if you’re overharvesting, guiding, or otherwise just taking more than you give.  What seems like a short-term boom of acres to hunt and fish turns into hard “no’s” that stay that way for life.  Continue down that path on other ground, and you’re soon recognized as a person that’s desperate to lock up land you don’t recreate on, or create problems for landowners with additional hunters that are your “buddies.” 

Forget to Respect the Privilege – Before, During, and After

This is golden-rule type stuff, so I don’t need to harp on the basics of it, but it’s worth noting that most of the long-term permission I’ve secured has lead to decades of friendship.  The landowner and I have gained a mutual respect, both in the way we treat each other as well as the way I treat his or her land.  That’s especially when asking, but also when recreating, and too after I’m done.  Everyone has a special deal, angle, or access to something of value that the landowner may be interested in as a simple gesture of “thanks.”  These are typically the same items or experiences you offer your friends, so consider doing the same for someone that’s gracious enough to let you hunt and fish.  As a landowner, I don’t ask or demand a gift or fee, but even heartfelt “thank you’s” are remembered the next time it comes to ask. 

I’m a big proponent of public lands, and when possible also like to pay forward the many years of successful private land hunting and fishing I’ve personally enjoyed.  Hopefully I’ve given some perspective as a hunter, angler, and landowner as to what NOT to do, as avoiding these pitfalls has been key to successful permission seeking no matter where I’ve ever gone. 

Early Season Turkeys - Is Opening Day the Best Time To Take a Tom?

Birds are showing themselves in a big way these days, as snow recedes from wooded hillsides and crop fields offer what’s left of last fall’s bounty.  It’s got turkeys on top-of-mind for all kinds of hunters who, rightfully so, are excited to get out and kill some winter blues and hopefully turkeys in a few mere weeks.  Yet, despite the enthusiasm, there’s a case to be made for some patience, or at least not putting all your tags in the early basket should you be able to get out with family and friends. 

Sometimes, waiting a few weeks until green-up is a better option than hunting early season turkeys.

Early Birds Ain’t Dumb

I’ve heard it said that first-season birds are “dumb” or “easier-to-kill” when chasing them on opening weekend or at least during the first week or so of the season.  Birds will decoy easier in my experience during the first few time periods, and unfettered access to birds that have been scouted for weeks really does provide an upper-hand.  While I understand the sentiment, and agree that there’s advantage to being the first person to send a call at a tom that hasn’t heard or seen a hunter for months, it’s sometimes amazing how “smart” they can seem in the early part of the spring.

Then again, “smart” probably isn’t the right way to describe an early season longbeard.  They’re certainly still sharp, but even more-so instinctual, and caught up in the rites of spring.  That makes them seem more intelligent than they are, if at times more difficult to take.  They stick tight to their hens, often don’t make a peep sans some heavy roost gobbling, and can be tough to converse with.  Ultimately, they don’t need to gobble on the ground as much, because they’re frequently in close visual contact with a bevy of hens.   

Lots of Beady Little Eyes

Early seasons are often characterized by hero-or-zero type days, where you’re really on ‘em, or not at all.  Birds are typically still flocked-up, roosting together in large mating groups that can be tough to crack.  While you may be in tight on them early morning, the whole crew can march off as you attempt to lay it on thick to any of several gobblers in the flock.  Lead hens don’t like upstart and unfamiliar Jenny’s (you), and pretty soon you’ve got a long line of rubbernecks working a bee-line straight away from you.

To make matters worse, you’ve got little room for error in the naked early season understory.  Even in big timber and brush, its extremely difficult to conceal movement and reposition on birds nearby.  While it’s easier to keep a visual on them, the reverse is also true, and there’s usually far more of them than you.  It never fails, some inconsequential hen far to the left or right of your viewable area spots a toe-twitch or a head-scratch and the game is blown before it begins.  I’d rather take on less pairs of legendary eyes than more, and also do so during later seasons where I can get away with at least a bit of movement.

The Effect of Hunting Pressure

You’re also contending with the dynamic of hunting pressure.  While most people hunt early to try to escape pressure, or hunt birds that haven’t been pressured, it’s amazing how many people can be in the woods pushing birds around in the first few weeks.  What may be considered an opportunity to hunt un-pressured, “easy” birds, turns into an exhausting exercise of finding areas without tracks and parked trucks. 

What I will concede is that during early season, there are simply more gobblers to go around.  Rather than them being an easy target, I think the fact that early season supply starts at max leads to those thoughts.  There are times, in early season, where entire valleys seem to be alight with gobbling birds in the morning hours.  To the point where it would seem difficult not to kill a bird if you just sat still and let one wander into range.  Surely, sitting tight during early seasons certainly has a place in terms of strategy.  In Minnesota, where I grew up hunting, it’s been the preferred tactic of most hunters for many years.  Understandably so, as most hunters simply did what they did in the fall for whitetails; take a stand, get comfortable, and wait for one to come along.  Not to mention, it’s often pretty successful, especially if you’ve done some scouting, have a little patience, and will be hunting the first few weeks of the season.

Yet, one of the reasons I enjoy turkey hunting so much, is specifically because it’s NOT deer hunting.  Woodsmanship, calling, and some strategic repositioning makes the sport what it is, at least for this turkey hunter.  That’s a game more easily played once green-up occurs, when the budding understory both conceals movement and offers legitimate pathways to approach certain birds.  Terrain plus greenery flips the script a bit, putting you at a greater advantage providing you like hunting this way.

More Gobbling Happens Later

Perhaps the unsung heroes of later seasons, are the longbeards themselves, who during this time can often be gobbling at all hours.  Mid-season and on, gone are days of big flocks of notoriously henned-up birds, and what’s more common is toms that are left mid-day by the very hens that made them so difficult to kill earlier.  With hens that are focusing efforts on nesting, it’s not coincidental then that research indicates an increase in overall gobbling as toms seek out the last of the unbred or non-nesting hens.  That’s right, even though many birds may have been harvested from a single area, it can be common to hear even more gobbling from the ones that are left, all throughout the day.  That makes them a more vulnerable target, and a fun way to fill a tag.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll likely be hunting early as well, especially for youth seasons and the like where blind-hunts and decoys are more commonplace for me.  In reality, there’s not a “bad” time to hunt turkeys during the spring season.  That said, especially in these times with more liberal bag limits, open-ended seasons, and greater availability of early tags, it can pay to be patient and wait for some of the best turkey hunting that’s yet to come.