While he’s still on the ground that is....

Yesterday afternoon I got off work a little early and went after a bird that’s been really, really hard to get killed this year. I’ve hunted him 3 morning, his roost changed every morning but not by much, basically switching ridges. He would gobble 1-2 times on the roost, and then get quiet til 8-9. One morning I saw him and he was by himself. When I called he would strut but never gobbled and wouldn’t budge. I just really struggled with him.
I chose a ridge yesterday and set down at 4:30. I called lightly off and on and never heard a peep. At dark I hooted just hoping to figure out where he roosted, he gobbled on the south end of a long pasture. I snuck to where I could see the field hoping I could pinpoint him. He was strutting with 4-5 hens. I called one time and he started toward me, i knew there was no way he would come that far, that late, while leaving hens. He kept coming and I killed him at 8 steps, when I looked at my watch it was 7:28.
I couldn’t believe he left hens and came that far so close to fly up. Crazy hunt for sure.

First year we could hunt all day in ky I killed my 2 birds just sitting at base of tree (orclose) to where they were roosted. Basically just sitting like deer hunting. Didn’t do it anymore I would rather hunt them in morning or at least call to them and make it more exciting lol

Killed one the second Saturday this season at 4:45. Have pictures last week of gobblers strutting at 6:30.

I killed one that was about to fly up to roost. All his hens had already flown up 50 yards from me so I just scratched around and he strutted right to me. Never gobbled

Around midnight

I think 4pm is my latest

First gobbler I ever killed started gobbling around 3:30pm way off on another property. I made a big circle to one of our biggest plots closest to him. I would call to him on a glass call ( loudest call I had) and he would cut me off. I could tell he was getting closer. I put the call down and waited. Every once in a while he would gobble. I never made a sound. The last time he gobble he was so close I jumped. I set up under the shooting house which is on the left edge of the plot. He walked out in the back left corner and followed the edge. There was a downed small oak tree about 25 yds from me and I could see him thru the leaves and the branches. He got about 15 MUDs from the tree and cut out in the plot. When he cleared the tree, I let the 20ga eat. Son of a gun cut a backwards flip and was dead. When I got to the bird I pulled out my phone to take a picture and it was 6:40pm. That seemed like the shortest 3 hrs of my life. That was 5 yrs ago and I still remember every detail of that adventure.

The one I killed Thursday was at 6:38pm. Latest I can remember shooting one.

Eastern-455pm. Merriam-after 8pm in South Dakota

Dr. B

I'm not gonna Google sunset times or anything, but I'm pretty sure it was getting dark close to 9 pm in Nebraska at end of May and I killed one coming back to the roost.

Now that u mention it, it was in Nebraska. I also saw my 1st and only porcupine silhouetted against the fading lighted sky as I toted him back to the truck.

Dr. B

6pm

Killed one at 6:20PM two Saturdays ago. His hens had just started drifting away from him. I yelped a few times and he strutted in on a string.

10:15 pm..... Nebraska. He was about to fly up for the night.

many years ago in Sumpter Co I killed one after sunset as he headed to the roost tree.

you can't hunt all day?

Around 7pm last season.

Killed one at 6:45 one evening in Tennessee (on April 20) on the edge of a huge WMA field. I had fooled with him and his hens all evening long and they eventually headed out in the opposite direction, headed for the woods to go fly-up. It was cloudy and pretty dark as far as turkeys are concerned. I got up and made a mad dash to where I thought they might enter the woods and was standing there behind a tree trying not to puke from sprinting when I started hearing hens pretty close. They drug him right by me at about 30 yards. Prettiest set of curved, jet-black, 1 3/8" spurs I have ever killed on a turkey. Second heaviest turkey I have ever killed too.

11:45; set up on him at 6:30, we moved around but were never more than 200yds apart for 5 hours, he was never quiet for more than 20 minutes , finally came in quiet to hard Lynch Foolproof box call,hell of a hunt

I killed one last week at 5:30 that was gobbling like crazy. The first bird I actually had that gobbled at my calling this year. He was by himself at the end of a green field and gobbled at a crow before I got to the field. I set up and called and he went crazy. He hung up for 30 minutes in a low spot and I couldn't see him, but with some aggressive calling followed by silence he had to check me out. I killed him at 42 steps sneaking through the tall grass in the greenfield.