Bagging Late-Spring Gobblers

Two turkey decoys placed near a wooded area during late spring. — While a lone feeding hen and a jake work well in most late season setups, I recommend going with a posturing jake decoy by itself in the latter part of the season. Greg Wagner, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

By Greg Wagner

We are in the latter part of the season for spring wild turkey hunting in Nebraska. Using a baseball analogy, it is the bottom of the 9th inning, your team is behind, the bases are loaded, there two outs and you are up to bat!

I don’t think there is any doubt about it, spring wild turkey hunting late in the season is challenging. However, there are still plenty of gobbles to be heard and birds to be worked plus amazing experiences to be had and indelible memories to be made in the Nebraska countryside.

Look, I’ve been hunting these male wild turkeys in the back portion of the season for well nearly four decades and some of my best hunts have occurred then with hens in nesting mode. But be mindful that the last weeks of the season mean different thinking, strategies, tactics and adaptability.

Yeah, I fully realize that there’s ticks, mosquitoes, stinging nettles, poison ivy and more lush vegetation that make May turkey hunting a bit more difficult, but we can take preventative measures for those. Nevertheless, there are some key things to understand when it comes to pursuing wary gobblers and apprehensive jakes later in the season.

Greg’s Late-Spring Turkey Season Tips

So with my years of experience, here are my thoughts/notes to help you improve the odds for cancelling your turkey tag in the final month of Nebraska’s spring wild turkey hunting season.

Adapt to the month of May. I believe that May can offer some of the most exciting turkey hunts of the entire season. Many hens are starting to nest full time now. Amorous gobblers are trolling for any and all remaining hens still interested in breeding. And all the extra greenery can help you disappear from the turkey’s keen eyesight. But you must be adaptable. Gobblers are running into more hens that ignore them – those already nesting and some that won’t be nesting this year. Gobblers don’t have time to waste on uninterested hens. And the same growth that hides you can muffle turkey sounds and make it more challenging to zero in on them.
Utilize decoys. Now, I prefer a single decoy – if any. If any! But I do think realism really helps now. More than ever, realistic decoys seem to aid the hunter greatly as that old gobbler’s eyeballs your setup to gauge the interest of the hen he hears. Gobblers have little patience for hens they can see but ignore their strutting and gobbling – especially those that are statue-still. I’ve had luck with a lone jake decoy in half strut late in the season, and possibly a feeding hen. Jealousy can be effective in luring in a gobbler willing to fight for one more hen. However, if you’ve located gobblers using areas where the cover makes seeing your decoy difficult, it’s probably best to just leave it at home.
Imitate responsive calls. Gobblers seem to become picky with the hen music they respond to as the season winds down. Don’t stick with a call they are ignoring. If you hear a gobbler consistently answering a real hen – try to match her cadence and sound. If he is continually answering your calls, but just not closing the distance – keep at it by switching calls and speaking softer. If you can’t get a read on the birds, tone down your calling to mimic what is naturally occurring with hens being less aggressive. Even on smaller parcels of land, walk and try intermittent calling in an effort to bring the hen closer to the tom. Just remember patience often tags birds as they make their way to your setup once their current engagement is over.
Get close. Use the thicker greenery to your advantage. Close the distance on gobbling birds before setting up. This is especially important early in the morning. The new green-growth blocks their view as much as it does yours. But it also muffles gobbles. That tom is closer than you think. If you can hear him – he can most definitely hear your calls. And he’s listening…
Keep an eye out for gobblers just about anywhere now. A hen may pull a gobbler some distance before she slips away to her nest. That old boy will find himself all alone and often looking to head back from where he came from. Get setup on the most likely way back and he may just beeline to your setup.
Pay particular attention to the weather. Warm temperatures stifle turkey activity, movement and gobbling. When temperatures exceed 75 degrees Fahrenheit on clear, sunny days, turkeys often remain quiet and find cool creek or river bottoms with shade to loaf. Find these spots for midday cold-calling efforts. If you have to deal with rain, the turkeys tend to hit planted agricultural fields for earthworms. Know where the birds could possibly enter these areas. When the rain begins, turkeys like to be in the openness of these fields so they can detect danger and feed.
Try midday hunts. A gobbler that hasn’t enjoyed the company of hens for a while might get really excited at your hen yelping and travel a ways to locate a girlfriend during midday hours. I set up to call on long ridges or expansive fields and periodically call with the hope of sparking the attention of a distant, lonely gobbler. I have lured in many gobblers this way in the middle of the day.
Avoid dew. Dew on grass and plants is common now just about every calm morning. Turkeys don’t mind wet feet but do their best to keep their feathers dry. When hunting early mornings look for spots like crop field edges and short-grass pastures where the birds can avoid brushing up against the wet cover as they move around. Wet edges and fields can funnel birds right to you. Once the dew is gone turkeys will roam anywhere!