16 Nebraskaland • April 2020
While some states have noon or 1 p.m. closures during
spring turkey season, Nebraska is one of several states that
allow all day hunting. Yet few turkey hunters take advantage
of this opportunity.
That's because most hunters like to be in the woods at first
light. After all, nothing beats calling in an old gobbler shortly
after fly down and tagging out just as the sun is rising.
However, things don't always go as planned. Hens roosted
nearby will often steal your gobbler away, leading him in the
opposite direction. Sure, he may gobble at your calls, but he's
not about to leave the live hens right in front of him for a
mysterious lover in the bush.
Fortunately, the day's best hunting is still ahead. I
frequently hit the woods around noon or shortly thereafter.
By then, most hens have abandoned their suitors to go lay
eggs and tend to their nests, leaving gobblers lonely and
vulnerable.
Set up near a shaded daytime loafing area or sunlit
strutting zone as confirmed by tracks and feathers. A few
yelps on a box or mouth call is usually all it takes to fire up a
mid-day gobbler. Once you've got his attention, make a few
soft clucks and purrs on a slate call to seal the deal. Then get
ready, because he'll often come in silent to investigate this
new girl on the block. Leave the decoys in the truck, though.
You want to keep him searching and guessing until it's too
late.
I've bagged numerous afternoon gobblers over the past
30 years, and you can bag some, too. Sleep in this season
and have a leisurely breakfast (or even lunch). There's still
plenty of time to enjoy success in Nebraska's spring turkey
woods.
Jarrod Spilger is an outdoor writer, hunter and dog lover
from Grand Island.
PHOTO
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
SLEEP-IN TURKEYS
By Jarrod Spilger
IN THE FIELD
