Best wishes to my fellow turkey hunting brethren still in the chase to fill a tag- As you can see, Our Viking Diva is warming up on my shoulder. 11:59:59 AM, the reigning queen of the opera sings the last act tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No pressure… hunt smart, and you’ll send her packing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gobblers here in CNY are far fewer in number than most of us old timers remember. With longbeards being of the strong and silent type, the best or worst among us hunters can’t buy a gobble in many anecdotal reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Run and gunning may leave you eating a tag this late in the season. Play it old school. Confidence calling, feeding purrs, whips, and whistles, light clucks, and very soft yelping. If one stomps your call with a voracious gobble, get ready as they’ll likely not gobble again and come in swift but silent. Exceptions duly noted. With four weeks of renewed education, errors on our part in the turkey woods during the final hours will not be forgiven with second chances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With an abundant but unfortunate supply of wet, cool weather, many hens have come off the nests and we have a dating\/mating reset with the clock running out. If a hen challenges you, then you have to answer her appropriately. Girlfriend gets the boyfriend in trouble every time, and you may find one not on her first nest yet if you had a very late second or third hatch from last year. Too young to mate, but he’ll follow her anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you go in loud, you’ll likely leave empty handed. They’ve been chased all season, and any mistake you make will be an exit stage left with an alarm putt if you get any indication at all that you messed up. The foliage is thick as ever, and when a gobbler is pursued by a variety of predators, there is no tolerance for a clumsy two-legged one either. However far you may think he gobbled from, it might be better to halve that estimation in the woods now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As they are not talking much now, any sightings are key tactical data. If you can get out and roost tonight, it may be the final clue to the last day. Bring your binoculars and glass as much as you can. With the foliage fully out, you can get in close, but you’ll have to be there very early tomorrow morning. The forecast is for more rain tomorrow, the last day, yet this morning is a rather nice one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hunt all the way to your spot, and all the way back to the truck, the entire hunt can turn around in 30 seconds, and the action can be fast and furious. On State Game Lands this past Wednesday, I filled a second tag, less than 150 yards away from my truck as I hunted back to it. It took him a full 20 minutes to show after a half gobble\/half yelp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stay sharp, safe, and alert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best of luck in the final remaining hours of the season. Now if we can get this lady off our damn shoulders…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a9 2025 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media<\/p>\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In a heartfelt message to fellow turkey hunters, the author offers insights for the final hours of the hunting season while highlighting the challenges faced this year. With fewer gobblers in CNY and evolving hunting dynamics, they advise adopting traditional calling techniques and caution against loud approaches that may scare off wary birds. Weather conditions have disrupted mating rhythms, making response tactics crucial. The focus is on strategic observation and patience, as quick encounters can change the outcome of a hunt. The author encourages vigilance and adaptability, wishing everyone luck as the season draws to a close.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[253,132,3,1],"tags":[13,106,35],"class_list":["post-3185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-end-of-season","category-hunting","category-turkey","category-uncategorized","tag-ny","tag-turkey","tag-turkeywoods"],"yoast_head":"\n