Turkey's and weather patterns

Hey guys, I am pretty new to Turkey hunting, have gone a few times before in previous years but yet to bag one. I have an archery license for here in MN, so my season runs from last Thursday to May 28. Due to busy weekends, an upcoming wedding, living in the metro, and working 60 miles south of the metro, my plan is to hunt on some mornings before work for the next few weeks from sunrise till about 7:30am, then head into the office.

That said, what does overnight weather patterns due to the turkeys? My plan was to go for the first time tomorrow morning, but it looks like there’s some thunderstorms overnight tonight and then light rain in the morning. There’s chances of rain pretty much all week. With the luxury of having over 3 weeks to get out, what type of weather should I be looking for to increase my chances? And anything specific technique wise I should be doing as it gets later into the spring? I’ll be on public land, so I do have realistic expectations about the time, effort, and chances needed to tag my first bird.

I have found that storms overnight will cause them to gobble much more the next morning. not sure if the storm at night breaks them up on the roost and they need to find each other in the morning or what, just what I have noticed over the years.

If you are out in the morning when it is raining they will head to open field. Can’t hear well in the rain so they need to see better.

If you can “put them to bed” the night before a morning hunt it will help you get close to them in the morning.

Good luck.

Rain isnt all bad. The turkeys tend to talk less and will head to the fields since they cant hear well in the woods when its raining. The rain also might keep some hunters at home on public land so thats a plus. Find a nice vantage point on a field edge for the first day and just watch and listen to see what the turkeys do. Then make a plan of attack for the next morning.

Turkey season is short, and I’ve killed quite a few birds on rainy days, or even better, immediately after the rain breaks. Like Pat said, it isn’t all that bad, and the key is to be out in it when the rain lets up. Some of the best strutting and gobbling I’ve ever heard has been immediately following some all night and into the morning thunderstorms. Birds are anxious to come to fields and dry out, and toms know it, so I’ve found open field edges and big openings in the woods to be great in times like these. I’ve also killed birds right off the roost during steady rain as birds continue to gobble and come to calling as if it were any other day. Only really strong thunderstorms with wind will shut them up, but even then, as soon as it lets up or clears, they’ll be ready. You should be too. Good luck out there, we’re pulling for ya!

Joel

Didn’t even hear a gobble this morning, and I’ll admit that I haven’t put in great work scouting these couple pieces of public land I’m hunting. But I did have 2 of these guys within 15 yards of me for awhile this morning. The second they got downwind of me they were gone out to about 55 yards in a flash, but then hung out around there for awhile too.

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You will grow a strong dislike for deer during turkey season… Trust me on this

For now, it at least gave me confidence that I was at least concealed okay I think. Once they ran out to about 55 yards they both grunted and snorted quite a bit then took off.

mnrabbit wrote:

Didn’t even hear a gobble this morning, and I’ll admit that I haven’t put in great work scouting these couple pieces of public land I’m hunting. But I did have 2 of these guys within 15 yards of me for awhile this morning. The second they got downwind of me they were gone out to about 55 yards in a flash, but then hung out around there for awhile too.

Way to get out there. When you do end up hearing gobbles, if a long distance away, don’t be afraid to ditch the blind and go out there after them. Good luck!

Joel

I will consider it lucky if I get one this year, but things are getting closer with each trip. Trip #1 & #2 were both unsuccessful, I didn’t see or hear anything. Trip #3, I had a hen come in. Trip #4, which I’m on right now, involved about 15 minutes of talking back and forth with a gobbler that I’m guessing was 150 yrds away. At about 5:40 he shut up and it’s been nothing since then.