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Hot afternoon and evening hunting

Vermin93

Vermin93

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Dallas, TX & Signal Mtn, TN
It's my first season and I'm still trying to score. I only have 3 days left before I have to pack it in. The high temperature is supposed to hit 90 for the next 3 days in my area. I'll be out every morning, but I'm not sure about the afternoons. Any advice about hot afternoon turkey hunting? One of my hunting buddies is telling me that it's basically a waste of time.

Also, with sunset not happening until almost 8:30pm does it make sense to hunt early evening rather than the afternoon? I was thinking of hunting the morning until about 10am and then maybe between 6:30 - 8:30pm.
 
Your buddy needs to worry less about a humans misery heat, and hunt birds in hot climates more.

I have never seen heat affect turkeys all that much. They generally aren't out in the bright sun, but living in the south, for years and hunting in the south for years the turkeys never seemed to care how hot it got. TN has been no different even though it is north.
 
I have killed a few over the years on hot afternoons and evenings. With that said, I do not care much for it these days. I base my decision on the return on investment of time (kills) I have experienced when compared with the level of effort put forth (hours in the woods). For me, this return (# of kills/hour hunted) has been considerably lower when compared with cool crisp mornings with closer to average temps. I hunt enough good cool mornings that I can punt on hot afternoons with temps pushing 90, 10-12 degrees above normal, as we will experience this week in my area. If you must hunt hot afternoons such as this week, I would find some shade and mainly hunt 5:00-8:00. Best of luck in your decision.
 
Yeah, I think it is going to be tough the next week! I MIGHT go but it will be early morning and late(530pm till almost dark). Evening hunts will be around known roosting areas, trying the ambush hunt. That is hit and miss on them showing up, not the shot ;) .
PS: Evening hunts also give you the opportunity to see/hear some birds roosting and then you can setup on them the next morning.
 
I keep out of the sun and stay in the shade (just like the birds are said to do in the heat)...but then again I am new at this and getting close to my first one!
 
I went sunday at midday and set up where 3 longbeards had been hanging. I hate hunting this way but we missed all the best hunting here and i will do what it takes. anyway after 3 hrs i had to be somewhere so i head out and start back to truck across a recently cleared area of land and there is a ditch running through the middle that they left tree on. did i mention it was hot. I look down the ditch and there are 3 hens space about 100 yards apart just basically standing in the shade. I said i am gonna watch them for a while. 30 minutes later they all still in same stance like statues. i just laughed and circled around to truck and thought the turkey knoq its hot too. LOL
 
Vermin93 said:
Thanks for the suggestions. With just 3 days left for me to hunt and no points on the board I'm going to try to hunt as much as I can.
Click to expand...
Ah, the magic formula for success! Hunt as often as you can whenever you can. There is nothing you can do about the weather. It is what it is.
 

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