Longing for those Good Gobblin’ Days: How to Work Toms during Poor Weather

BY TODD AMENRUD

Ah…springtime – doesn’t it seem like those “good gobbling days” can sometimes seem few and far between. You know the ones - the sun is shining, high pressure, there’s little or no wind and the toms are fired up and “gobbling their heads off.” I’ve hunted many states for turkeys and oftentimes it seems like those days are too infrequent with the volatile weather spring typically ushers in. With the period’s fast changing, unpredictable weather hunters should be prepared to hunt in the rain, wind and sometimes even snow. It’s important to know how turkeys act when each phenomenon occurs.

With rain, it really depends on the severity of the storm. With drizzle or a light rain, the turkeys really don’t seem to change their habits much. When it comes to a downpour, they will head for cover. They seem to know ahead of time when harsh weather is going to hit. Their inner ear can probably sense the barometric pressure change.

Once the grass, brush and foliage are wet, turkeys will frequent open fields, meadows and pastures. Probably for no other reason than so their feathers don’t soak up the water and they can dry off. In this situation, they probably aren’t going to be very vocal so you’ll need to use your optics and knowledge of the area to locate them.

I’ll always advocate safety, but sometimes thunder can be helpful. If the lightning accompanying the thunder is close, please retreat. But I’ve killed several birds because they couldn’t resist gobbling when the thunder cracked. Just like many locator calls will make a turkey “shock gobble,” the roar of thunder can induce a gobble out of a tom to let you know exactly where he is.

With as much snow and cold as we’ve received this year, who knows what we might receive through turkey season. “Global warming,” he said sarcastically. If you hunt during the early part of the season, snow is a serious concern, especially in northern states. During a South Dakota hunt years ago we received a blizzard and were slapped with three feet of wet, heavy white stuff in two days. It made getting around more difficult but it also made fresh signs very easy

to see. Snow doesn’t seem to bother them as much as rain does. If it’s harsh, they’ll go to cover, but unlike rain, after, they don’t seem to need to search out the open fields and pastures as dependably as they do with soaking wet feathers. The snow doesn’t bother them that much but the severe temperatures that sometimes accompany snow can often make them so quiet it seems like they disappeared. If it’s later in the spring and the hens are nesting this may also cause the hens to abandon the nest.

When it comes to wind, use some common sense… where do you want to be? Turkeys don’t like cruel winds either. They still need to go about their daily routine of feeding, breeding and all the other things that make a turkey’s life busy, but they’ll be doing it out of the wind somewhere. They typically won’t be far away from where you usually find them. Look for thick parcels of timber, pine plantations or search for a drainage or gully that runs perpendicular to the wind. Just use the brain God gave you.

With these two weather phenomena, or even with the onset of low pressure without rain, the gobblers can become very quiet. They might still react to your calling, but there’s a good chance that they’ll come in totally silent. The key is to know for sure that the birds are there. After sitting for a period, how do you know whether it’s time to get up and move or change tactics if you have silent toms? Having confidence in the area is a key. This is why scouting is so important. You need to know the birds are in the immediate area.

While pursuing turkeys it seems I use my optics more during harsh weather than at other times, obviously because they aren’t gobbling as much. Also, as said, if they’re out in the open fields and pastures they are much easier to see at greater distances. You may need to change your calling habits a bit, or simply change the call that you’re using. If you can’t hear as well in wind or rain, even with their superior sense of hearing, oftentimes, neither can a turkey. I like to use louder calls such as a box call, or slates made from aluminum or titaniumwhen “sound-oppressing conditions” roll in.

When locating birds, it’s a good idea to use the turkey’s excellent hearing to your advantage and position yourself downwind of a given parcel - because of their exceptional hearing they can more than likely still hear your locator call, but now you can hear their response much better with the wind helping you out. If you’re hunting with a partner make sure you stand a fair distance apart from one another when you locate so you can better triangulate a position on an answering tom.

Blinds can also come in handy in bad weather of all kinds. I have several different blinds that I like to use for different situations. You can even fashion a blind from natural material from the area, but it’s much more comfortable in a blind that keeps you protected from the elements. You can also get away with much more movement in a blind.

Lastly, decoys are a tool I wouldn’t be without, especially in bad weather. Often they aren’t as vocal when various weather phenomena hit, but they do still react visually. In rain, I’ve set up a small flock of decoys in a large agricultural field and never had to call at all. That’s the time of the year when turkeys want to get together with other turkeys so they react positively to your offering.

A hunter should be prepared for the worst. With limited time to hunt, you need to make the best of any situation. If you experience bad weather on your hunt, don’t give up. The turkeys are still there somewhere and persistence does pay off.

In most bad weather situations, gobblers aren’t going to be as vocal as they are during nice weather. Oftentimes you need to physically see the birds to know where they are. (Photo Credit: Todd Amenrud)

Bad weather served to aid in this bird’s demise. A big thunderhead came rumbling through and every time it would thunder, the bird would gobble, giving away his location. (Photo Credit: Todd Amenrud)

Don’t give up if you get unfavorable weather during your hunt. The birds are still there. When snowing, the toms probably aren’t going to gobble as much as they do during nice weather, but seeing the birds becomes much easier and fresh sign becomes obvious. (Photo Credit: NWTF)