Early Bird Tactics

Getting on top of the game early is a good early season strategy for gobblers. Sometimes early gobblers are still ganged up with their buddies or only recently have broken up. The gobblers are ready for breeding season but the hens usually aren't quite ready yet. Best of all the gobblers are not yet terribly call shy and often come willingly to the call. If you like lots of looking and loud and aggressive calling, the early season is your prime time. If you don't find or can't entice a gobbler from his roost, cover lots of ground and do lots of calling. I use cutting, cackling and the fighting purr to stimulate both the sexual and territorial impulses of early season gobblers. Matching the early season woods calls for camouflage in gray and brown tones to match tree trunks and leaf litter. Few plants have more than barely started bud break and green leaves are scarce. Save the green camo for later in the season, after green-up.