Guest adowns99 Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 i have never spring turkey hunted before. so i am curious what time of the month is best in central illinois? do turkeys peak like the deer rut? i cant hunt due to injury this year but i am going to go out in the timber and practice calling for next year. i see them all the time in the fall while bowhunting, and i actually got a shot off at one this year. help me out here guys. i would love to get into turkey hunting also, that way i can extend my bow season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbeck Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Re: whats the prime time for turkeys? breading is going on now, the best thing to do is spend as much time in the woods as possible. One day a bird will ignore you, the next day he'll run you over coming in. With turks, you never know what mood they'll be in. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MattA311 Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Re: whats the prime time for turkeys? [ QUOTE ] breading is going on now, the best thing to do is spend as much time in the woods as possible. One day a bird will ignore you, the next day he'll run you over coming in. With turks, you never know what mood they'll be in. Good luck [/ QUOTE ] You live in PA and you say breeding is going on now on March 27th? No way.. breeding doesn't start until about the third week in april through the second week in may in the northern part of the country. In IL I would say about the same maybe a tad sooner if you're in the southern part of the state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Re: whats the prime time for turkeys? Can't say for sure when it is in IL. I'd hate to even guess what it is up there but I'm sure some IL hunters will clue you in along with some hunters in the states next to you. The big happening here is when the majority of the hens are nesting so there's less hens available for those anxious gobblers. That's when they will gobble their heads off trying to draw in the few hens that are left. They also seem to work a lot better then too and are easier to locate for obvious reasons. The peak of it is usually around mid April here give or take a few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exturkinator Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Re: whats the prime time for turkeys? [ QUOTE ] ...i cant hunt due to injury this year but i am going to go out in the timber and practice calling for next year... [/ QUOTE ] Hope you heal up from your injury and get back to 100%. You might be careful about practicing your calling in the turkey woods - many folks will tell you that you're educatin the birds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest adowns99 Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Re: whats the prime time for turkeys? when does turkey season open here in illinois? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
need2hunt Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Re: whats the prime time for turkeys? Illinois Spring Turkey Season - NORTH 1st Season: MON, April 10 - FRI, April 14 2nd Season: SAT, April 15 - THU, April 20 3rd Season: FRI, April 21 - WED, April 26 4th Season: THU, April 27 - WED, May 3 5th Season: THU, May 4 - THU, May 11 Illinois Spring Turkey Season - SOUTH 1st Season: MON, April 3 - FRI, April 7 2nd Season: SAT, April 8 - THU, April 13 3rd Season: FRI, April 14 - WED, April 19 4th Season: THU, April 20 - WED, April 26 5th Season: THU, April 27 - THU, May 4 As for practicing your calling in the woods prior to season it is actually illegal to practice calling in the field form March 15 to opening of season for the South zone and March 22 to the opening of season for the North zone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbeck Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Re: whats the prime time for turkeys? [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] breading is going on now, the best thing to do is spend as much time in the woods as possible. One day a bird will ignore you, the next day he'll run you over coming in. With turks, you never know what mood they'll be in. Good luck [/ QUOTE ] You live in PA and you say breeding is going on now on March 27th? No way.. breeding doesn't start until about the third week in april through the second week in may in the northern part of the country. In IL I would say about the same maybe a tad sooner if you're in the southern part of the state. [/ QUOTE ] Check into it, some hens are laying the first and second weeks of may. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stsi36 Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Re: whats the prime time for turkeys? pretty much just all day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born4it Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Re: whats the prime time for turkeys? I hunt in Schuyler and McDonough Counties, and I'd have to say that something can be said for your first few days in the woods along with late second and most of third season. Depending on the pressure in your area and how many turkeys there are, I know people that kill their birds in the first few days they're out, partly because they haven't learned that your particular calls are coming from a person (not educated yet), and it's still just a tad soon for the hens to be receptive to breeding. You might catch some anxious gobblers answering your calls early, but when I fill out the application for my extra permit, I always ask for third season. I guess you could say it's like the rut around where I hunt. Third season is around the third week in April and it's when they start getting ready to breed. That's when I've known them to be most receptive to calling. That's my take, but remember that it depends on certain factors in your area, too. Overall, just get out there as much as possible! Good Luck!!! Take care, Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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