Late season turkey hunting is here, and hopefully you’ve already got a tag on a nice tom. But for many hunters, it doesn’t always work this way. Calendars fill up, weather doesn’t cooperate, birds become less accommodating, and COVID-19 has preoccupied our minds through the entire season.

Turkey hunting, like most types of hunting, can be either a rewarding experience or the most frustrating and confusing thing in the world. And when you talk about late season turkey hunting, it can somehow become an extreme case of both. By now the birds are seasoned survivors, so they know most of your tricks and will continue to avoid you despite your best efforts. And yet, when you do manage to harvest a late season gobbler, you feel a sense of accomplishment, like you’ve earned it. Spring turkey hunting is funny that way.

Late season turkey hunting is usually defined as the final week of the spring season in the state you’re hunting. Each state has slightly different season lengths. Exact dates can vary depending on where you hunt. For example, Massachusetts is down to its last three days, but New York and Connecticut go all the way to May 30.

Harvesting a late season turkey is difficult no matter where you’re hunting, but not impossible. Gobblers are now guarded, well-educated birds that have probably survived more than one season. This combination makes them exceedingly difficult to fool, so you need to make your time in the field count. Other factors, including heavy foliage growth, temperature and behavioral changes, bring additional challenges that can complicate your life even more. And if you’re noticing these late season patterns in areas where you’re now hunting, don’t fret, because there’s still hope.

First, let’s take a moment to compare things between early season and late season turkey hunting. In the early spring, hens are getting ready to breed. A peak in breeding activity soon follows which is a great time to hunt since toms and hens are actively communicating and looking for each other. However, after a few weeks, bred hens slowly start to nest, and the gobblers just can’t seem to find enough receptive hens anymore.

In the weeks’ prior to this, gobblers are fighting each other for breeding rights and may become hesitant to approach late season toms with hens (meaning decoys). But just as whitetails have a second rut as more does come into estrous, turkeys enter another peak breeding period shortly after the initial breeding phase ends. Toms will now be on the lookout for the last few receptive hens. And that’s your ace in the hole for late season turkey hunting.

Now we’re ready to dive into some late season tactics you can still use this season.

What it really comes down to now is maximum concealment in the best places you can get into. Soft calling, and using smart decoy tactics also play heavily into the game. One of the best tips for hunting late season is getting into the right locations and just completely disappearing by wearing the right camouflage. Setting up along travel routes and known food sources is another great tactic. After flying down from roost trees, toms will make their way to feeding areas. Green clover fields are magnets to turkeys in late spring. But remember, by now most gobblers have experienced serious hunting pressure and are cautious. They generally will not come running into fields after seeing a decoy as confidently as they did in the early season. They will hang back and make sure things are safe before proceeding. This is a great time to use a hunting blind, as turkeys will use their vision to the max searching for even the slightest movement, which is why you must disappear.

Patience also plays a large role as gobblers will often go tight-lipped the minute they hit the ground. That’s when you limit your calling to just a few soft hen yelps and clucks, followed by long pauses of at least a half an hour (unless you hear a turkey responding). If you hear a hen call to you, mimic her tone and cadence in response. If you hear a gobbler, try to read his excitement level. He may be hot enough to come running over. But, he’s more likely to shut up and silently sneak in with caution. It’s on a case by case basis now, and you must be patient, letting the game come to you.

Another question during late season is, should we use decoys or shouldn’t we? And that’s a tricky question. In some cases, even the best turkey decoys just aren’t good enough, so passing on decoys may be the right thing to do. This becomes an especially smart move if you know you’re dealing with cautious birds. But, at times, using a lone feeding hen decoy can be amazingly effective (with a minimal amount of calling).

Finally, do not give up, because even during this late stage of the “Grand Spring Hunt,” just a little tweak in your strategies can turn a dismal season into a dynamite final week.

Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and sportsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, and a 2019 inductee into the N.E. Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Joe is also on the Quaker Boy Game Calls and Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Pro-Staff.