Striking the 2 O'clock Tom:
- publiclandman
- Apr 15, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 6, 2019
On some Alabama public land (Management Areas) there isn't a chance of striking a turkey in the afternoon, due to legal time restrictions during Spring Turkey Season. Some Management Areas have a rule that doesn't allow turkey hunting past 12 or 1 O'clock. I mostly hunt the Talladega National Forest, which does not enforce a time restriction like that during Spring Turkey Season. I like to refer to successfully striking and harvesting a turkey in the afternoon as the "Two O'clock Tom", and I specify that as a bird that is alone, aggressive, cooperative, and excitedly communicating to your calling.
I've had a lot of success with striking the Two O'clock Tom. This is the kind of turkey every turkey hunter wants to encounter while he's hunting. If you do your homework and scout, you'll have a chance most every season to have an encounter with this type of bird. I've found this type of bird to be in the bottom of a hollow or on top of a ridge strutting and gobbling to try and attract a hen. Most of the time it's mid to late turkey season when I strike this type of bird. The Tom is all alone, due to Hens who have already been bred that are nesting. I've also found that my percentage of finding the Two O'clock Tom goes up the more spots I'm able to cover. I make a list of areas where i have seen turkeys, found turkey sign, heard turkeys gobble, or note special features like-fields, creeks, long ridges with high points at the end, and areas where i have found where turkeys like to scratch for bugs and dust themselves. When attempting to strike a turkey in the mid to afternoon part of the day, I resort to slipping through the woods calling like a hen feeding, and clucking with different pitch tones to catch the attention of a lonely Tom. I will typically have spots that I want to call from while doing this. I will call from high points on the top of ridges and down into Hollows where the sound echos. You do not have to call very loud or be fancy with your turkey calling. If you find a lonely bird, he will gobble if you understand how to yelp and cluck. If you can "purr" then that is also a great way to simulate a Hen feeding during the middle of the day or later into the afternoon. If you're in an area where you have an abundance of Turkey sign and you have heard turkeys gobble then you need to be careful with walking and calling. Some older more experienced Turkeys will come in silent, and you'll bust yourself by walking into the bird. This can be avoided, all you have to do is go to a spot where there's an abundance of sign, or it can be a spot where you hear turkeys gobble consistently and sit and call. If you're going to use that tactic, be realistic, call in spurts, soft call some, and adjust your level of tone to sound more excited to locate a Tom in some series of your calls. Give a series of calls every 10-15 minutes, but scratch the leaves, and softly cluck and purr in between those series of calls to seem like a real Hen feeding every 5 minutes. I think it’s important to to have periods of silence in between your calling. It keeps a curious Tom searching and at ease. From what I’ve experienced from real Hens; it’s how they go about feeding, calling, and moving through the woods from point A to point B during the Spring.
The Last thing I'd like to add to this is be patient, and know the woods and terrain around you. Knowing the terrain around you while turkey hunting is in my opinion almost as important as being still and patient. When you find a spot to set up on a Two O'clock Tom, call and allow him to answer you. Call just enough to let him know you're there, but sparingly enough to make him wonder where you might be. When the bird gets a certain distance, and I always say 75 yards or when you can hear him walking through the leaves, stop calling and let him make his way into gun range so you have a shot. You'll know if a bird needs to be called to if he's standing in one spot not moving and gobbling. When a Tom goes silent after gobbling close from your calling, sit still, be quiet, and have your eyes on alert. He's probably on his way. Good luck in the Turkey woods, and I hope this helps someone enjoy their experience Turkey hunting.
-PLM
Comments