Snow Bird

 

This is no Florida tom turkey.

 

This tom hasn’t let a long winter and a cold spring cool his ardour for hens.  He keeps doing his love dance in spite of a late spring snow squall.

If dirty weather greets you early in the season and you are wondering if its worth it to go out hunting in snow and rain, keep this photo in mind.  It was a few degrees below freezing and and snowing steadily when this shot was taken but this tom was still in the game.

If you have to hunt in snow, fog wind or rain, they all will muffle your call and reduce its effective range, mouth calls in particular.  Friction calls punch out the farthest in bad weather, especially boat paddle box calls and glass, crystal or metal pot calls matched with a carbon peg.

Wind and snow make it harder to direction find a call too, so call loud and call often during every lull in the wind until you get a gobble in response or see him coming. Snow and rain do reduce the amount of gobbling toms do, but they don’t dampen a tom’s desire for hens.

In windy or snowy conditions set up in sheltered locations out of the wind where hens will come to looking for food.  The tom will be along with the hens.