In many states, the spring turkey season only lasts two or three weeks. New York’s and Pennsylvania’s last a few weeks unlike South Dakota which lasts seven. The drastic and rapid changes that take place throughout this time frame always amaze me.

One of the most drastic changes is the way your hunting area looks. In most locations, these changes happen quickly and are often noticeable from day to day. Perhaps you could see for several hundred yards on opening morning. Then it seems overnight the area may be in full foliage, limiting visibility.

Another change from beginning to late season is the behavior of turkeys themselves. Toms have spent the first few days being pressured by every hunter with a turkey call within a 50-mile radius. They have also spent the last month fighting with other toms to establish dominance and determine who is going to breed hens first. To put it mildly, by the late season, toms are stressed out and often cautious of every move they make.

Late-season decoy setups are often a tense, uncertain and debated subject for turkey hunters. As mentioned earlier, by this point in the season, many gobblers have been fighting with other toms at some point. In some cases, they’ve had their butt whipped. This, combined with likely encounters with hunters who tried to shoot their head off, can cause mature toms to become skeptical of approaching a decoy setup. But don’t let this common, late-season fear find you leaving your decoys in the truck. With some careful thought, more strategic placement and different calling regimens, your turkey decoys can still help you from ending the season with an unfilled tag.

Early in the season, a decoy setup is usually used to fool a gobbler into thinking he’s got a chance at breeding a hen. The typical setup often consists of a hen and either a jake or a strutting tom. When a gobbler sees this picture, he often comes in ready to fight. Later in the season, however, as one can imagine, his mood can change as quickly as the foliage.

Instead of coming in looking for a fight coming in swinging — so it speak — toms can be more likely to avoid a scuffle for fear of losing the battle. In some cases, toms will even spook from such a decoy setup and leave the area altogether.

To avoid the chance of running him off, use a low-key late-season decoy setup that is simpler, more subtle and exhibits less dominance. Your goal is to simply to get his attention instead of bringing him in for a fight. As the season continues, try placing one or two hens out.

During this part of the season use different decoy poses. Much is talked about decoying gobblers but little is discussed about their posture or poses. As the season continues we have found that pressured birds respond to feeding and upright decoys poses.

During the latter part of the spring, hens begin to venture out in the fields or open areas by themselves, often getting up off a nest to do a little feeding or dusting. By using one lone-hen decoy, you are naturally replicating a turkey’s behavior. When a tom sees a lone hen, the curiosity builds as to whether she has been bred. Perhaps she’s looking for company.

When decoying, pay particular attention to where they are placed. Ground foliage has grown up just like the leaves on the trees. Decoys must be visible. We’ve all had toms come into the field we’re hunting and seemingly pay no attention to our decoys. When this happens, don’t overthink things; it’s usually because he simply didn’t see them. When a decoy is placed out in the grass, it may look visible from your vantage point, but it may not be to a turkey. In all situations, but especially the late season when grass and other vegetation is thick, try to place your decoy on a hill or rise where it’s most visible. If necessary, use taller decoy stakes to make them visible above the grass.

Once the decoys are in place and visible from a long distance, consider your calling style. Remember that gobblers have been pressured.

As the season continues, just like ducks and geese, gobblers have heard such every call from hunter, even if you don’t think your “honey” has been hunted, in our part of Turkey Country, there aren’t too many places that haven’t seen pressure. This is when we change our calling and style.

Resist the urge to make any gobbler calls when a tom is slow to respond. Hearing another tom close to the hen can intimidate a late-season tom. Instead, use a few soft yelps sparingly. All you want to do is let a nearby tom know there is a hen out by herself. Call softly and only periodically. This is often just enough to build his curiosity and make him want to come to investigate.

Understand as the season goes on, it does not mean a specific date or time of year, as hunting seasons are different across the country. All turkey hunting ranges do have one thing in common: by the time the late season arrives, turkeys have been pressured and are on high alert. So, wherever you take to the field, combine a less-intimidating low-key decoy setup with a softer, more-subtle calling method for increased success in your late-season hunting.