A friend and I have a running debate over when the best time to hunt turkeys is: I say you should get out and be set up in the dark before legal shooting time, which is a half hour before sunrise. My friend, who likes his sleep, is not in anywhere near that kind of a rush. He typically runs his hunts during banker’s hours.

I have shot turkeys a minute or two after legal and I have shot turkeys midday. But I have shot far more and seen far more activity in the early morning. So, given the choice, I prefer to hunt early morning and stay on for as long as my day allows.

The truth, however, is as far as sleeping time goes, there is very little difference. If you are staying in bed and going out later, you are asleep in the early morning. If you go afield in the early morning, you set up your decoys and, if you are like me, immediately doze off as soon as you sit down. So it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Which brings me to my point: dozing off is a highly under-rated yet effective way to get your gobbler. And, once we admit it, I predict the next big thing in turkey hunting will camouflaged pillow cases and nightcaps.

There are reasons why dozing off helps. First, if you are a horrible caller, it keeps your efforts to a minimum and you scare off fewer turkeys. Second, unless you are one of those people who snores or flails wildly in your sleep, it keeps movement down.

Mostly, however, I think animals have a sense of humour when it comes to a sleeping hunter. For instance, I’ve been woken up by a gobbler sounding off five yards behind me. (Pro tip: Keep a fresh pair of underwear in your vehicle.)

I’ve also had squirrels and chipmunks run across my pants in their quest for nuts – which, I am pleased to say, they never found.

All this is to say that animals will come very close to investigate what that lump of drooling camouflage actually is, and that can give you the edge, provided you are a person who wakes up with your wits about you. 

If you are not easily startled and wake up in a clear-headed, lackadaisical way, all you need do is slowly reach for your gun and take the shot. Then go back to sleep if you want.

No one will know the tactic you used to get that bird, so you can tell any story you want. Heck, you won’t even be lying if you say that you stayed still and quiet, called sparingly and let it get in close.

If you are worried this will ruin your reputation, all you need to do is clean the sleep out of your eyes and the drool from the corner of your mouth before you take the celebratory photos. I can tell you from personal experience this also works when duck, goose or deer hunting.

The point is just because you get up early to be out in the field doesn’t mean you need to lose out on sleep.

I’m not saying I follow this advice all the time. But I will say I was able to harvest my best gobbler because I stayed still and quiet, called sparingly and let it get in close.