hunting from a blind w/bow & arrow...

[arrowsonly]

[:D] I'll be unemployed this fall turkey season! Never hunted the fall I understand to whole slit em up thing, I think...
I have an acorn ridge that has a funnel leading to it; nice and long @ 400 + yards highest point around !
Well used by all wildlife in that area 100 + acres out of the river bottom/swamp near by, dear,turkeys, partridge, ect...
Would it be at all productive to sit in my double bull ?
What's up w/scaring them off the roost at dusk ?

[mark hay]

ORIGINAL: arrowsonly

[:D] I'll be unemployed this fall turkey season! Never hunted the fall I understand to whole slit em up thing, I think...
I have an acorn ridge that has a funnel leading to it; nice and long @ 400 + yards highest point around !
Well used by all wildlife in that area 100 + acres out of the river bottom/swamp near by, dear,turkeys, partridge, ect...
Would it be at all productive to sit in my double bull ?
What's up w/scaring them off the roost at dusk ?

 
The splitup or scatter is done by many if not most fall turkey hunters . Some do the scattering on foot by running at the flock ,,,some will have their gun loaded with light loads just to shoot into the air while running at the flock to create more SCARE in the birds . Some use dogs to track n trail the birds and do the scattering for them . Whatever method , the desired end is to scatter the birds in all directions . The birds , by nature , want to regroup . If in the attempt to scatter the majority or all go in one direction they will generally regroup in a place other than where the scatter took place. But if you get a good scatter to the four winds , that is the spot where you want to set up and call from . Give the birds some time to settle down before calling .
By locating a flock at roost time , and waiting till it's nearly dark or dark if you like ,,and scatter the flock by yelling and running around the woods . Keep at it by going in circles and enlarging the circle each round until you are certain no more birds remain at that roost site . Sometimes the birds will be roosted in a small area in trees close to one another ,,,and sometimes they might be scattered over an acre or more . By scattering in the dark the turkeys are not likely to all fly towards the sunset and the scatter should be ,,,again,,,to the four winds. Be back in this same area of the scatter well before first light of the morning and begin your calling.
In my opinion , to go at what I have decribed above , with the idea of using the blind would be a mite taxing . Based on your statement of the amount of game in the area it might be better to scout and scout again and locate their foods and roosts and set up there and call . It ain't scribbled in stone that you must scatter the flocks and then call them back . I have scattered one flock , and it was just for the experience and I let all the birds that came in to my calls simply walk away.They can be called into the gun or bow without spooking the crap out of them before hand .
I prefer to scout before season and locate as much sign as possible . Roostsites and areas showing lots of feeding sign . When season opens I'll be out there well before light and be up high for listening .
Being able to tell the difference in gobbler yelps and hen yelps is a big plus . If you are not picky of the sex or age the KEE KEE or KEE KEE RUN will be the call to use .
If you have BIG TIMBER in the area to be hunted you might get away with your DRAW by using big trees  ,,,,, to hide your movement or as a turkey walks behind a big tree thereby giving your the chance to draw.
 
hope ya have a good season

[Bobbyparks]

Mark,
 
Hunting turkeys in the Fall is something completely new to me as we don't have the season here.
 
Your post here was great and has helped me gain an understanding of the basic principals  better than anything I've seen.
 
I have been watching others post as well about using the dogs etc and am now wishing I could hunt the fall season.
 
How does it work with limits?
 
Is there separate tags for Fall or does it tie in with Spring kills?
 
Bobby

[Duke0002]

Great post, Mark.  Thanks.  Last year our county had fall hunting for the first time.  I stunk at it!    I'll be a little more knowledgeable this season.  

[allaboutshooting]

Hey Mark,

Good post. I've been hunting turkeys in the fall now for maybe 25 years or so and enjoy it at least as much, if not more than the spring. You just get to see and hear so many more turkeys. It's also a time when turkey hunting can be a social event. The more hunters the better, at least in my experience.

I've been seeing small flocks so far but in another couple of months here, they'll be in flocks of 100 or more.

I like to know where they are either by scouting or just asking farmers, rural mail carriers, UPS drivers or anyone else who is out in the country and on country roads a lot. I use the "roost locate" and scatter method and also just go the woods, set-up and call.

I've found that many times a turkey or so will become separated from the flock and that if you sit and patiently call, one or more will come to the call.

The most important thing is just to hunt where the turkeys are. I love the fall hunts, getting to see so many birds and hear the vocalizations. Now you all have gotten me all excited and I have more than 2 months to wait!

Thanks,
Clark

[mark hay]

Thanks fellers ,,,It's easy to get carried away when discussing a subject that I'm ABSOLUTELY NUTS ABOUT!
 
Bobby , I don't know about other states , but here in Ohio we get two tags in spring and one in the fall with no carryover . Like Clark ,I too have grown to enjoy the fall season much more than spring.
There doesn't seem to be very many fall turkey hunters in my area . I guess most are bowhunting deer , with a good many coming from the Carolina's , Georgia , Tennessee , Alabama and Kaintuck each fall in hopes of one of Ohio's BIG bucks .
 
I anticipate a good upcoming season since we had such a tremendous hatch last year and had to endure so many 1st year jakes this past spring .
 But as you've probably aready seen in some of my previous posts , I will again be targeting longbeards only. Though I will be going with a couple friends who have never fall hunted , and they may be eager to take a bird of either sex .
I look at the fall season , with the only target being a mature tom , as a big , 50 day classroom . Like Clark said , the birds are more vocal . The young of the year are always willing to get into a scrap with their flockmates attempting to establish some dominance .The more time I get to interact with the birds , regardless of sex or age , the better understanding of the birds I will have next spring ,,,and next fall .
 
So ,,,,just ease your favorite shotgun into your truck and come a runnin' ,,,, OCTOBER 10,,,4250 acres of turkeys. 10 minutes from my home .

[allaboutshooting]

Hey Mark,

Illinois has a very short fall shotgun turkey season and you can only hunt the county for which your tag is issued but we do get to hunt all day. It's possible to get 2 tags, if you're fortunate, in the lottery.

We too have seen a decline in the number of applicants for tags. Many spring hunters either have never tried fall hunting or tried it once, didn't understand how it works and gave up.

It's also true that many other hunting sports are going on at that time.

Best of luck to all the fall hunters and if I can be of any help whatsoever, I'd be pleased to do all that I can to be of assistance.

Thanks,
Clark

[mark hay]

Ohio does not have a lottery and a tag is good for any county that is open for the fall season . Tags can be purchased throughout the state at many Gas Station/Convenient stores , Wal-Mart etc.or online. Resident or non-resident .  Go to ,,,www.wildohio.com  . The website gives a thourough break down of all things .

[ol gobbler]

arrowsonly,I hunt out of a blind most of the time.Stopped flushing birds years ago as I found it not very productive as a bowhunter.Find a known roost and get close. Use decoys and call.Open crop fields same thing. Blind calling in an area with longbeards is productive with a gobble or gobbler yelps.I also stay and call all day.I can easly carry food, drink, camera ,extra cloths ,bow etc. with a pack that I made over 10 years ago. It is light and quiet and easy to remove the blind from when under the roost of a late winter super flock.I can walk hands free in the turkey woods or use a flash light with ease.My stuffer decoys over my shoulder and blind pack on my back and I'm set for the day.It also works well for hunting with deer and antelope decoys.You can carry everything in one trip! More time to hunt.I now sell this pack as well due to a lot of positive feedback from people I've hunted with over the years.Hope this help and good hunting.