Fall the best season

[eggshell]

Yes indeed fall is a great season, and as Mark said you will hear every call turkeys make and learn more in less time than any other. I absolutely enjoy my fall seasons. It is hunt anywhere you like here in Ohio, as there are very few fall hunters. What I like about it:

lack of pressure, you can hunt public land you wouldn't even drive by in the spring
You have to get in the woods with them, it not an option to listen from afar
You can use dogs....It's great watching a pooch bust birds
They can be so vocal you'll almost want to yell SHUTTT UUUPPP!!
No body worries about who killed the biggest gobbler
long season
no road callers!!!!
The poults are tender and beyond delicious
You think spring gobblers are tough.....you ain't seen nothing (when they aren't looking for love, you have two and a half strikes on ya

Dislikes:

It can be tough finding where the birds are hence lot's of walking, but when you find them whooohhooo
it can be pretty warm
bugs are still bad
we only get one tag in Ohio, whimper sniff sniff
That's all I can think of

I think Mark is right many want to focus on deer in the fall, but mostly they are just too lazy to do the leg work and there''s not the thrill of the gobbler. I also think many are detoured by the non trophy aspect, it's hard to brag about a 8-10 pound poult or a hen and the gobblers are just too tough.

REAL TURKEY HUNTERS HUNT THE FALL!!

[mark hay]

I just can't seem to get excited about deer any more . I MIGHT go this coming gun season ,,,,but ! it'll be like Dana said . Those yearlings are sweet to the tastebuds .
 As for the turkeys ,,, I'll eat what I kill ,,,young or old ,,,,but I prefer to fool an old longbeard inside gun range ,,,,,,whether I attempt to shoot him or just let him walk will be determined more by how many days remain in the season .
 
 Anytime I get a bird close by calling , whether it is spring or fall , it makes me feel like I'm still capable of learning and capable of applying the knowledge to the game .
 
 Watching a tribe of gobblers come looking is priceless !

[turkeydoghunter]

i killed one long beard in the fall before i had dogs ........i called him in on the trumpet ,,,,i have killed long beards every year since i have had dogs and i get chances to kill them because of the great scatter a dog or dogs achieve.....i call them in to the gun .....they talk more because they are lonely....i cant wait i have a litter of pups right now 2 are spoken for and one im training for sale..i love to deer hunt with a bow and still go out during the rut....i guide fall dog hunts in PA , but i also donnate dog hunts to nwtf and sci club .....i take alot of kids out too!!! fall was the only season in the early times ive heard the old timers say your not a true turkey hunter till you kill a fall long beard...Ron

[nhtrkybstr]

I've heard that some guys will work fall longbeards like they work a spring bird. Has anyone had any success doing that?
I was also wondering about the gobble call in the fall to draw in longbeards. 
The WMU I hunt in the spring just got opened up to fall turkey. This area has it all. Tremendous food sources, ample water, and great roosting.
Should I just sneak into the food source area and setup there? I don't plan on trying to bust a flock up, just work food sources and scout this area hard in September.
I love the fall hunt. There is just something special about being in the woods in early October.
Any advice from vetran fall hunters is welcomed and appriciated!
 
Mike

[mark hay]

ORIGINAL: nhtrkybstr

I've heard that some guys will work fall longbeards like they work a spring bird. Has anyone had any success doing that?
I was also wondering about the gobble call in the fall to draw in longbeards. 
The WMU I hunt in the spring just got opened up to fall turkey. This area has it all. Tremendous food sources, ample water, and great roosting.
Should I just sneak into the food source area and setup there? I don't plan on trying to bust a flock up, just work food sources and scout this area hard in September.
I love the fall hunt. There is just something special about being in the woods in early October.
Any advice from vetran fall hunters is welcomed and appriciated!

Mike

 
 If you are refering to calling them from the roost the answer is yes . But gobblers being the way they are ,,sometimes they just aren't interested in what you or I may offer in the way of calling .
 Their nature to be with other turkeys is a big part of fall hunting . Though the gobblers can be found alone or in a pair or more . I worked on a huge flock of gobblers last fall with no success . They were seemingly content to stand their ground and make me do the walking ,,,,,,or it just may have been my impatience .
 We often times ''Cold Call'' during the spring season in an attempt to strike up a willing bird . It is the same in the fall . But , depending on whether you are seeking just a turkey , of either sex , or a mature gobbler , this will determine exactly what specific call you will use .
 I've experienced good success in striking up a clucking conversation with afternoon gobblers . Cutting and yelping also has proven to be affective. Gobbling is a call I am more willing to use as I get more fall experience . I should have killed a tom last fall that came to my gobbling , but I limited myself by carrying a 410 and was not willing to risk the shot with the gobbler just beyond my optimum range .
 I went in near a known roost site in the darkness in late November . Taking my time to be as silent as possible and remain unseen as I moved through a large cedar grove by a dim headlamp . I stopped about 60 yards from the flock . The dense cedars allowed me to get that close unseen . There is a ditch in the bottom of that holler . The cedars go right down to the ditch on one side ,,with hardwoods on the other side . The birds were in the hardwoods .
 I waited for the sky to lighten . I hoped to be the first bird to tree call , and was fortunate to be just that . I made one gobble . I think every tom on the roost had something to say about it too . Their chatter of yelps , whistling , clucks and gobbles went on for some time . It was a very rewarding experience even though I didn't get them to come my way . They seemed to just drop from the trees , take up scratching and went away . The part that amazes me is that they seemed to know that my gobble was not part of their flock . And , by that statement I'll say , that I believe that the gobble will pull in the more mature birds , under certain conditions or certaintimes of the day . At this point I don't know if the gobble is a good  call to give to roosting birds .
 I may at some point attempt to scatter a flock ,,,just for the show , and the fun of trying to call them back ,,,but my goal is to learn how to pull in those longbearded old birds with just calling and by knowing the woods very well .
 Scouting pays off . Squirrel hunting September to begin searching out where the big boys are feeding , loafing and roosting .
 
 Da'gummit this stuff gets me wound up fiddlestring tight ![:D]

[Dcoleinpa]

keep em commin turkey man!

[fallhnt]

nhtrkybstr,Gobbling works good for me.One public area I hunt in Il.seems to have a lot mature birds that gobble in fall.I have blind called,with a gobble shaker,and have had longbeards come in to check me out.I also use decoys in the fall.I worked a flock of 6 longbeards last fall and filled both of my archery tags two weeks appart.That being said,I have hunted this area for years and know the area very well.Scouting is a big part of my archery success.