Fall newbie has questions

[Cut N Run]

I got permission to hunt a piece of land up in Virginia where Fall turkey hunting is legal. I've read some about Fall turkey hunting and just wondered if I could get some advice from those here with a lot of Fall hunting experience. Thanks in advance for any replies.

Jim

[retranger]

Jim my limited fall hunting probably won't be much help. It sure isn't as exciting as the spring hunting. The advice I got was ,,,,,, when you find a flock of birds you are suppose to bust them up in a manner so they all fly in different directions. Idea is that they want to get back together so you wait a bit and set up and call. They also use dogs for this. I guess the other method I read about is the ambush. I started hunting deer with a bow and our fall season runs along with the deer season so that is my fall turkey hunting now. Good luck!!!

[mark hay]

By golly , Congrats on the ''NEW GROUND'' , Jim . I've put in 13 fall seasons . At first I felt like it was a complete waist of time . But I kept at it knowing full well in the beginning I didn't know squat about the fall season or the fall birds . I still don't know as much as I'd like , but things have improved for me dramatically . And , I must say it is the season I prefer . And , the excitement ?  Spring is great ! But fall can be just as exciting and many times better . And the seasons are generally longer .
Looking forward to some fall turkey talk with ya!

[eggshell]

Hey Jim,

Mark is right I couldn't really say which I prefer more spring or fall, but I'd lean towards fall. I have had birds gobble and come just like spring. I've busted flocks and I've set up and called birds, from one to fifty. Some of the most raucous mornings I've ever been involved with have been fall hunts. You get around a mixed flock of birds and you'll hear gobbling, yelping, kee keeing, cutting, purring and more. Imagine not one gobbler coming from a single point but imagine 20-30 birds coming from points anywhere within 180 degrees, it is wild fun. I have found many times a gobbler will commit and come faster in the fall then the spring. If he's looking for company or a fight. Yet other days they will drive you nuts, by answering then moving off. Where most people get discouraged is that you need to get in the birds living room, it's not as easy to just listen from high points or roads and hear a bird 300 yards away. You will need to turn the gain way up on your ears. Many, many times my first clue birds were near is the sound of them scratching or walking. Dry crunchy days is what I like. You will need to cover ground as birds will bunch up on food and they are less wide spread. For calling I use a slower cadence than spring and more soft clucks or chirps, but if you hear birds being loud and vocal, out shout them. It's good to learn a gobbler yelp and use a string of medium paced drawn out yelps of 4-6 in a string. Sharp single clucks will get a response but you got to be ready to hear it or you'll miss the response. If a bird responds sit tight for a few minutes. Especially on a gobbler, he may not say another note but show up. Hens with pouts will be more vocal and can be a blast, with yelping and kee keeing. With dogs it fun as the dogs scatter them and then you wait for birds to start calling and you chime in with the most insistent calling possible. If you hear that course old yelp of the boss hen get between her and any answering poults, even if you spook some or it's game over. When you get a bust go after the single or doubles that go away from the general direction of the rest of the flock, because they will be the most lonely and apt to come. It may take a while before they answer though. If you are not close to a flock you'll not get a good bust, if I can't sneak to within say 60 yards I don't even try....they'll all just run off together. that's why many like dogs. I prefer setting up and calling birds without busting myself. Now fall is one time it's more important to be out at first light as many days that is the only time birds will be really vocal. The last plus is you often have the woods to yourself as only about 5% of spring hunters hunt the fall, at least in my area it's that way.

[mark hay]

That's good Dana . Being tired from work I just ain't quick with the thoughts . Now , after reading Eggshells post ,,,,I'm sure , Fall is the Best . I do get excited about the spring hunts and fooling a longbeard , but Like Dana said ,,,,,a whole lot less hunters in the woods .

[retranger]

All you fellows keep talking like that there's going to be a lot more hunters in the woods in the fall!!!! Then you will have to go back to spring huntin[:D][:D]

[ylpnfol]

i have been fall hunting for a lot of years, and i enjoy it just as much as spring hunting, the biggest thing about fall hunting is finding the birds, if you bow hunt that is a good time to locate where the birds are roosting/feeding and you can start there, i like to get close to roost and call as the flock gets together to start the day, you can hear every call in the turkeys vocabulary at this time, it's really cool, learn to kee kee if you don't know how, as you will use this call when talking to young birds, as for calling, if you get a flock of hens and young birds going, mimic what you hear and that will generally work as well as anything, if i know i'm dealing w/ gobblers on the roost, all i do is cluck, they don't usually talk as much as a flock of hens/ young,.....a lot of folks say that fall hunting is boring or killing young birds is too easy, well, i disagree, by the time the season comes in, the birds have been busted up by many a predator, and i've had young of the year come to the call just as paranoid as any spring gobbler......

[kygobbler]

Hey Jim, I got to agree with everyone on here. I love the fall hunt. Here in KY the season runs from about Sept. 1 thru Jan. 15th with a bow and the last week of Oct. and first week of Dec. with a shotgun. I love listening to a gobbler gobble his head off in the spring but to listen to 20 to 50 hens and poults going off in the mornings is just as exciting. A tactic I like to use in the fall when I cant find the birds or if they are on the other end of a big field and I can't slip around to get closer is this. I get out every call I have and start sounding like a small flock thats worked up and excited over something. I've been told and read that you can't call a fall flock to you and thats why you got to bust them up. Thats hog wash you just got to sound like another flock of birds. Good luck this fall I know you will enjoy it.

[Cut N Run]

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate you all taking the time to reply. I've seen plenty of birds while deer hunting, but I was usually up a tree and not on the ground in turkey hunting mode.

The guy whose land I got permission to hunt said he has seen flocks of 15-20 gobblers running together and flocks of hens in the 30-40 range in Fall fairly regularly. Between deer hunting & hockey much of my autumn free time is already taken up. Looks like I'll have to shift priorities a little more. I wonder if I could talk the wife into cleaning the garage for me?

Jim

[retranger]

"My calling is good enough to hunt, not good enough to win any contests."


I like that Jim but I would say if you call in and harvest a nice gobbler that is a pretty good contest won!!![:)][:)]