Fall Turkey

[gspsonny03]

I hope eveyone bares with me on this. I'm not the greatest turkey hunter in the woods, but have shot a few. I'm mostly a run and gunner, although I will sit in a blind once in a while. I'm also mostly a spring hunter, haven't tried it in the fall yet as I'm usually hunting something else. What are some of your best tactics for fall?

[Lilred]

Over here in the "jungle", use the same setup as I do in the spring fer the most part. We can hunt turkey with a bow, then loader (can ya see that pile of mincemeat?) and then durin gun season. Funny thing is, most people round here run dogs so if ya see some turkey that the dogs have stirred up why then you just take a whack at em. That is probaly how most fall turkey is killed round these parts.
Alot of times I just like to hunt fall turkey...period. Since there is alot of dogs & people stirrin them up all the time they scoot around alot which makes findin em harder than usual. (Which makes it more fun anyway)
I start by sittin by the creekbeds before light and listen to em fly down. Most times hens do alot of cluckin when the come down offa roost too, so you have that to guide you.
If I was too lazy to git up that mornin, I hit a pine lot or, on a rainy/windy day, I'll glass a field.

I have never sat in a blind and turkey hunted. The one thing that a turkey almost constantly does is make noise. They walk like elephants, run their mouth all the time and they do that almost all day. I will stalk the birds instead of sittin most times. Unless you walk like an elelphant, run in and out of sun and shade all the time, run yer mouth like they do or try to git close enuf to pet em, you can successfully do it and without much ado either.
In the thick woods here, a turkey can walk within 30 yards of you and might not never see it. I stalk em cause I'd rather have the advantage of sight than them have the advatage of cover, so it might be totally different where you live.

Now if I could only git good enuf to stalk deer ...lol

[petey]

Best thing to do in the fall is bust up a flock and they come back into the call like a bunch of lost puppies.

use the old Kee-Kee run call ("I'm Lost, where are you?")

And you'll start calling in birds sometimes as early as 5 mins. I've busted up flocks in the morning and went back in the afternoon with a couple buddies and called birds in for all of us.

I normally don't "hunt" for birds in the fall. I'm already in the woods archery hunting and I normally have a flock fly up around me during season. I just switch modes and go out the next morning with the shotgun and get them when they fly down. I've killed a fall bird ever since I've started hunted using this tactic. Just happen to be in the right place at the right time while hunting deer, only to go in the next morning to get my bird.

One nice thing about overlapping seasons, other than the fact that I have to wear orange while archery hunting. That's right, you HAVE to wear 250 sq in of orange while fall turkey hunting in PA. Probably b/c in some places you can use rifles instead of shotgun. They should eliminate that in my opinion. Ever try to call a bird in wearing 250 sq inches of orange?? PA game commision has t heir heads up their butt sometimes. Forces you to result in different tactics like bushwhacking them. Definitly not my choice of way to hunt birds, but to abide by the law almost forces you to hunt unconventionally.

[GoodOlBoy]

I have not turkey hunted in quite some time. Am thinking about trying to get me a bird or so up around Colorado County where I have some relatives.

GoodOlBoy

[gspsonny03]

Well certainly some good ideas here. May have to give it a try if I have the chance. I do know what you mean about the rifles though. I have shot three with rifles and didn't find that to be much fun so started to packing the old scattergun. I enjoy that a whole lot more.
Lilred, if you can sneak up on a turkey you should be able to sneak up on a deer. Least wise that has been my experience. Hope you all have fun chasing them this fall.

[Nulle]

I might have to try the Fall hunt myself as there are tons of them in the Black Hills again this year.

[Lilred]

Lilred, if you can sneak up on a turkey you should be able to sneak up on a deer.

Lol...I have tried and have busted way more than I have actually snuck up on. 60 yards I'm good....sometimes even 50...but 40 er less...very seldom have I ever done it right.

Petey, the blaze orange is true in VA too unless yer bowhuntin durin the gun season. Bowhunters are not required to wear blaze orange. That's great...but personally...I WANT them fools to see me..especially when yer huntin public land.

[GoodOlBoy]

Dog gone it just found out they nixed the fall season in colorado county several years back. If I want fall turkey I have to head further out west. . . . . . . . Have to talk to some of my kinfolk anyway and see whats goin on.

Kee-Keee

GoodOlBoy

[gspsonny03]

Nulle,
A guy I work with hunts over there right on the state line and he says the same thing. He says the camp ground that he stays in is fulled with them every morning when he heads out to hunt deer.

Lilred,
Keep at it, you'll get there. Are they busting you from noise or are they smelling you? Maybe you need heavy socks and take the old boots off and play injun with them and I'm sure you know about the wind, so I won't go there. Just have fun, after all that's what it's all about.