Fall gobblers

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

Fall turkey season just opened in Ohio and I finally have my first tag. I’ve been debating it for several years and this year there are just too many birds out and about, I had to get a tag. Who hunts gobblers in the Fall? What tactics, if any, change between Spring and now? What is the same? I’m actually a passable mouth-caller, and have gotten toms to gobble in the Spring with a pinched nose and my own raspy hen voice, and I’m decent on the hockey puck call. There are definitely birds, we’ve been seeing groups of 12+ almost daily In previous years I’ve had opportunities to shoot turkeys while deer hunting but never got a tag. Problem is, now that I have a tag I’m only seeing them when I’m well out of range and/or not actively hunting. I’m planning to use my crossbow but would gladly take one with compound if given the opportunity.
Tips for getting them into bow range at this time of year?

 

[MattMan81]

They are gonna feed on similar things to deer. So generally they are in the same area. One option I read but never tried, was find a flock of them. Run at them and split them up. Then sit down and start calling. They say most times they will come back to that spot to re group.. never tried it. But sounds fun..

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

They are gonna feed on similar things to deer. So generally they are in the same area. One option I read but never tried, was find a flock of them. Run at them and split them up. Then sit down and start calling. They say most times they will come back to that spot to re group.. never tried it. But sounds fun..

Well I suppose I have nothing to lose lol. I see flocks almost daily and I saw something hilariously similar. Was in my garage yesterday and more than 20 birds of all ages and both sexes were making their way across one of our large alfalfa fields. They went over 300 yds right to about 120 from my garage. Then 90. Then I got my puck call and started light clucking and yelping just to see what would happen. They did nothing. So I called a bit louder, then this Tom came bursting through the crowd and they all scattered, much like you described. Then a squirrel came down the hill with something in its mouth (likely a chestnut) and all the Jakes and Toms regrouped to act all Velociraptor towards the poor squirrel. Hens gathered the rest of the flock and they went back to the woods in a quite orderly fashion.

 

[bigmike23]

They unfortunately did away with rifle usage in pa fall turkey. It used to be just walk slow through the woods, walk up on the flock, and blast the first one that entered my scope.
Biggest thing with fall turkey is you have to find the flock. Unlike spring turkey where toms and hens are spread all around an area, they can all be bunched up in 1 group making them extremely hard to find.
I remember 5 or so years ago walking every inch of 1000 acres private, then another huge chunk of public looking for them. Hunted till 11 and couldn't find them. On the way back to the truck I happened to glance up on a side hill and there they all were. Picked the first bird that entered my scope and got em

I really lost a lot of joy for turkey hunting because the population is so catastrophically down. It's not a matter of me not looking hard enough, or not scouting enough, or not wanting it enough. They're simply not around anymore. Not on cams, not seeing them in fields, not hearing about them from farmers I know.
That's why the game commission eliminated the Fall rifle usage because the harvest rates have been down so bad

 

[Bwhana]

Given the population declines across most states, I question why a fall season exists. Not knocking anyone going out where legal, but questioning the motives of the wildlife departments that keep fall hunting just because it is traditional rather than a sound biological practice. FWIW, I feel the same about most deer seasons that are really based on historical dates set when the population was being established and not based on modern herd population needs and breeding dates.

With that said, bust a flock by walking, sit down where you flushed them and start kee kee calling and one should come in since they want to regroup. If it is a gobbler group, gobbler yelping will bring one back.

 

[Loopwing]

In the fall just use light clucks and yelps. In the spring they are looking for a "good time" in the fall they are just looking to group up (2 completely different emotions) I have called in countless turkey to under 10 yards with just a mouth call and light yelps in the fall. It is usually just for fun, there is a A LOT more meat on a deer. Also, not sure what you are using for deer, but use a good mechanical broadhead for turkey. You want to cut wings, lungs, heart, vessels, everything you can. If they fly off, it is a good chance you will not recover them

 

[woodsdog2]

They are gonna feed on similar things to deer. So generally they are in the same area. One option I read but never tried, was find a flock of them. Run at them and split them up. Then sit down and start calling. They say most times they will come back to that spot to re group.. never tried it. But sounds fun..

This is a classic fall hunting style. My Dad and I used to love to hunt fall turkeys. My dad was a master woodsmen, one of my favorite memories was coming home from college in the fall on a Friday night, Dad would have the birds roosted, we’d set up above them in the twilight then at first light we would start calling right before fly down time. While still on the roost. That works pretty well too. Get to know the kee kee run call and old hen assembly yelp. Fighting purrs bring in fall gobblers too btw.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

Given the population declines across most states, I question why a fall season exists. Not knocking anyone going out where legal, but questioning the motives of the wildlife departments that keep fall hunting just because it is traditional rather than a sound biological practice. FWIW, I feel the same about most deer seasons that are really based on historical dates set when the population was being established and not based on modern herd population needs and breeding dates.

With that said, bust a flock by walking, sit down where you flushed them and start kee kee calling and one should come in since they want to regroup. If it is a gobbler group, gobbler yelping will bring one back.

just FYI, I believe our fall season is warranted. Turkey hunting is not super popular and we are NOT hurting for population at all. It’s more rare to see zero turkeys than it is to see two dozen. That’s why the neighbor and I got tags this year. Plus you can only kill one bearded bird. BUT I totally get your point and where I grew up in DE I experienced much of that low population/small draw lottery for spring hunting only. That’s part of why I waited so long to get tags. And I’m always counting poults, reporting my counts to the DNR. This year the poult recruitment has been REALLY high. I think a few old toms can lose their feathers for thanksgiving.

 

[Bwhana]

just FYI, I believe our fall season is warranted. Turkey hunting is not super popular and we are NOT hurting for population at all. It’s more rare to see zero turkeys than it is to see two dozen. That’s why the neighbor and I got tags this year. Plus you can only kill one bearded bird. BUT I totally get your point and where I grew up in DE I experienced much of that low population/small draw lottery for spring hunting only. That’s part of why I waited so long to get tags. And I’m always counting poults, reporting my counts to the DNR. This year the poult recruitment has been REALLY high. I think a few old toms can lose their feathers for thanksgiving.

I certainly don’t blame you and wish you success - zero negative towards you!

Just frustrated with most game department(s) antics. Our local population is booming here as well, but most of the western part of our state is the worst I’ve seen and continues to decline, even on private and even more so on public.

 

[Weldabeast]

Majority of public around here doesn't offer a fall turkey season but this 1 place I hunt does allow gobblers or hens during the deer season in the bow only areas I hunt. I've come real close twice shooting turkeys spot and stalk on the ground but our woods are more condusive to that kinda stuff being real thick all year. Both times I was walking looking for deer sign and heard them from far off and then just switched from targeting deer to trying to kill a turkey. The last time it was a flock and I stalked it for over an hour thru the palmettos. Drew the bow couple.times but never got a shot. It was definitely in the top 5 most exciting critter encounters while hunting. No calls or anything like that...just ninja skills vs their eyes

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

I certainly don’t blame you and wish you success - zero negative towards you!

Just frustrated with most game department(s) antics. Our local population is booming here as well, but most of the western part of our state is the worst I’ve seen and continues to decline, even on private and even more so on public.

Totally took zero offense.
I get it. Turkeys are a sensitive species in many areas. Even within each state, the micro-populations are hard to manage in the macro-conservation effort.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

In the fall just use light clucks and yelps. In the spring they are looking for a "good time" in the fall they are just looking to group up (2 completely different emotions) I have called in countless turkey to under 10 yards with just a mouth call and light yelps in the fall. It is usually just for fun, there is a A LOT more meat on a deer. Also, not sure what you are using for deer, but use a good mechanical broadhead for turkey. You want to cut wings, lungs, heart, vessels, everything you can. If they fly off, it is a good chance you will not recover them

That’s why I was planning to use crossbow, cuz it’s a lot less movement to draw and I shoot nasty mechanicals out of it.
I am pretty confident my compound setup with Montecs would bust a bird in short order, but I would only shoot under 20yds if I didn’t have the xbow.

 

[Loopwing]

VA just sent out a survey about turkey hunting in general. Some of the questions seemed to be leading to no fall season, shorter spring season but all day (right now we can only hunt until noon the first half of spring season), and only bearded birds during any season. I only target birds in the spring, but carry a mouth call all season to play with.

 

[woodsdog2]

New York has reduced its fall season by one week now for the past two or three years. Although both gobblers and hens are legal in the fall, I personally refrain from taking any hens. New York has had a decline in turkey numbers overall since 2007. The new reduced season is two weeks.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

New York has reduced its fall season by one week now for the past two or three years. Although both gobblers and hens are legal in the fall, I personally refrain from taking any hens. New York has had a decline in turkey numbers overall since 2007. The new reduced season is two weeks.

Agreed. I would not shoot a hen personally. I have a bearded hen on cam from summertime but I would not shoot her either.

 

[Loopwing]

On the opposite end of the spectrum. This spring I took my daughter out. I was calling and had some gobbles, a few minutes later I had 2 birds come in. Looked like gobblers, but not really, but yeah gobblerish, but no freaking beards. We called they both clucked and kept moving. I have been hunting birds for years. They get out of shotgun range and both go into a full strut, mature fans spread and one gobbles. Still no beard at all. I was looking with binoculars. VA law is a bearded bird, so they were illegal birds to shoot. None bearded gobblers, and bearded hens.... what is this world coming to?

 

[Weldabeast]

My friend who is a turkey slayer says the wing bone calls made from hens work better. I just gotta take his word for it but gives me a good excuse to kill 1...

 

[Loopwing]

I need someone to teach me to use a wing bone call. I can talking sexy with a slate and a diaphragm call, but I have tried them a few times and just can't make them sound sexy, so I leave them at home.

 

[HuskerInIowa]

I buy a fall tag here in Iowa every year. It’s either sex, no beard requirement, in the fall here. I don’t generally go out in search of them but since they often target the same food sources deer are I have ended up seeing quite a few. I’ve got no issue taking a hen of the opportunity presents itself just like I’ll shoot a doe if I have a tag for one. Archery you are allowed two here.

Every state is different but I trust our DNR to make the right choices to manage each species and I just follow those rules.

 

[Plebe]

New York has reduced its fall season by one week now for the past two or three years. Although both gobblers and hens are legal in the fall, I personally refrain from taking any hens. New York has had a decline in turkey numbers overall since 2007. The new reduced season is two weeks.

I‘m ok with Thanksgiving Day only in the fall.

Fall birds make terrible mounts. But the blessing of a bird to fry on the day of thanks just seems right.