Fall turkey hunting tips

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I might be hunting some turkeys week after next. I've got a couple other species that are first on the list, but I plan to try to get a turkey as well, since they will be in season. I have never hunted turkeys in the fall. All I know is you bust up the flock and then sit down and try to call them back in. Anyone who has experience with fall turkey hunting want to give me some tips? Kee kee run? Yelps?
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
I might be hunting some turkeys week after next. I've got a couple other species that are first on the list, but I plan to try to get a turkey as well, since they will be in season. I have never hunted turkeys in the fall. All I know is you bust up the flock and then sit down and try to call them back in. Anyone who has experience with fall turkey hunting want to give me some tips? Kee kee run? Yelps?

call like they are. they kee kee you kee kee. busting up is grand fun but you can do fine just blind calling sometimes. hal will be in soon to guide you.

i wouldnt suggest holding off for a fully bearded Tom. they can be tough. younger birds not so much.

there isnt a better way to spend a fall day than playing with some.

Good Luck.
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
there isnt a better way to spend a fall day than playing with some.

Good Luck.

I second that one. Can't think of anything I'd rather be doing in the fall than turkey hunting.

As for tips, here's a couple that I've learned hunting them halfway seriously for only the last 7 or 8 years. So, take them for what it's worth.

If you can bust up a flock and then call them back in, that's the easiest way to kill one, in my experience. But finding a flock and being able to get a good bust is much easier said than done, without a dog. Busting them up off the roost is good theoretically, though I've never actually killed one doing that. And if you're not able to scout before you hunt up there, you will probably spend a lot of time searching for them trying to locate birds. I locate just like I do spring hunting - slowly easing around calling. I'll use a mix of hen yelps, kee kees and gobbler yelps until I find something and ID what sex the birds are. Then call gender to gender as a general rule. 90+% of the time I spend fall hunting is always trying to locate and get an answer from a bird as I move around and call. I killed a couple fall birds last year after hunting all morning, and then finding an areas with a little sign, sitting down and cold calling and snacking and napping. But you've got to be listening for yelps or clucks or peeps and calls like that.

I don't typically like turkey hunting videos at all, but you can learn a lot about fall hunting with Ray Eye's videos. I recommend watching and studying them to pick up some good pointers.
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
As for tips, here's a couple that I've learned hunting them halfway seriously for only the last 7 or 8 years. So, take them for what it's worth.

I can only count 11 birds (4 gobblers, 5 hens, and 2 jakes) that I've killed in the fall. The first one wasn't until 7 years ago, I believe. So, my experience isn't all that much. But I probably average about a bird every other trip out, so I do sort of have a style that works fairly well for me.

And another good fall video to watch is Denny Gulvas'. But I like Ray Eye's better myself. He says he actually likes fall hunting better than spring, and his style is easier for regular guys to mimic, IMO.
 
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QBD2

Old Mossy Horns
I hunted a few days last fall/winter, and honestly it just doesn't do that much for me. I got one good bust at fly up, the next morning was pretty fun. But overall it just ain't the same as that spring thunder;)
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I can't imagine it would be the same at all as spring hunting for gobblers, but I feel like I ought to give it a shot. I'm taking my Boykin north to see an old friend and chase birds, and turkey season will be opening while I'm there. He knows where they hang out on his property, and I've got a flushing dog bred for the job. He claims it's a lot of fun, but I'm not sure how much he knows about calling them. And I have zero experience in the fall except for watching and listening to them while deer hunting.

Does time of day matter? Bust them up in the evening and try to call them back in the morning? Or any time of day?
 

hawglips

Old Mossy Horns
Does time of day matter? Bust them up in the evening and try to call them back in the morning? Or any time of day?

If you're taking a dog to find them, no hurry to get out there in the morning - unless you want to listen to some flying down to locate. But anytime of day is a good time to bust them up. I've only had 4 good busts ever. One was a flock that had just flown down. One was at high noon when I happened upon a flock of 20+ birds who never responded to my calls as I approached. Another was while hunting with a dog. The last time was a group of gobblers that were sneaking in to my calling and they saw me first so I ran through them and busted them up good. Three of the 4 times I had a bird on the ground within 15 minutes after starting up the calls.

I think fall hunting is as exciting as spring gobbler hunting. And I'm glad not very many other hunters bother with it.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
i am no expert on the dog but will yours sit for the action after the bust? seems like that would be a challenge if she is new to turkeys?
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
No. That is the hard part. He will sit in a dove blind, but sitting still enough for a turkey not to see him? No.

I don't have to take him, but I thought it might help. I was thinking we could bust them up right before dark, and then we could go back after them in the morning without the dog. That would require knowing where they will be roosting and being there at the right time.

We'll have fun giving it a shot either way.
 

PG2

Ten Pointer
Having hunted fall turkey for more years that I want to admit to in PA, it is tough.. You have to find them first, which takes a lot of walking and luck. Find the feed, beech, cherry and acorns are the fall favorites for turkey too. If you find them bust them up and then sit down and wait, you will hear them start to call, most of the times it was the young ones with the kee kee's and then a boss hen would start with the assembly yelp.
 
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