Fall season Do's and Dont's!!!!

[RWTaxidermy]

This will be my first year hunting turkey in the fall season with a bow, I know that fall turkey hunting requires a whole different approach compared to spring season. What is the most prefered set-up and tactics for scoring on a fall gobbler?

[Squirrelhunter91]

Well.. it all depends.. do you want to do it the traditional way or do it my way?

The traditional way is to find a flock, bust it up and call them back in. But its hard to call a gobbler back in during the fall because they are solitary creatures for the most part.

My way is simply to shoot them the first time you see them. More like surprising them.

[wildside]

My way is simply to shoot them the first time you see them. More like surprising them.

Thanks for the post, Joe. I've been watching this thread because I drew a permit for my first fall turkey hunt as well. We have a group of toms that have been coming through on a regular basis, and I'm hoping that they will continue to show up at least through the first day of the season! I was planning on taking one of them when the opportunity arose but was also wondering about different approaches this time of year versus in the spring.

[Squirrelhunter91]

If I were you, I'd shoot the biggest tom the first time I see them only because it could take days or weeks before the bachelor group of toms regroups.

I don't know about your state, but here in the fall, when you shoot a turkey, you have to mail one of the legs in to the state. They age it and test it for disease and stuff. Personally, I won't shoot a tom for this reason here in the fall. Simply because if he has good spurs, I don't want to lose one of the spurs to the state.

I like to shoot hens in the fall because it cuts a few out of the equation during the spring season. I always say that if I have a choice between a hen and a tom in the fall, the hen is dying first.

But if your state doesn't have some stupid mail in thing like mine, whack and stack the big toms! Good luck!!

[Nut]

My main way is to pattern them like deer if possible . I have busted them up before but you do have to find them 1st.

Nothing can be more ridiculous than being in a middle of a flock with many within shotgun range and you leave your shotgun back at a tree because you would not run with it.

[Strut10]

My main way is to pattern them like deer if possible .

Pattern them..........yep.

Much in the same way you'd pattern a hen/poult flock. Find the food source(s) the gobblers are hitting. They may be working grapes or beechnuts on a wooded ridge or coming into a cornfield, etc. Your best bet is to be plopped down and patient somewhere along their travel route. It's a well laid ambush, really. That'd be my first choice method.

Breaking them up and calling them back works, too. But if you already know where to find them to break them.........get there earlier and ambush them. If you do get a good break on them (I don't like to break gobblers as hard as hen/poult flocks) use a slate or a deep, raspy diaphragm to do sloooooow, single and double yelps. Only do one or two then wait 10 minutes or so before you call again. Keep your eyes extra open. You may or may not get any response that you can hear other than footsteps in the leaves.