December turkey tips?????

[Mike Bolin]

Our bow only late turkey season comes in next Saturday, Dec. 8th. I can hunt pretty much whenever I chose for the rest of the month. I plan to focus on feeding areas in the a.m. and set up on travel routes from feed to the roosting area(s) in the p.m. Is calling pretty much a waste of time in the winter? Plan to utilize natural blinds and also the Apache Pyramid. What about dekes? Any suggestions and/or comments will be appreciated! Thanks, Mike

[varmint101]

I don't know about calling Mike, but from what I've been seeing patterning right now has been pretty "easy."  We'll see come next week if they change routes!  I'm planning on an ambush!

[Prairie Drifter]

I set up on travel routes from roosting to feeding areas. Seems to work for fall and winter birds.

[Mike Bolin]

Sounds like I am on the right track! Hope to have a pic or two of my own in about a week. Thanks, Mike

[centaur]

I do pretty well ambushing turks in the fall (except for this year!!). I have taken 6 over the last 4 years doing just that. Here's one of them.

This year, I have missed them twice with the ambush method,  so the tactic is valid, if I could only pick a spot.

[Friend]

Patterning is paramount. Now set-up in a hot zone that birds may frequent up to four times in a day....lucky find.

Have called in birds for a trad buddy recently and he has had 5 shot opportunities 15 yards and under in two hunts.

Have gobbler yelped,clucked, yelped, extended gob yelping and kee kee'd birds in this season.

Have also used dekes in the past with success.
Note: Gobs may be predisposed to come to a couple of dekes with long beards made from a horse tale.

Since currently set-up in a hot zone, dekes have remained at home.

[moleman]

Been seeing a good number of birds in my hunting grounds, i know where there feeding as well as roosting, youlle find me somewhere in the middle waiting to ambush!  

[Mike Bolin]

I've got some family issues to deal with for the next couple of days, but come Wed. I'm gonna be glassin' the roosting and feeding areas. I have successfully missed turkeys in two different states and I intend to rectify that in the next couple of weeks!! Good luck to all!!>>>-------->Mike

[toddster]

Fall turkey hunting is a blast and I love it.  Ages ago me and my pal, when illinois first opened fall, use to run in and bust them up and call them back.  then I said, why don't we just hunt them, duh.  Like all animals scouting and pattering them is essential, especially a keen eye that they have.  the animals do respond to call's but leave the gobble at home (yes, tom's do gobble in the fall, but not often).  I found the use of cluck's, cut's and purr to work awesome.  I hunt timber in central illinois and find that a natural blind work's better for me than a pop up.  I have used decoy's some in the fall, but not enough to say one way or other.  Once keen point I found is, try and keep the birds was seeing you come and go, again I hunt public land and they get pushed around so then not being alerted to you coming and going will help.  Hope you success and have fun.

[Hoyt]

They are still scratching around looking for acorns on the hardwood ridges around where I'm hunting in Shawnee National Forest, Il.

I've had about 40 hens roost up on a hill right next to me a couple of times in the afternoons and busted them up once going in before daylight in the same spot. Also had a group of 6 long beards scratching all around me one morning this wk on a hardwood ridge.

[bluegrassbowhunter]

I love decoying them in the Fall...but won't hesitate to bushwack one either...or a combination of the 2.I snuck in on a group today & set-up the blind..took about 2 minutes for them to respond to the call.Shot the lead bird at 16 yards...This is some heavily hunted public ground(Taylorville Lake Wma)..


Can't get the picture resized or I would post it....

[Mike Bolin]

You fellars are makin' me real anxious for Saturday morning! I have to be at church by 10:30 a.m. Sat. but I will be out until then. Keep it comin'!

[Friend]

Best of luck-Mike