Fall turkeys

[Jake Scott]

Hey guys,
There is a fall turkey season where I am hunting whitetails in north central Tennessee.  Here in western NC, where I live there is only a spring season, so I have never gone after them in the fall.  What calls do you guys use in the fall when they don't have breeding on the brain.  My lease is absolutely covered up in birds, so I am hoping to get a shot from one of my stands.  As always, thanks in advance.

Jake

[centaur]

Spot and stalk is a real hoot and a real challenge with the big birds, and is my favorite way of hunting them. It will definitely challenge your stalking skills.

[Jake Scott]

Centaur,
I guarantee it!!!  If turkeys smelled as well as the see I swear, we would never even see one!!

Jake

[Tom L]

Learn to Kee-kee and if you bust some birds hide where you can shoot and Kee-kee = lost call. Birds want to get back together in the fall a lot of times they will come right back to where you busted them.

Tom

[macbow]

Like Tom said.
If your walking in to a stand and get close to a flock run like a mad man straifht at them. The goal is to make them run or fly in several directions.

Get set up close using the kee kee call a lot.  You might hear a loud call in competition that will be the main hen. If you can use a mouth call mimic her. They will come in.

[Jake Scott]

Thanks guys!!!

Jake

[K.S.TRAPPER]

How many birds you killed that way Tom and macbow with trad equipment?

Tracy

[macbow]

I have not killed any. When I was in better shape I had a lot of fun with them though.
I was getting good at shooting between their legs.

[Fattony77]

I've had more luck calling fall birds into range than I have spring birds. I haven't actually connected on any of the shots yet (pick a SPOT! Lol), but I've called several into range.

Macbow's advice is exactly how I've done it. Even if you don't bust the flock up, just mimic the sounds you hear them make (I use a mouth call but I'm sure others work just as well). I try to pay attention to the rhythm and phrasing of their calls and do my best to duplicate them.

I think that's why it's worked well for me. Ya don't really hafta "know the language," just repeat what ya hear.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!

[KyRidgeRunner]

Ive used the above tactic of spliting them up and a good kee-kee will pull em to your lap. I've used the tatic several times, not with a trad bow though.  That's only because I just happen to have a different weapon at the time.  I would definatly use this tactic with trad equipment and not think twice. I will say I've had the best luck with this in heavy timber, I've had some
Failed attempts in the open. Best of luck!

We can hunt them in the fall here as well. The best way to get turkeys in real close in the fall is to NOT buy a turkey tag, they can tell if you don't have one. Splitting the flock, the most effective call is a shrill thing that young toms make mixed with a couple of old hen clucks. It works, but it is a lot of work for an old crip like me to pull off, I mostly wait for pass by birds anymore.

[Ray Lyon]

We've had more birds on the Shrewhaven property the last couple of years.  We hunt them like whitetail deer. I've had them come through my oak ridge stand area scratching for acorns and they have been on the food plots as well.  I even put up a double bull blind on the two track in and out of camp that is planted with food plot seed. They ended up at the opposite end from me. Ron laclair bagged on last year and I did miss one from my tree stand that I hurried a shot on (turkeys will pick you off in a tree stand even if you don't move and right now if you do move so you have to be quick). The craziest thing last year was hearing bobbing one clear crisp morning.  If it wasn't real birds it was someone trespassing with a tape recorder of multiple gobbles at once.

[bigbadjon]

I agree with Ray. You are likely to get busted while in a tree stand. I've had better luck calling them in right after they fly down first thing in the morning. The other ones I've gotten in the fall just happened by.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I have tried the bust up thing, good luck with trad gear but you can do it with shotguns. You do it to much and they will leave your area there not the smartest birds in the woods but there not the dumbest either.

We have good luck every year out of tree stands and blinds  just talking to them like they talk feeding along in groups and doing what turkeys do. I will yelp to get there attention but quietly nothing loud just enough to get there attention. There curious and might take a while but a lot of times they will come your way just to check you out.

Ray they gobble in the fall all the time here, not everyday mind you but they do gobble quite a bit. There numbers have grown so much in the last 10 years it's crazy.

Fall jake tree stand

   

double on fall gobblers blind

   

Fall hen blind

   

Fall hen tree stand

   

Fall gobbler blind

   

Fall birds tails are terrible, gobbler tree stand

   

Tracy

[R. W. Mackey]

Now since you said hunting them out of your stands, we will address that. Since the area has a lot of birds you can plan on hearing them from your stand, if your in a tree stand, unless it's early fall it will be tough to get a shot without being seen.
Using a ground blind your success will go way up. Try doing
What Tracy suggested, calling to the group you hear. I generally do whatever the Turkeys are doing, if the hens yelp
Loud, so do I, if there is a lot of Keeing going on, do that.
 There will probably be an area where you know they will feed
During the day. Set up a pop up in this area, and use a decoy.
Can be just as much fun as spring. Turkeys are a very social
Bunch, if you can sound like a Turkey they will eventually
Come to find you, they have a great social curiosity.
 My favorite call for the fall season is a good Pot call. You can
Make all the turkey sounds on it, even Kees and Gobbler yelps. Get a good one,learn to use it, don't pass up the fall
Turkey season.
RW

[Jake Scott]

I appreciate the responses guys.  Thanks a lot!!

Jake

[Tom L]

Originally posted by K.S.TRAPPER:
I have tried the bust up thing, good luck with trad gear but you can do it with shotguns. You do it to much and they will leave your area there not the smartest birds in the woods but there not the dumbest either.

We have good luck every year out of tree stands and blinds  just talking to them like they talk feeding along in groups and doing what turkeys do. I will yelp to get there attention but quietly nothing loud just enough to get there attention. There curious and might take a while but a lot of times they will come your way just to check you out.

Ray they gobble in the fall all the time here, not everyday mind you but they do gobble quite a bit. There numbers have grown so much in the last 10 years it's crazy.

Fall jake tree stand

   

First double on fall gobblers blind

   

Fall hen tree blind

   

Fall hen tree stand

   

Fall gobbler blind

   

Fall birds tails are terrible, gobbler tree stand

   

Tracy

Do what he says..    

[varmint101]

I have setup near where they roost for when they fly off.  It's a successful setup, but I haven't been LOL.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

Roost set ups can work pretty good at times and has worked a few times for us.

varmint101, I hate to now how many birds I've missed over the years. Lol!      

Tracy