Fall turkey strategies?

[jerkin'm]

After the spring hunt turned into a short but fun hunt, curious how you go after them in the fall..I see plenty deer hunting and have gotten in range of quite a few toms over the years while in the woods. Is stalking or sitting in a stand pretty much the choices?

[SpitnArgueDuckClub*]

If you really want a hunt, locate a flock of hens and juvies bust them up so they fly in all directions. Wait a half hour or so sit down at the flush spot and try to call them back up with hen yelps and kee kee runs. This is a classic fall tactic, busting up a group of Tom's is tougher because they don't necessarily want or need to flock back up like the hens and juvies.

[DonBo]

In my experience, if you try to scatter a flock they just run off your property and you never see them again. Calvin is right though, that is the way it is supposedly done. (so says tradition)

I prefer to set up close to their roosting areas morning and evening and intercept them on their way to and from bed. They make a ton of racket flying up in the evenings and you can often hear them from a long way off. Then you know right where to go in the morning. I like to get right under the flock way early in the morning. They don't see well in the dark and you can usually sneak in and set up right among them. You do need to be very still though as they will see you as it gets light. Most often they fly straight down, or at least not far. Very exciting way to hunt as you hear the flock waking up in the morning from close range.

If you do hear a flock fly up in the evening, wait till full dark and slip in and put up a pop-up blind for conceilment as it gets light.

You can also still hunt during the day through places that they frequent. If you call ocasionally you can often get a response from a flock, then try to get ahead of them or call one from the flock.

I enjoy the he11 out of fall hunting, just get out with 'em and enjoy!

[jerkin'm]

Jumped a big flock today mushrooming. Most of the hens and juvies flew a long way, the toms flew into the treetops a short distance away and let me pass within range. I would like to see that move in a few weeks.

[bigbucks]

I spot & stalk or spot & cut off pretty much. This is my third fall hunt, have gone out twice, but haven't seen any. I haven't tried very hard yet. I'll get one next week with any luck. If you see some & have an idea where they're going it's not too tough, especially if you're not picky, which I haven't been.

[Scoot]

I've got a turkey strategy for the Fall that seems to be pretty darn good-- don't buy a turkey tag and bow hunt for deer. The turkeys will come in numbers almost every time you sit in your stand!

You'd think I'd eventually learn to buy a tag, but apparently I'm not smart enough for that.

[Code-Man]

haha.

I got a story for everyone...I have been trying to get the girlfriend into hunting and we are set to go into ND this year with the rifle for deer. I took her a few times last year bow hunting and she had a blast. She has never seen a turkey before in the wild so lets go! I decided I would possibly set my blind up within feet of where I had it last spring where I got a very nice 10.5" 1.25" bird within 2 hours of being in the blind. Put my camera out facing the blind and within a few days I get this picture.

Sweet the birds are coming back into the same area. So like most women and I'm not trying to be sexist anything like that but she has a hard week all week and is up early every morning I figured lets sleep in on Saturday morning since Duck hunting was going to be taking place and we would go for breakfast go out to hunt and have fun in the afternoon. We are coming through Detroit Lakes and we stopped for breakfast at like 8:30/9 well at 10:15ish the waitress gives us our bill...one problem we never got our food. I complained the manager got us our food and around 11 we were leaving the business. I was very mad because I had turkeys coming through 10-12 and 3-4. So since nothing was going on in the middle of the day I did some stuff at my parents place and we decided to head out. She was all excited cause the land owner came home the night before from work at 4 pm and had to let the flock cross the road onto our property. I brought out my computer to check my trail camera and brought a game system for her to play with to keep her from being bored. I checked the camera and this was on the camera.

If you notice the time date stamp we were patiently waiting for our FOOD!!!! Well at least we know they are in the area and about a day earlier I had about the same picture but in the afternoon. We are sitting there having fun joking around and she says "Oh Look a deer!" I have a bow with me plus a deer tag so I turn and there is a doe MACH 3 going through the woods. Ok what is making it run that fast? I look a pickup on the other property is flying through the woods down to the lake. My buddy has a duck blind down on the lake which is a cadilac for duck blinds and I got nervous cause last year the neighboring property renters vandalized his decoy set. I called him giving a description of the vehicle and he said he was on his way out before ending the conversation I heard gun shots from down at the lake. I got nervous put on blaze orange and went to investigate. I stopped them and scared them since I was 30 yards from them with blaze orange. Asked [PoorWordUsage] was going on and they said they were shooting coots. The guys were on the way out of the woods they didn't say if they hit anything just they were shooting at some coots. My buddy gets down about 10 min after they left and they were PO'ED cause they shot over an established decoy set. As we were talking I noticed two dead birds in the rushes. We decided to call the sheriff since they left. While on the phone with the sheriff deputy they returned back ignorant and rude. Told the sheriff we will see what they are doing before having him come out. They went and got a boat to get the birds which we liked but their attitude was so flipping rude. After things calmed down the one who was most rude to us started bragging about being a football player so I asked which team he played for he told me. Well I graduated from there and all the coaches know me plus his position coach played right next to me all through high school. I informed him I would have a conversation about his nice attitude and actions he is doing off the field with his coach. Wow you could have sworn I told him I was telling his mother...he shut up almost instantly. They grabbed the ducks and never said a word and left. We informed them if this happens again the sheriff will not be told to ignore it.

So needless to say my girlfriend is not too interested in turkey hunting any more but we might try a spring hunt to change her view on things.