Any Fall Turkey Hunters Here

This is my first year hunting Fall Turkey so any input would really help.

Dont shoot a hen

Yes, wait until Spring.

The only way to hunt a turkey in the fall is in the grocery store. Leave em alone like said above

Man they are dumb and vocal in the fall. Today I went to move a camera and tan into a group of what looked like 20 birds. I was talking on the phone when I saw them 100 yds away. A few ran off but were very vocal, when I hung up I yelped with my mouth while standing in wide open hardwoods wearing grey shorts and a red t shirt. Well a Turkey yelped back so I yelped again and a big gobbler came running off the hill all the way to 20 yes before he putted and walked off yelping and purring. I heard more turkey noises today than I have in the last 3 springsnl.

I thought all your turkeys died off?

Sounds like your turkey population has made a big improvement. Had you just not been seeing many turkeys at all throughout the year? Or does your place hold birds in the fall and not in the spring?

Ha, 257 beat me to it by about 45 seconds looks like.

I thought yall didnt have any turkeys? If they are there in the Fall and leave in the Spring, you dont have a population problem. You have a habitat problem. Which is what I've suspected about your griping all along

And quit screwing with them. You just ran em back off for the next 10 years.

Bingo. See above Ben2.

Absolutely the biggest group of what appeared to be Gobblers we have seen in 20 years if they were all gobblers. They looked big to me. There was the group of 9 hens I posted about back in the summer and these were not far from where those had been a couple months ago. So it could be them with a gobbler who just happened to come in. They never spooked just kept yelping and what not. It was good to see for sure. Last winter we had a group of like 20 hens I posted a pic of on here as well but they vanished before spring and no sign of them again this far.

Never really have had any in the winter used to just have a bunch every spring up until the last 10years when we just get a few gobblers a spring and a handful of hens. We quit seeing poults until this year we saw 4 or 5 that appeared to be this years birds in late summer so its definately an improvement. But we have trapped 86 hogs and about 50 coons in the last yr and possums and continued to plant for them hoping they would make a comeback hopefully this is the comeback year.

You sir would be wrong we have great habitat for turkeys. Mature hardwoods, 150 acres of ag fields and 20-40 year old pine stands some with no underbrush and others that are thick, 100 acres of 3 yr old cutover, not sure what else a turkey could want or need. I will gladly show you around and let you see it anytime you like.

That all sounds good to me too, but if you've got birds in the Fall and don't in the Spring, you are missing something on your property that they want/need.

I fall hunted them years ago when we had plenty of birds and enjoyed it. We would bust up a flock, give them time to settle and then try to call them back in. Young turkeys are very easy to call back in as they definitely want to be in a group. Assembly yelps and kee kee calls are all that's needed for young birds. Groups of gobblers are typically tougher as they usually don't care if they get back together today or next month. Gobbler yelps and clucks. I've had better success with gobbler groups the next day after the bust up. Otherwise you can just "deer hunt" them. That's not much fun...

I've been tempted, simply because I don't know if I can wait until March.....I, quite literally, cannot get them out of my head. But, I'm afraid I would be disappointed by it because everyone tells me it's totally different than spring hunting. Also, I'd have to travel quite a ways since we don't have a fall season anywhere near here.

It is completely different. Basically it's a deer-hunt for turkeys. Not nearly as exciting as a spring morning hunt.

Make sure you're in one of the few counties with a season, check all the regs and enjoy yourself. It's different in autumn than spring. Good luck.

Yeah, its so unnatural to kill a turkey at Thanksgiving.

Love me some fall turkey hunting.

I'll definitely be hunting where the season is open.