[Dirt Clod]

Well, first let me say that everyone who is in this area of the Web site is probably thinking about spring turkey season. That's fine. But, when you get asked to write a story about fall turkey season during the spring, then you have to turn somewhere. So, I figure that there is bound to be a good fall turkey hunter among the members here. I am doing a story assessing the fall turkey season in Arkansas. I already have info from Widner @ AGFC. What I need now is the following: 1) how to hunt turkeys in the fall vs. the spring, 2) what actions, reactions are different in the birds according to season, 3) anything else you feel you can add to allow me to better understand fall turkey hunting. As for the springtime event, I have been one time in my life. I called at and got responses from gobblers in the morning and afternoon, but I never saw a bird. I've seen lots of them from a deer stand, but didn't want to go around the law with a rifle. Thanks for the input!

 

[OuachitaMtnMan]

I'll start by saying that I've not done a lot of Fall Turkey hunting. This year while Bowhunting for deer, I was having an uneventful morning so I decided to get down and walk around. While doing this, I saw a big group of birds out in a field and decided I was going to try and make a stalk. I did, up to about 40 yds when I got careless and spooked the birds and turkeys took off flying everywhere. Kinda bummed, I took off walking some more, kind of in the direction that the turkeys flew (pretty much just going back to the truck) While walking back, I heard a hen yelp just over the hill. Remebering what I had heard about fall turkey hunting (breaking up the group and then calling while they try to get back together) I decided to make some yelps with my mouth. To my amazement, a hen answered, so I kept calling and agian they answered and this time a little closer. Before I knew it I had about 10 hens at 30 yds coming up the hill and closing fast. When i started calling, I really thought I had no chance of calling them in so I hadn't set up very good and there I was, on my knees right on the edge of a fire lane with little cover and even fewer shooting lanes due to being on my knees. The birds got to within about 15 yds and i let one fly and the woods erupted with turkeys. One actually flew up on a limb straight above me and I was able to get an arrow out of the quiver and nocked before the bird finally saw me and bolted. I went to where the bird was when I shot only to find a broken arrow. No luck but a great experience and if it'd been during the Fall Firearms season, i'd have had turkey breast that night.

Moral of the story, the tactic of breaking them up and getting in the middle of where they went and calling them in really does work. Other than that, I would find a field or food plot where they frequented and try the ambush method. :thumb:

 

[Hobbshunter]

I've done some fall hunting. Managed to scatter a flock once, and we did kill a bird. Calling a group of young birds and hens back to the scatter site is a piece of cake. It's find them that's tough because they'll be flocked up together, not scattered across the country side like in the spring.

 

[Dirt Clod]

Still hoping for more input, please. Come on and step up to the plate to take a swing at the pitch. What is different about hunting birds in the fall vs. the spring? What is different about how the birds act by season? What else should a non-turkey hunter (not by choice) know about fall turkey hunting vs. spring turkey hunting? Thanks again, folks!

 

[Buck-Ridge]

I've hunted them in the fall and got one 2 of the last 3 years. I see where they are moving while squirrell and bow hunting and set up where I think they'll pass and ambush them. I knew where they would be this year and waited 3 hours for them. They were just out of range for an hour and started away from me so I yelped a couple of times and they came to check me out. One got just a little too close.

 

[OuachitaMtnMan]

THe difference in fall and spring turkey hunting is that you can kill hens in the fall where you can't in spring and the toms and jakes don't gobble like they do in spring.