Fall turkey - first time

[jdime]

Well I got a tag for this fall in Southeast Minnnesota. I plan to go out in Octobe and get a turkey for thanksgiving. Maybe get the Tom I missed last spring.

What are some strategies for fall turkeys? Is calling them mostly a spring thing?

[mainbutter]

Hang out in the back yard of my girlfriend's parents' house. They're there every day, drives the dog crazy

All the turkeys I've seen still have this years young following them around.

Good luck on your hunt!

[bigbucks]

I'm technically 2-4 on fall hunts, although one year we were in the area 3 days & only bowhunted deer, so that doesn't really count. I haven't hunted them hard in the fall at all. If I saw some I just went after them & was able to ambush one. I'm not picky, I'm bowhunting deer primarily in the fall so that season is a spot & stock/cut off thing as far as I'm concerned. Dump a bird & move on.

I may try a little calling while bowhunting if I haven't gotten one. Will be a little different for me this year as my 13 year-old is hunting turkeys so I'll probably sit in a blind with him the morning of 10/1.

[DonBo]

When I hunt them here at home I mostly hunt them like Bigbucks does, when they present the opportunity. While bowhunting, I always carry calls and you can often call flocks to your location, though rarely toms. My best strategy is to listen for flocks to fly up at night and get as close as possible the next morning under cover of darkness. There is nothing like being under a mixed flock of birds and listening to them waking up to a new day. That is what fall hunting is all about for me. You can also sit in these roost areas in the evenings and wait for them to return.

If you have lots of room to roam you can often still hunt around areas that frequently holds birds and sneak up on a flock once spotted.

If you've really done your homework, you can set up a blind in an area that you've seen birds often and simply wait them out.

There really is no right or wrong way to hunt fall birds, just get out an put yourself in a position where you and they may cross paths.

Good luck!

[jdime]

Thanks all. I will be bowhunting this fall so maybe I should combine the two. I know of a place with many turkeys.