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Old October 13, 2016, 10:27 PM   #1
Prof Young
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Fall Turkey . . . in the trees.

So I usually get a turkey tag when I buy my fall archery deer tag. I figure the first time I don't will be the year that I am surrounded by turkeys in the deer stand. So first time out this year I was surrounded by turkeys, but had a hard time calling them in. Yeah I know . . . nobody in the turkey world is "hot to trot" in the fall. Anyway I did finally get one to come to me . . . and it stayed in the trees. Never seen that before. It was a hen and I didn't have a good shot anyway so . . . So much to learn . . .

Live well, be safe
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Old October 15, 2016, 08:04 AM   #2
Gunplummer
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Around here the turkeys follow deer trails. If you find a trail going from the roost to water, or a feed area, you can usually do pretty good. I get time this year, I will take the rifle out and try to ambush one on a trail.
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Old October 15, 2016, 09:17 AM   #3
buck460XVR
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I've always found fall turkeys to respond very well to calling. I too hunt them when in a deer stand with a bow. Deer seem to become relaxed when around turkeys and come to their calls also. I think them feeding on the same fall foods and having the same predators makes them hang around each other. When calling from a tree stand, I too have had turkeys fly up in the trees after responding to my calls. Since they can pinpoint the location of a call so precisely, I think they believe the call is coming from a roosted turkey and respond by flying to the roost too. Turkeys fly up in trees to avoid depredation besides for protection at night. Hearing another turkey calling from a tree during daylight may make them feel unsafe to be on the ground.
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Old October 15, 2016, 10:56 AM   #4
SJCbklyn
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I let the turkeys make the deer feel safe.
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Old October 18, 2016, 07:25 PM   #5
Prof Young
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will try some . . .

Think I'll take some turkey decoys with me next time and see what happens.

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Old October 21, 2016, 12:16 AM   #6
bamaranger
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classic

The classic fall turkey hunt involves "busting the flock", then calling the scattered birds back and collecting one.

Ideally, the flock needs to disperse in several different directions.....not just move off all in the same general direction. In the old days, busting the flock was done with dogs in some locales. Now it's done by acting a fool and rushing them. If you catch a flock on the roost, they can be busted from the trees at dusk, and you can return in the AM and call as well. You can reverse that and bust them from the trees as well in the predawn if you know of them roosting specifically at a spot.

The fall call is the "kee-kee run" of the young bird, or long drawn out assembly yelps by the old hen. Purposely hunting mature gobblers in the fall is difficult. Then normally form bachelor groups and have little to do with others outside their clan. As you said, they are not sounding off for one to locate, nor interested in romance either to answer hen calling. Calling sparsely, occasional coarse gobbler yelps or clucks in known gobbler haunts, , might bring in the boys club, but I wouldn't count on it.
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Old October 21, 2016, 10:21 AM   #7
Coppershot
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The only thing more difficult to lure in the fall than an old gobbler is a hen in a tree. They often will yelp a response to your call but will not budge from that tree unless you walk in and flush them. If you walk in they will flush when you are at a substantial distance, giving you no chance at a shot.

I don't kill hens anyway, so once I have identified one or more tree'd birds as hens, I (we) just move on to look for another flock. A lot of old hens without young un's will band together in groups of five or six. They are impossible to deal with. If a hen has jakes with her I'll set up and give it a shot, though if you don't have a good bust on them you'll find it is hard to compete with Mama's calling. That's why we use Appalachian Turkey Dogs (and no, that is NOT a hot dog with bourbon barbecue sauce and mustard greens on it), to get a good bust and really scatter them. Good Hunting.

Last edited by Coppershot; October 21, 2016 at 10:47 AM.
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Old October 21, 2016, 07:24 PM   #8
Prof Young
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Tried again and . . . .

Went back to same stand. Set up decoys before dawn. At dawn one bird flew out of the tree I was in . . . and that was it. No deer, no turkey. Called to both. Sat in stand four hours and left just before T storm rolled in.

Life is nonetheless good.

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