Just can't get em.

[WELLSY]

I have hunted countless hours for turkey this season. I have seen so many turkey it's not funny. The problem I'm having is I can't get them close enough for a good shot. They respond to my calls but don't come towards me. Any suggestions out there?

[growalot]

what type of calling are you doing?...I'm lucky in that I can listen to what they are doing and mimic it with my voice...I never have a problem getting them in to what I hear them doing...be it feeding talk or lost hen calls

[WELLSY]

Doing the same thing with a mouth call. I do what that are doing but they just carry on their way.

[turkeyfeathers]

Have you busted any flocks ? Know their patterns where to and where from they are patterning ? What "sounds " are you making ? What are they saying ? I primarily hunt spring birds only but brother used to be very avid fall hunter.

[landtracdeerhunter]

I was voice yelping Monday evening, to see how the deer would respond, and dog gone it if a jake didn't come out. Spring hunter here also, so I'm not much help at all.

[growalot]

Perhaps "gettting urgent"  or excited in the calls? I find mad hen calling works all year...yes I know tabu to call turkeys out of season...but hey I like to practice and they don't seem to retain the memory through winter...It gets boring just sitting in the stand waiting for a deer...better over calling turkey during deer season than over calling deer...

[landtracdeerhunter]

I never thought calling did much good in the fall.

[LET EM GROW]

Bust up the flocks, then softly yelp them back.. 

 

Yesterday i bumped 5 longbeards off my Whitetail Oats plot while going to pull a SD card from a camera.... About 5-10 mins later as i was moving the camera to a different tree on the plot, i could hear a couple of them yelping softly, trying to locate each other after they dispersed different ways.. I don't fall turkey hunt but it seems like this is the way i would try after seeing this happen quite a few times in the past.. 

 

 

 

[WELLSY]

I haven't busted the flock up yet. I'll have to give it a try.

[growalot]

I have had them come off a ridge and nearly land in my lap calling during deer season....Calling in the fall can be a lot of fun...took my brother inlaw gun deer hunting with me at camp...we were driving for the guys..he'd never been near wild turkey and I heard a flock down the hill from us...so as we walked I called. Walking and calling got that flock to walk right in on us and Toms gobbling... Ya for some reason...Toms gobble all year long down at camp I do not know why.....The look on his face was like a kid coming down the stairs Chistmas morning..I'll never forget it...

[Pygmy]

Bust the flock....Run at them..Holler.... Shoot over their heads..Several times if necessary...Get them to fly off in different directions...Sounds to me like you're being too subtle and trying to finesse the birds.. 

 

IF you get a good scatter, it won't be long before the birds will start to call to regroup....I generally try to assembly yelp like an old hen....

[ants]

Yup …break them up and get them to scatter. They will be eager to regroup. They will be calling from several directions, trying to find each other  and you will have a good chance of calling one or more in.

 

Good Luck

[Chris B]

Like Pygmy said, Run in and bust them up. The faster, louder, more obnoxious the better. You want to get them to scatter in all directions and not just run or fly away all in the same direction. Sit down in the (approximate) middle of where they all scattered. Sit and listen and then after you hear them start softly calling to regroup, mimic what they are doing. You'll hammer one

[Pygmy]

Until you've done it a couple of times, it's hard to accept the idea that in order to KILL one, you've got to chase them away..lol...

 

As Chris says, it's important to bust them in as many directions as possible, because if they all run off or fly off together, they'll quickly regroup and leave the area.

 

Once you get a good break and have turkeys calling and approaching you from several directions, you'll be a believer..

 

It's pretty exciting and about as much fun  as you can have with your clothes on..

Edited October 9, 2015 by Pygmy

[dmandoes]

get in front of them and let them walk in. they cant smell you.

[G-Man]

If you can see them you can bust them up, even if a large group stays together young birds land in trees head the direction they went and bust them out of the trees, go back and wait till you hear yelping or kee keeing. . Call and shoot it's not spring and it's much more fun imo in fall.

[G-Man]

If you can see them you can bust them up, even if a large group stays together young birds land in trees head the direction they went and bust them out of the trees, go back and wait till you hear yelping or kee keeing. . Call and shoot it's not spring and it's much more fun imo in fall.

[G-Man]

If you can see them you can bust them up, even if a large group stays together young birds land in trees head the direction they went and bust them out of the trees, go back and wait till you hear yelping or kee keeing. . Call and shoot it's not spring and it's much more fun imo in fall.

[Larry]

Here’s just a thought if you are talking about fall hunting this year you can’t hunt till the 17th of oct. in this part of the state seeing the person who started the post is from Greece ny

[jjb4900]

Here’s just a thought if you are talking about fall hunting this year you can’t hunt till the 17th of oct. in this part of the state seeing the person who started the post is from Greece ny

I'm sure many are just as clueless about changes to the Turkey regs. as they are to changes in deer hunting regs..........can't say I'm surprised if that's the case.

[Pygmy]

The guy is not necessarily hunting where he lives...

Maybe he's got a camp somewhere that the season opened Oct 1.

Where the heck is Greece anyway ? Sounds like someplace where I wouldn't want to drop the soap..

[DirtTime]

Been out a few times so far this year in the NZ. No real chatter back from the slate call.

Greece is an area west of Rochester. Long way to the NZ from there.

[Buckmaster7600]

The most effective fall turkey hunting method is to find birds and put yourself in between where they are and where they are going. A fall turkey has no reason to come to a call unless the Glock has been broken up.

[DirtTime]

For me the problem is they are roosting in some pines right at the edge of a thick deer bedding area, and moving to a field on the other side of that bedding area to land I do not have permission to hunt. I just can't bring myself to start messing around too close to the bedding area until the gun deer starts.

Today was the last day I had to hunt fall turkey NZ, and just like a day last week I just went back to bed. It was great being in the woods and using the time to scout deer for gun, but not filling my fall turkey tag isn't going to make me loose any sleep.

 

I may hit some public land in the SZ next weekend, I am not sure yet. Haven't stepped foot in that area for about 12 years. If I do that again will end up being a scouting trip for deer season SZ. Boot on ground scouting is always more fun when you are actually hunting something while scouting. At least in my humble opinion.