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Fall Turkey Tactics

Looking at trying to bow hunt Turkeys this fall In Ohio. Never hunted Turkey before but I have a lot around my place. What's the best tactic for fall?

Find where they are roosting and then set up in a area you can intercept them leaving (in the morning) or coming to (evening) the roost. If bowhunting I always try and set up a ground blind it helps to cover the movement of drawing your bow. I leave the decoys at home in the fall and I don't call as often or aggressively as I would in the spring. Another tactic I've read and heard a ton about is getting close to a flock busting them and then setting up at the spot you spooked them from. Supposedly the turkey's will return to the same spot they where spooked from. I have never done this it just seems so counter intuitive but there is enough information and people out there who stand by this tactic that I'm sure it has some merit.

My favorite tactic for fall turkey is to wait for spring. But if you insist on hunting them in the fall you can defiantly have lots of luck busting the flock up then set up in that area and wait until you hear them start to call to each other normaly ten or so minutes after you bust the flock then just mimick them and they should work there way back to you. Or you could scout find there roost and food and hunt them like deer

Bust them up and KeeKee Yelp them right back to you.

Bust them up and KeeKee Yelp them right back to you.

Pushcoarcher more my style.. I like to hunt them when they're relaxed. Scout scout scout!!! Find either where they spend their time off or near the roost and setup without being heard or seen. In the fall we Killm doing this with a blind and then use DSD's in a flock setup as if they're feeding. Even in the fall the DSD jake decoy is the ticket as it brings in jakes and toms just like the spring as they love to whoop up on that thing. So in summary pattern, setup, call and decoy fall birds is my favorite and most effective tactic.

Have those that hunt in the fall see toms flare and dispaly their tailfeathers very often? Do toms respond to calls like they do in the spring by gobbling?

Jims, yes and no. The fall toms are all about dominance, so yes I've seen toms strut (a lot) and gobble. The fall gobbling I've experienced if while they're on the roost or when they're excited and fighting theyll gobble occasionally. The fall calls I use are long assembly calls and Jake yelps.

Pretend you are deer hunting. Seriously,if it is legal there, find a spot they travel through on the way to or from a roost and put up a treestand. I have killed several that way. They are legal here, during our regular archery season.

We were given permission on a new piece of ground last year. I saw turkeys a couple of times while deer hunting. This year I'll be taken a turkey call and possibly a decoy with me for sure.

Bulls & Bucks nailed it! My thoughts exactly. Let them go until Spring, so much more fun!

Anybody who says fall birds aren't exciting don't know how to have a good fall/winter gobbler hunt.

Slayer nailed it. He knows. Spring is fun, but I'd have a hard time picking between late January and mid April.

I kinda like 30 toms and jakes rushing a decoy, beating the crap out of it on a sunny, frosty morning. Turkeys coming to calls are turkeys coming to calls, gobbling, strutting,. The most aggressive I've seen toms on a jake decoy has been in the winter. I have no desire to shoot one as it just ambles along. Really hard to believe more turkey hunters haven't figured it out. Ray Eye was preaching it when I started hunting with him in the early 80s. Rob Keck was hitting them hard with similar tactics by the early 90s.

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