New to Turkey hunting. Where to set up on the land.

[daniel craig]

So the place I deer hunt is a mix of woods (mostly maple, beech, oak and Hickory) brush/field, a couple of ponds things like that. My deer stand is on the edge of the woods, woods to Left third, brush/field on the right third and corn field on the back third of the area around my stand.

The past few times I’ve been out here I’ve seen a family of 6 Turkey. The only other time we’ve ever seen Turkey on the property they were singular and just passing through (saw them once and then not again etc).

Since the Fall season is coming up and there is a family of Turkey hanging out here, I was going to try to afternoon hunt them but I have no idea where to start. I have a box call I got years ago (and never used) and everything I really need hunting wise, I just don’t know where or how to set up.

I’m interested in your opinion, thanks.

 

[Duster340]

In the fall I tend to hunt them like deer, i. e. Set up on trail, area they frequently travel and wait. Very little calling. But that is just me hunting my property of hardwoods and cedar wetlands.

Good luck

 

[buck460XVR]

Unlike in the spring, in the fall, there is no such thing as calling too much. Fall is a time for turkeys to form multi-family groups(flocks) and they call continuously to keep track of one another. Turkeys are animals of consistent behavior, IOWs, if you see them in a spot one day, odds are they will be there tomorrow and the next day at around the same time, until they are either spooked, harassed or the reason they are there(generally a food source or roosting spot) changes. If it's a roosting spot, early mornings and later in the evenings work the best. You can call them off the roost, or get them to come by you on the way to roost. Loud, aggressive calling simulating a impatient bird works the best for me. If you can get the Boss Hen to challenge you back, all the better. If it's a food source, it could happen at any time of the day. A food source close to a roost is a hot spot. again, aggressive calling until you get a response. You can tone it down if it appears the birds are coming, but it may take some time before they get there. Unlike with breeding in the spring, fall birds are not in a hurry unless they are looking to reassemble after being flushed. This is a technique that works well if you can scatter a flock in different directions. Turkeys, if busted/scattered in various directions will be in a hurry to reassemble. They will come back to the exact spot they were scattered from once they feel the threat is gone. That can be a matter of minutes or a hour or so. This is especially true for hens and young of the year. Also works fairly well on last year's Jakes who will be Toms next spring. Mature toms, while still willing to reassemble, may not respond for hours, or even not until the next morning. The trick is to get them to flush in multiple directions. If they all flush in one direction, odds are they won't come back. They may respond to your calls, but odds are they will not come back to that exact spot. Fall calls are harder to hear than the booming gobble of a spring Tom. While assembly yelps can be loud and the series can be long, many fall calls are subtle, like the feeding clucks and purrs. The Kee-Kees of young birds can be mistaken for other bird calls. Try to imitate the call of a responding bird. The rhythm, the volume and the length of the series. If the responding bird is yelping two/three times and then loudly clucking twice, that's what you do too. If the hen is making a series of 20 or so loud assembly yelps......that's how you call back to her. Same goes if they are cutting. New calls you learn in the fall also will work in the spring.

 

[jmr40]

Not legal to hunt here in the fall. But I actually see a lot more in the fall and often right with deer. Probably why there is no fall season. I never see turkey in the spring in the same places I see them in the fall.