It’s the time of year again for another great American tradition, the fall turkey hunt. Many people don’t realize how fortunate we are to be able to hunt wild turkey, for if it were up to Ben Franklin the wild turkey would have been our national bird.  Can you imagine all of the Harley’s riding around with turkeys painted on them instead of the Bald Eagle?

Fall turkey hunting provides many new and exciting options for hunting in the fall. The one drawback is that you have to apply for a license early in the summer to get in the lottery for a turkey tag. If you do receive one it can be a very rewarding experience.

There are several ways to hunt turkeys in the fall. Most of the turkeys will now be in flocks preparing for winter. Most of their time is spent searching for and eating food. The key to success in the fall is to know the primary food source for your area. Early in the season acorns are a great spot to hunt. Many flocks will move out into open fields during the day once the farmers start to harvest their crops. Corn and soybeans are very popular field choices. Make sure you change your setup with the changing food sources.

One major drawback with hunting in the fall is there are a lot of eyes that are always looking around for danger. Your calling is very limited. You will use clucks, yelps, and putts for your primary calls, since it is very rare to hear a gobble in the fall. Gobbling is a mating call and used in the spring. You may find an immature bird will gobble occasionally in the fall but most mature birds will not. Pay close attention to the roost and food sources for success. You will want to set up on known trails that the turkeys use along the field edges. Decoying can work in the fall but make sure to keep calling to a minimum except for soft clucks, yelps, and putts. In the afternoons you will want to setup in between the fields and the roosting areas.

Fall hunting is a great opportunity to provide a quality hunt for a new hunter because any sex turkey may be shot in the fall, thus providing more opportunities for success.

Another great technique that I integrating into my fall turkey hunting a few of years ago, is the scatter technique. This is the process of locating a flock of birds that you can’t get in close enough to make a killing shot on. I am usually already set up on a food source but they won’t come closer to my calls or decoys. All you do is set your gun down and actually run into the flock making them run away into different directions. This disorients the birds from their usual flock. Then you go back to your setup pulling all your decoys except one and start calling after about 5 minutes of waiting. I prefer to use the Renzo’s hen decoy for my solo decoy. They are the most realistic decoys that I have found and are simple to use. You may want to change your setup location slightly moving inside the cover if an available shooting lane is present. Start with some soft yelps and some clucks. Usually the juvenile toms or jakes will be the first to arrive. Then the rest will soon follow to try to reestablish the flock. It may not be the best technique for harvesting a large tom but it is very effective in bringing birds into your setup.

Fall hunting is another great time to try to harvest your first turkey with a bow. Because of the added difficulty in harvesting a turkey with a bow the fall opens up a lot more opportunities. With the longer season and no sex requirement a person can more likely harvest a turkey with a bow. Not to say that it will be easy with the keen eyes of the turkey. Make sure you practice on a turkey target to make sure you know exactly where you are going to be able to hit the kill zone effectively. The head shot is very difficult and shooting through the chest is often difficult. Try to aim right through both wings or run an arrow through the back side at the base of the tail feathers. This will give you a better opportunity to get to the vital organs of the turkey. If you do decide to use a gun make sure to pattern the gun and know your effective range. Do not try to shoot at a bird that you don’t know for sure that you can put a clean killing shot on.

Just as with any hunting situation scouting is the key to success. Know the terrain that you are hunting and the available food sources. Always try to hunt the field soon after it has been harvested. There is usually residual grain that the birds will try to eat as soon as they can. Keep in contact with your farmers to know their harvest schedule and study your mast crops such as acorns to know when they are falling and when they are finished. Proper scouting and studying of the land can make the difference between success and failure.

So enjoy your hunt and may it be successful and safe.