Public Land Fall Longbeard/Tom Hunting Tips & Advice

[8mm Enthusiast]

I am looking for some advice from experienced hunters on this forum on how to hunt longbeards in the fall on public land east of the Mississippi river. I have heard this is an especially difficult hunt.

I'd like to use this as an educational experience to build a solid woodsmanship foundation, one that could be useful and help me from Tanzania to Tongass.

I have read that fall longbeards do not respond to calling, and don't bother getting together with the flock for up to five days after being "busted up". Is this true?

How should I approach this hunt and go about scouting, listening, getting setup, etc.?

Looking forward to a productive season.

 

[jimbires]

I never did much fall season turkey hunting . PA , did allow using a rifle in the fall season , but a few years ago switched to shotgun only . I think the switch to shotgun only was to help protect the population some . there's supposedly units in PA that have low turkey numbers . my best advice is to slow walk through areas that you know hold birds .keep your ears open for turkey sounds , and keep your eyes open for fresh scratching . just follow the turkey talk , and scratching , trying not to get busted . I've walked up on them a few times doing this . I have a couple pics on my phone to share, that kind of go along with this thread . I'll get them up later on .

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Fall turkey hunting whether gobblers or hens involves a lot of walking and calling. Walking looking for fresh scratching as you call periodically. Make sure to determine the direction the scratching is going. Keep easing along stopping, calling listening. Gobblers are harder to hunt in the fall but not impossible. Finding a lone one not in a bachelor group is easier. If you have access to a larger area like a national forest or game management area will allow you more of an opportunity to find birds. Where you find hard mass, nuts, are where you will find birds. More nuts mean birds are more widely scattered. Keep after them, enjoy, learn and have fun in the process. Here in WV were allowed to use rifles during turkey season, but I used a shotgun a lot and a 16ga because it was lighter to carry. Dan.

 

[8mm Enthusiast]

It's shotgun here only. I don't have a 16ga, only 10, 12 and .410. I'll probably carry the 10 for the love of it and then switch to a 12 single shot when I need something lighter.

Got it on the mast, look for islands of it, if it's everywhere, they'll be scattered. I assume the edges of sloppily harvested grain fields will also be good especially early on?

I really dislike walking in the mid fall potato chip crispy fall ground where everything snaps or crunches like crazy so I think funnels and game trails will be best in that scenario and areas with wet soil.

No large national forest tracts around here. County forests are the closest and still quite a ways away but still I think large tracts will be the best to target. I'll have to narrow down certain areas. Evergreens and thermal cover might be good areas to look and listen as the temperatures drop? Access is probably also going to be an important factor to avoid other hunters.

 

[sako2]

I've had good luck busting a flock up. Then sitting where i busted them and making the kee-kee run call. It's a call a lost turkey makes.

 

[8mm Enthusiast]

I've had good luck busting a flock up. Then sitting where i busted them and making the kee-kee run call. It's a call a lost turkey makes.

I wonder if I can do that on my Lynch World Champion box call.