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.

 

[sako2]

It's best done with a mouth call.https://www.google.com/search?q=kee+kee+run+turkey+call&sca_esv=113f45d49e2c0707&sxsrf=APpeQns0ITBq2t_LTm6O-Do4ImhWcbcKkg%3A1786789545886&source=hp&ei=qT6AarvFM8-fw8cPjaKD8AM&iflsig=ABILxe8AAAAAaoBMuVJgvNKjL4YgkA3QnkuObaRDvMtC&oq=kee+kee+run&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6IgtrZWUga2VlIHJ1bioCCAUyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB5Iub8BUMwVWJ5qcAF4AJABAJgBTaAB_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&sclient=gws-wiz

 

[jimbires]

watch for openings that have grasshoppers . Turkey seem to love eating grasshoppers . in my field , I watch them about every fall getting grasshoppers . they line up side by side and walk across my field . it reminds me of a marching band . they seem to do this early mornings while it's still frosty . I think the grasshoppers are slow because of the cold frosty temps .

if you find where they are hanging around get in there a hunt them . don't save that spot for later , thinking another spot looks better . everything likes a turkey dinner . when the predators start pressuring the turkey , they leave that spot . I had a few spots I saw turkey just about every time I walked through there . then eventually I stopped seeing them . then I started to see turkey feeding in another area fairly often , again they seemed to move out . I got to looking around in some of the spots where they had previously been spending time . all I can say is it seems turkey draw a lot of attention .

this was a dusting bowl earlier this year . I was seeing birds here fairly often .



then I didn't see turkeys there , but started to see bear tracks . also fox and coyote tracks were here , but the bears really started to hang around . we only saw the bear a few times , but always tracks .


after the turkey got ran out of there , I started to see them fairly often in another place . after I stopped seeing them in that spot I got in there looking around and found this toilet . I'm guessing they were trying to claim this spot as their own , only to have another come along and try to claim it .

 

[NYDAN]

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.

This is way I have always heard of fall hunting turkeys.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

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

Yeah, I forgot to mention that IF you can bust up a flock sit right there and start calling using the kee kee and loud yelps. Mouth calls are the easiest to make the kee kee on, but a slate can be used just need to practice with each. Younger birds are always the easiest to call in.

 

[jimbires]

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

they sell a Kee Kee mouth call . I'd guess it's something with the reeds , high pitch , that make the difference .

turkey like blue berries too , if you know where there are blue berries , could be a good starting point . .