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General Discussion => LEARNING TO TURKEY HUNT => Topic started by: Sir-diealot on September 06, 2020, 08:32:51 PM

Title: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on September 06, 2020, 08:32:51 PM
I have never tried to fall hunt but would like to try this year. I am hoping for some information on a few things, I own several pots now and need to learn to kee kee on them, what would be my best surface and striker combination do get a good kee kee run?

I have a few longboxes that do great Kee Kee's as well.

Also I do not have a dog to scatter the turkey and I have not been able to run since my accident in 88 so what would be my best strategy for getting a bird to come it outside of a kee kee run?

I seem to be using decoys less and less, only had them out like 3 days all this past Spring season so I would like some advise on both using and not using them if possible.

I am in the Southern Zone of NY and as you can see turkey season and deer archery season overlap a bit so I will be trying to do a little of both at the same time certain days.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: fallhnt on September 06, 2020, 08:51:31 PM
Set up and call in the birds. No need to try and bust em up. Scout and find roost areas or walk and call while looking for sign. Use decoys or don't. Good luck

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Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on September 06, 2020, 09:03:06 PM
Set up and call in the birds. No need to try and bust em up. Scout and find roost areas or walk and call while looking for sign. Use decoys or don't. Good luck

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Thanks, good luck to you as well.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: EZ on September 08, 2020, 08:16:58 AM
You can Kee-kee on pretty much any pot. Just run you striker parallel with the edge instead of running towards the center. That way you just get the first note (kee). Some guys do run a slightly shorter striker also.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on September 08, 2020, 11:24:24 AM
You can Kee-kee on pretty much any pot. Just run you striker parallel with the edge instead of running towards the center. That way you just get the first note (kee). Some guys do run a slightly shorter striker also.
Thank you very much, is there any striker that is more consistent at producing the kee kee run? I was actually getting to where I could do it on the call I got from you before my moment of stupidity.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: paboxcall on September 08, 2020, 12:50:22 PM
For a kee on a pot call I prefer a carbon striker on slate or glass, and bit more pressure running the direction EZ notes above. Carbon will also most often run wet too if its raining.

But one of your new long boxes are definitely the way to go for consistent fall talk, IMHO. You can mimic all the sounds from a kee-kee, to multiple hens or jakes, mature hen assembly yelps, or gobbler clucks, to a jake or full gobble.

If you can find the roost as fallhnt noted, or fresh scratchings or a field where they are feeding, you can get into good position without having to chase them down for a scatter.

I don't use dekes, and I certainly wouldn't use them in the fall if rifles are permitted in your area. Good luck to you Steve.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on September 08, 2020, 09:24:07 PM
For a kee on a pot call I prefer a carbon striker on slate or glass, and bit more pressure running the direction EZ notes above. Carbon will also most often run wet too if its raining.

But one of your new long boxes are definitely the way to go for consistent fall talk, IMHO. You can mimic all the sounds from a kee-kee, to multiple hens or jakes, mature hen assembly yelps, or gobbler clucks, to a jake or full gobble.

If you can find the roost as fallhnt noted, or fresh scratchings or a field where they are feeding, you can get into good position without having to chase them down for a scatter.

I don't use dekes, and I certainly wouldn't use them in the fall if rifles are permitted in your area. Good luck to you Steve.
Thanks for the advise all the way around. No rifles for turkey in NY we are lucky we can used them for deer now. (Just ordered a Limbsaver recoil pad for the .06) I am thinking that I may have to go public land for the fall season, they do not want me to bow hunt or trap their land before regular deer season (Rifle and shotgun here in NY) as they think I will scare the deer away. I am going to practice for sure on the pot calls, three of my long boxes belt out kee kee runs like there is no tomorrow but I need to learn it on a diaphragm and a pot call, I am okay with it on my one trumpet I have been practicing on since I broke the wingbone from Tony. I was getting real good ones from that one.

If I am on public I will not use a decoy at all, you can take either sex in the fall season and I am not to keen on the idea of somebody thinking I am a turkey. Other than a jive turkey that is.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Turkeyman on September 09, 2020, 04:51:00 PM
I'll be up in the northern zone Oct. 1, or close to it weather dependant. I'm fortunate that I've got a good spot on a farmer friend who has a 30 acre patch of mature timber out back where I've always found birds.  That being the case, I set up in the dark prior to fly down and wait until I hear them start tree talking. At fly down, or just prior, I'll run a soft string of yelps at them to get their attention in my direction. Then I'll hit them with a kee-kee, generally my mouth call. I don't push it...if they happen to go out into the fields surrounding the woods I just hang out for awhile...they'll be back. Patience prevails.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on September 09, 2020, 07:23:23 PM
I'll be up in the northern zone Oct. 1, or close to it weather dependant. I'm fortunate that I've got a good spot on a farmer friend who has a 30 acre patch of mature timber out back where I've always found birds.  That being the case, I set up in the dark prior to fly down and wait until I hear them start tree talking. At fly down, or just prior, I'll run a soft string of yelps at them to get their attention in my direction. Then I'll hit them with a kee-kee, generally my mouth call. I don't push it...if they happen to go out into the fields surrounding the woods I just hang out for awhile...they'll be back. Patience prevails.
Thanks.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: trkehunr93 on September 22, 2020, 11:12:58 AM
Find the food and you'll find fall birds.  I look for areas where they frequent, my hunting partner that got me into turkey hunting always said look for layers of scratching.  What he meant was older scratching mixed in with fresh scratching will tell you a flock is using the area pretty regularly.  I would get in at daylight and just sit and like Turkeyman said, listen for them to start tree talking and join in.  Listening to a flock wake up is as exciting as listening to a gobbler in the spring.  If the area is big enough stretch your legs and do a little walking and calling if you don't hear anything at daybreak, personally I prefer to sit and wait them out if its an area they use frequently.  Denny Gulvas has a great fall hunting video that covers everything from "traditional" breaking up the flock fall hunting to sitting and waiting them out in a an area they like to feed.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on September 22, 2020, 03:29:29 PM
Find the food and you'll find fall birds.  I look for areas where they frequent, my hunting partner that got me into turkey hunting always said look for layers of scratching.  What he meant was older scratching mixed in with fresh scratching will tell you a flock is using the area pretty regularly.  I would get in at daylight and just sit and like Turkeyman said, listen for them to start tree talking and join in.  Listening to a flock wake up is as exciting as listening to a gobbler in the spring.  If the area is big enough stretch your legs and do a little walking and calling if you don't hear anything at daybreak, personally I prefer to sit and wait them out if its an area they use frequently.  Denny Gulvas has a great fall hunting video that covers everything from "traditional" breaking up the flock fall hunting to sitting and waiting them out in a an area they like to feed.
Thank you much for the information. Looks like it will be public land for sure, I have not hunted public land since 2001 should be interesting.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: tomstopper on October 10, 2020, 07:06:27 AM
Sir-diealot, sometimes I still wish I lived in NY. I miss being able to hunt in the fall. If I still lived there, I would be more than happy to take you to one of my favorite spots and break up a flock when they flew down. Maybe if I ever get back up there in the fall, we can link up for a hunt. Good luck this fall

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Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on October 10, 2020, 11:47:24 PM
Sir-diealot, sometimes I still wish I lived in NY. I miss being able to hunt in the fall. If I still lived there, I would be more than happy to take you to one of my favorite spots and break up a flock when they flew down. Maybe if I ever get back up there in the fall, we can link up for a hunt. Good luck this fall

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That would be fun. I got a pleasant surprise, I am going to be able to Fall hunt the same property I Spring hunt after all. I am going to put a blind up this week and also I bought a chair called the Low Down Hunting Seat I had worried it would be hard for me to get in and out of but even hooked low on tree it is easy to get out of.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: tomstopper on October 11, 2020, 03:55:58 AM
Sir-diealot, sometimes I still wish I lived in NY. I miss being able to hunt in the fall. If I still lived there, I would be more than happy to take you to one of my favorite spots and break up a flock when they flew down. Maybe if I ever get back up there in the fall, we can link up for a hunt. Good luck this fall

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That would be fun. I got a pleasant surprise, I am going to be able to Fall hunt the same property I Spring hunt after all. I am going to put a blind up this week and also I bought a chair called the Low Down Hunting Seat I had worried it would be hard for me to get in and out of but even hooked low on tree it is easy to get out of.
Great. Good luck and hopefully we will be seeing pictures real soon

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Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on October 11, 2020, 09:29:00 AM
Sir-diealot, sometimes I still wish I lived in NY. I miss being able to hunt in the fall. If I still lived there, I would be more than happy to take you to one of my favorite spots and break up a flock when they flew down. Maybe if I ever get back up there in the fall, we can link up for a hunt. Good luck this fall

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk
That would be fun. I got a pleasant surprise, I am going to be able to Fall hunt the same property I Spring hunt after all. I am going to put a blind up this week and also I bought a chair called the Low Down Hunting Seat I had worried it would be hard for me to get in and out of but even hooked low on tree it is easy to get out of.
Great. Good luck and hopefully we will be seeing pictures real soon

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Thanks, sure hope so.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: eggshell on October 11, 2020, 04:52:36 PM
Good luck sir-diealot, I hope you have a ton of fun. I hope you don't pull a boneheaded move like I did today.

Yesterday was our opener in Ohio and I saw a couple gobblers in the morning and went back yesterday evening. We called in a group of 5 hens and passed on them, then watched two gobblers go up. This morning we were right above them and they responded to calls  on the roost and in gray light one pitched down right in my lap at 25 yards. It was fair shooting time but due to cloud cover darker than usual and I could barely see my sights. I put what I thought was the bead on his neck and squeezed ....woosh a clean miss and he flew up into a tree and sat on a limb putting at me. After about 2-3 minutes he flew off toward a field. Later we drove by that field and he and his buddy were out there sticking their tongues out at me, it was posted property. Oh well I'll be back out tomorrow. 
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on October 11, 2020, 05:28:19 PM
Good luck sir-diealot, I hope you have a ton of fun. I hope you don't pull a boneheaded move like I did today.

Yesterday was our opener in Ohio and I saw a couple gobblers in the morning and went back yesterday evening. We called in a group of 5 hens and passed on them, then watched two gobblers go up. This morning we were right above them and they responded to calls  on the roost and in gray light one pitched down right in my lap at 25 yards. It was fair shooting time but due to cloud cover darker than usual and I could barely see my sights. I put what I thought was the bead on his neck and squeezed ....woosh a clean miss and he flew up into a tree and sat on a limb putting at me. After about 2-3 minutes he flew off toward a field. Later we drove by that field and he and his buddy were out there sticking their tongues out at me, it was posted property. Oh well I'll be back out tomorrow.

Man that unfortunate to hear, I wish you better luck tomorrow. My entire plans just got changed on me, I had permission to turkey hunt from the one brother and now the other brother just told me he does not want me to turkey hunt because he does not want me there before deer season turkey hunting because I will scare all the deer away before the season starts. This is the same person that does not want me to scare all the deer away trapping. Makes absolutely no sense at all and now he told me I can't deer hunt until after the second week of the season.

We had just had a conversation about Trump vs Biden, he is VERY pro Biden hates all things Republican/Conservative and I am pro Trump, it got a little heated and I think that is why deer hunting got changed. What sucks about that for me is that means NO deer hunting for me until after the second week of the season, my knee has popped out of socket 21 times since July 27th and I do not know that I can drag a deer right now, it was hard enough with my other problems before this.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on October 22, 2020, 06:11:06 PM
So opening day I saw at least a dozen turkey, I was able to call them from the field into the woods, all came within 2-4 feet of me but all were hens so I let them pass. I did get to hear a lot of vocalizations so that was pretty neat.

(https://i.imgur.com/Y0N8HDhl.jpg)

I didn't get to see any turkey this morning, but I got to hear a lot of clucking, some gobbling and some Kee-kee runs, some yelps and some tree talk so it was a good morning. I got to see some chipmunks and squirrels and some birds. It's always a good day when you get to see God's world wake up in the turkey woods. Also some pretty colors in the sky.

I do have a question though, when I started to hear the kee-kee runs I started trying to throw back exactly what I was hearing, it seemed to drive the turkey away. Should I have just sat there silent like I did before and let them go into the field and tried to call them again if there were any males?

The first bit of this video is blurry, I did not know I had to hit the button a second time to get it to focus, if that bothers you go to 1:20 I keep it full length so I can hear the vocalizations. It's from the first day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0GZVBeIdsI
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: eggshell on October 23, 2020, 05:35:58 AM
You done fine. If anything I'd say don't be too conservative with your calling. Birds are used to a lot of talking in the fall. As you could tell they are constantly calling many times, especially right off  the roost and when young birds are present. Some days you can't get a peep out of them. Older birds will call much less. As example, we had very few young turkeys survive in my area this year and all we are seeing is flocks of adult hens and gobblers. A lot of days all we'll hear is some tree talk and a few yelps after the hit the ground. Makes it tough for sure.

Aren't you allowed to shoot hens and young birds? You won't see may gobbler flocks mixing with the hens and young ones unless there is a special food source. It can be very tough telling Y.O.Y. jakes from hens. Pick out the biggest young bird and it's most likely a male. The young males will also start to congregate together just like spring jake groups. They will be off to themselves and you can tell them by their loud course kee kee runs with a couple course yelps on the end. If you just want a gobbler then great  for holding off, but as Elmer Fud would say , It's raabbut/ errr Turkey season! 

Gobblers will cluck real sharp to locate each other, listen for that. Also, last springs jakes (Jake and a half/ super jakes) will run long strings of course yelps. If you hear what you think is an obnoxious hen just yelping her butt off, it's a good bet it's a gobbler.
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: Sir-diealot on October 23, 2020, 08:25:19 AM
You done fine. If anything I'd say don't be too conservative with your calling. Birds are used to a lot of talking in the fall. As you could tell they are constantly calling many times, especially right off  the roost and when young birds are present. Some days you can't get a peep out of them. Older birds will call much less. As example, we had very few young turkeys survive in my area this year and all we are seeing is flocks of adult hens and gobblers. A lot of days all we'll hear is some tree talk and a few yelps after the hit the ground. Makes it tough for sure.

Aren't you allowed to shoot hens and young birds? You won't see may gobbler flocks mixing with the hens and young ones unless there is a special food source. It can be very tough telling Y.O.Y. jakes from hens. Pick out the biggest young bird and it's most likely a male. The young males will also start to congregate together just like spring jake groups. They will be off to themselves and you can tell them by their loud course kee kee runs with a couple course yelps on the end. If you just want a gobbler then great  for holding off, but as Elmer Fud would say , It's raabbut/ errr Turkey season! 

Gobblers will cluck real sharp to locate each other, listen for that. Also, last springs jakes (Jake and a half/ super jakes) will run long strings of course yelps. If you hear what you think is an obnoxious hen just yelping her butt off, it's a good bet it's a gobbler.
Thank you for the tips, had 4 in front of me today but all looked like hens, they walked maybe 5-10 yards in front and were moving at a trot so hàrd to determine. Yes you can shoot hens here, I just choose not to. To me killing a hen is killing the future so I choose not to take them.

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Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: paboxcall on October 23, 2020, 12:19:26 PM
Little better in life than hunkered down beneath a flock of fall birds waking up on the limb and then flying down together.

Sounds like you're having a great fall season Steve!
Title: Re: Fall hunting
Post by: eggshell on October 23, 2020, 03:33:56 PM
We had 12 gooblers fly down right out in front of us today and two more come in from below us for a total of 14. We never got a shot under 50 yards, but toyed with them for two hrs and then left them after they fed off. We'll be back on them Monday. They were gobbling, yelping, whining and clucking. It was fun. The old boss was even strutting