First time Turkey Hunter

[yvk]

Hey everyone, just got into this whole hunting this last year , starting with some pheasant mainly , and chukar/duck here and there, but am thinking of trying out turkey this fall.

I did some research and seems like the North-East part of the state looks like the sweet spot for the gobblers.

Anyone got any tips to share ? Should i look into getting some decoys and/or turkey calls?

How would i go about finding where the private/public hunting lands are ?

It's been pretty tough getting into this without knowing someone who's already familiar to the whole thing..

Thanks in advance!

[Yelper Guy]

My brother and I try to stage a turkey fight - it has a way of attracting other birds.
Everyone loves a good fight, including turkeys.
Normally they don't respond to calls like they do in the spring.
Try to locate the flock and set-up an ambush. I've never tried busting up a flock, but many people do with success.

[yvk]

My brother and I try to stage a turkey fight - it has a way of attracting other birds.
Everyone loves a good fight, including turkeys.
Normally they don't respond to calls like they do in the spring.
Try to locate the flock and set-up an ambush. I've never tried busting up a flock, but many people do with success.

staging it with the decoys ?

[Yelper Guy]

Not with decoys, with calls. I have a gobbler shaker call and my brother uses his friction call. If you've ever witnessed a real turkey fight it's pretty impressive and noisy. We watched (in the Spring) about five or six gobblers, all chest to chest fighting for a couple minutes. It was quite a show.

[yvk]

My brother and I try to stage a turkey fight - it has a way of attracting other birds.
Everyone loves a good fight, including turkeys.
Normally they don't respond to calls like they do in the spring.
Try to locate the flock and set-up an ambush. I've never tried busting up a flock, but many people do with success.

so we located a flock of about 30 or so up to where we went , but didn't have any luck..

we tried following close behind them for about half an hour until they decided to start flying away.

What's the best thing to do in this situation ? i did some more research and watched videos,
and people have said busting the flock and getting them to scatter and then call them back is what you gotta do for fall turkey, but we didn't know that. Also, they weren't really too vocal..

Any one have any other tips on what to do effectively in the fall ?

[baldopepper]

Once the birds bust you, the game is up.  I've tried scattering them and then calling them back, but I've never had much luck.  Best thing, in my  opinion, you can do this time of year is to watch and pattern them.  Winter flocked birds are really easier to pattern then spring birds.  They seem to follow the same schedule and pattern on a consistent basis.  So, with that in mind, when you find a flock, keep your distance and try to put a pattern on what they do.  Usually this means watching one day, or morning, and actually trying for the shot the next day or that afternoon.  Can't over emphasize how important it is to stay hidden and not move when the birds are around.  Nothing worse than sitting all morning waiting to ambush a flock only to have them bust you when you did nothing more than turn your head, or scratch your nose, or lift a leg to a more comfortable position.  They aren't like deer or elk, once they bust you they're gone-no stopping 50 yards away and looking back over a shoulder or anything like that.  A good pair of binoculars and a lot of patience are more important this time of year than calls and decoys.