Posted by Jim Dawson on November 30, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Dust off that jake for some successful fall turkey tactics

it is time to get them out and use them in December.  Last year, I had the nerve to try a full strut turkey on a late fall turkey hunt in December.  The key to using this tactic is having a bachelor group of gobblers located ahead of time.  Since the beginning of bow season,  think about how many times you have seen turkeys fighting to establish the pecking order in their fall flocks. These flocks have now grown into larger winter flocks.  If a full strut turkey does so well on one or two gobblers in the spring,  how would it do on a group of 6, 8, 10+  why not use this for fall turkey tactics? DEADLY!   Like spring hunting,  you will find fall gobblers do not  like the idea of a full strut turkey around 3-5 hen turkeys.  Call it crazy until you try it.  Those breast fry just as good in late winter, as they do on a spring day at turkey camp.

Before you try your luck at a late season gobbler hunt, scout a few fields where birds may be feeding on a regular basis.  It is very common for late season turkeys to feed in the same places both early in the morning and later in the afternoon.  You may or may not want to try this turkey hunting tactic, but it is a tactic I experimented with and will use for many years to come.  Unfortunately, this year I will be joining a great friend in Illinois at deer camp to hopefully watch him drop the hammer on a big Illinois  buck.

Other traditional late season tactics such as busting flocks, lost yelping with kee kees, and hunting feeding areas can lead to a successful hunt.  The full strut turkey approach gives you another tactic for an action packed long beard hunt in December.  It’s not uncommon to catch birds strutting this time of year, especially those soon to be two year olds that we love so much in the spring.  Do not be afraid to try a turkey set of 5-7 decoys since birds are in their fall flock patterns.  This is also a great way to hunt with a partner because the birds will not be by themselves.  You can do the count down and shoot together method or just wait to shoot after your partner has harvested their bird.  Most of the time there will be one or more birds that stay in range after the shot, allowing your partner a shot opportunity.  If the birds scatter, call them  back using traditional fall turkey tactics.

The picture above is a December long beard I killed last year using the full strut decoy on a late season turkey hunt.  Not only did this bird come in, so did 11 other long beards.  The one I harvested met a load of extended range #5’s at twenty yards.  The other bird is a hen my partner shot using a more traditional fall set up.  Good Hunting over your turkey next fall using these fall turkey tactics.

Scott is Pro-staffing for Best turkey, and has been killing turkeys over all manner of turkey for much of his life, and knows a lot about fall turkey tactics-