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Freddy
Boss Gobbler
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 12:50 pm Posts: 3138 Location: Goodview, VA
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Help! Doing a little informal poll... please respond!
I know the spring season is just around the corner but I wanted to ask a question about fall turkey hunting. Not to slight all the out-of-state friends we have here, but I would like the people that hunt VA to respond.
Of you guys that spring turkey hunt, how many of you also pursue them in the fall? I'm not talking about killing one while you are out bowhunting, etc., but actually going out to try and kill a fall turkey.
I want everyone to respond whether or not they hunt them in the fall and spring, fall only, or spring only.
Post away... I'm going to gather the results and post them for everyone when the survey is over.
Thanks so much for your help!
Freddy
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:26 am |
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Coach
Longbeard
Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2004 7:54 pm Posts: 142 Location: richmond, Virginia
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I chase them in the fall
Yea, I go after them hard in the fall. I know this is not a part of the questions, but I love the the fall hunt because it’s a great time with Friends. We go out, walk and talk, catch up on the year. It’s an absolute blast.
Then when you break up a flock, most times, you hear gobbles, Kee-Kees, yelps, every thing. It really fires you up.
The one thing I hate is I have to go through a fall before a spring on the hunting license. So in a good fall, I only have one tag left for spring.
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:45 am |
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Freddy
Boss Gobbler
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 12:50 pm Posts: 3138 Location: Goodview, VA
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I normally hunt them in the spring and fall, often taking others to try and get a bird in the fall. Pursue them a lot more in the spring though.
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:48 am |
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Max
King of Spring
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 10:40 pm Posts: 1485 Location: Middlebrook VA
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No... In the fall I do not set out to kill a bird. I stuck one with the bow this year but I was deer hunting when I did it.
I only go out in the spring to hunt the bearded birds.
_________________ "Son You've Got Three Choices in Life, Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way!" -Joe Rowe- http://www.jkttv.com
Max
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:49 am |
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Bird Dog
King of Spring
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2004 4:50 pm Posts: 2650 Location: central Va
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Haven't specifically fall hunted for a while now. When I started hunting we fall hunted all the time( Dad,brother,uncles,cousins). Don't even mess w/ em grouse hunting now. I want a big ol spring gobbler!
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 11:55 am |
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kwiac
Longbeard
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2005 1:33 pm Posts: 107 Location: Berkely Co, WV
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fall hunt
When I hunted with turkey dogs I was in the woods alot in the Fall after turkeys. Now, don't hunt turkey at all in the Fall...Muzzle loader for deer is generally only a couple of weeks later.
_________________ kwiac
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:06 pm |
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HODY
Boss Gobbler
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 3:08 pm Posts: 1565 Location: Central VA
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I like to hunt them in the fall but seldom do. I used to do it a lot more but lately I have been mostly Spring. Last year I hunted fall birds 2 times. Although one of them was a muzzle hunt in the am for deer before chasing birds.
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:21 pm |
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Rhino
King of Spring
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2004 6:05 pm Posts: 493 Location: Roanoke
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Fall and spring.
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:46 pm |
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RaspyD
Jake
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2005 3:28 pm Posts: 42 Location: Winchester, VA
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I love fall turkey hunting and have been doing it for as long as I've been hunting (+/-25 years). I'm not that interested in killing a big gobbler in the fall (they don't gobble in the spring if you kill them in the fall) but won't turn one down if I have the opportunity while I'm turkey hunting. I really like "flock talk" and I'm happy with finding a flock and breaking it up and calling the birds back in. Young birds are very tasty and the wingbones are perfect for making calls.
I think one of the reasons "they don't gobble like they used to" back in the 1970' and 1980's is that the fall turkey season was closed during deer season. Fewer turkeys killed in the fall resulted in more hens available in the spring. With more hens available, gobblers don't need to gobble as much to attract hens. So, our overall population of turkeys has increased (which was the goal of closing the season during deer season and is a good thing) but overall gobbling activity in the spring has decreased. I know that this theory doesn't apply to the entire state (and may be totally wrong altogether), but this is just a personal observation based on 25+ years of hunting.
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 12:55 pm |
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FlatLand Gobbler
King of Spring
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 8:46 am Posts: 753 Location: Hampton, VA.
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I hunt Spring and Fall. I didn't hunt them hard this fall, but was looking as I deer hunted. Oops, sorry GN, I let the "D" word slip out. I didn't get a Fall bird, but one of my buddies did.
_________________ Ron
"Turkey hunting, when you knock all the feathers off it, is a game of infinite variables, played on a field of unlimited dimension, against an opponent who doesn't know the rules and wouldn't play by them if he did." ...Jim Spencer
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 2:13 pm |
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WVBOY
King of Spring
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:33 pm Posts: 3038 Location: Powhatan, VA
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Yes I fall hunt.. not as much as I used to when I had a Turkey dog.. but I try to make it a point to Turkey Hunt only at least one day each fall.. Meaning I only take the shotgun..I made it out one morning this past fall with the shotgun only and didn't have any luck ..
More than once I've been on a deer stand and busted a flock up and then went and retreived the shotgun .. and more than once I've been on deer stand and called up turkeys and let them walk because I only had the rifle and didn't have the time to bust them up and come back.. this happened this fall once.. let a nice Long Beard walk at 25 steps..
_________________ RB
Take me Home Country Roads.
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 3:43 pm |
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linebacker97
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I fall turkey hunt about 5 times every fall. This year was the worst year I have ever had. I not once busted a gang of turkeys and I walked 10 country miles and back again. I hope that isn't a sign of what the spring is going to be like.
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 4:25 pm |
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Guest
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i generaly only hunt specificly for turks in the fall 3 or 4 times,but i always cary at least a mouth call with me every day im in the woods,just in case.i prefer the spring woods for turkeys
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:09 pm |
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RH
2 Year Old
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2004 2:07 pm Posts: 56 Location: Rockbridge county VA
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I hunt them 5-10 times a year but always carry a lot of calls anytime turkey season is in
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:21 pm |
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Econo
King of Spring
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2004 10:09 pm Posts: 2070 Location: Buena Vista, Va.
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Before I started bow hunting, fall turkey hunting was my thing. Now I only go fall turkey hunting maybe 1 time a fall. Thinking about getting back into it , Lots of fun.
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Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:38 pm |
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