Who Says You Can’t Call in Fall Gobblers!

Maine reintroduced turkeys into it’s wildlife population successfully in the mid-1980′s, opened it’s first ever “experimental” turkey season in 1986 in a tiny little area of the state, and in the Spring of 1996, it had expanded to include our area of the Midcoast. Back then, turkey hunting was open only by chance lottery drawings and for the first several years I was unable to draw a tag, though I was out there still, trying to listen and learn from the master himself, Old Tom Gobbler. By the time 2002 rolled around, we had a solid enough population of turkeys that the state decided to open it’s first Fall turkey hunt, bow-hunting only, so I ran out, purchased a bow, and hit the woods with vigor, only to learn that turkeys were not going to be easy to kill during the Fall of the year… That was eight years ago and since then the Wild Turkey has taught me a lot and I’m happy to say I still love class, because I’m out there every Spring and every Autumn, enjoying the chase.

With the coming of Fall comes a quickening of the heart up here in Maine as hunters begin relishing the crispness of an early morning frost and crunchy leaves, the anticipation of which means, usually, an incoming deer or a flock of turkeys. Every season, bow in hand, I would attempt to bring home a turkey for the table and though my hunting efforts were successful in the fact that I was always able to get on turkeys and get within range, I just could never connect.

That changed when the state added a week, increasing it to a two-week season, the second of which allowed the use of shotguns! Immediately I was in business and turkeys began falling prey to both the call and gun; though I was only able to consistently bring home hens.

Some said I wouldn’t even be able to call in a hen but I assure you it can be done and I’ve done it myself more than once by utilizing specific calls and tactics. Over the past seven years I did have open bow-shots on several nice toms but they were through stalking and the birds were definitely more wary than the hen flocks, allowing only a quick glimpse and an occasional shot opportunity, all of which I missed by releasing my arrow either too soon, too late, shooting too high or too low.

This year would be different and after yet another incredible Spring season in which I successfully called in more than 13 mature gobblers to the gun for myself, my family and my friends, I had committed myself, (and publicly), to the task of not only taking a mature gobbler this Fall, but I’d do it through calling and would harvest it with my bow…none of which would be an easy task.

It seems that no matter where you look concerning resources on it, the chances of actually calling in mature gobblers in the Fall are remote at best, and quite probably a task as hard as chasing the proverbial pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

That being the case, I decided I needed to learn a lot more about turkeys and turkey behavior so I started studying. I also went to the “Master of Masters” when it came to hunting the Fall turkey, and that was legendary turkey hunter Ray Eye. Ray has been chasing turkeys for about 40 years and was probably the pioneer of real Fall turkey hunting and we became friends through the Internet a few years ago, and since then have “talked turkey” on many occasions.

Ray has been successfully calling in mature toms in the Fall for many years and even though he’s written many articles and several books, the non-believers and nay-sayers, (some who have been billed “experts” in the field of turkey hunting), still insist it can’t be done and that to do so means the hunter was merely lucky to be in the right place at the right time and that it is more often a fluke than anything else.

Ray understands the complexities and challenges of what it takes to call in a mature Fall bird because, as he puts it, that’s the time of year you’re dealing with the real turkey because there is no breeding going on and you get to hunt the turkeys under what I’ve come to call “real fair-chase conditions”. After many talks with Ray and a lot of serious practicing on my mouth, box calls and bow this summer, I felt I was ready for the challenge.

Our Fall turkey opener came on Saturday, October 9th and since I also enjoy hunting and filming for the “AVERAGE JOE’S HUNTIN’ SHOW”, (Pursuit Channel 608), I had my son with me running camera. I set up two tom decoys, (a strutter and a standing jake), on a grassy road known for turkey travel, and got us set up behind some bushes about 20 yards from the decoys and began calling. I utilized some coarse clucks, a lot of gobbler yelping, and even tossed in a few gobbles.

About 45 minutes into the hunt, Ryan and I both heard what we thought were gobbler clucks coming down the road, so I got my bow ready and waited. Unbeknownst to me, there were at least two toms coming but I got antsy and decided to stand up to see if I could peer over the bushes and see what was happening. Not seeing them, I laid the bow down and made a few yelps on the box….and immediately from my left heard a “putt”, followed by more. All we know is that at least two toms were definitely on their way in but were not where I expected them to be and they busted me at the 35 yard mark. Game over for opening day.

Day two would be the following Monday and this time I would set up differently. On Sunday, (not a legal day to hunt here in Maine), I did some serious scouting for sign, found some, and decided where the right set up would work. I situated my hunting chair just inside the woods overlooking a small field, set it up behind some colorful yellow and orange-leaved bushes, and hooked my telescoping camera arm to the tree beside me for some self-filming. After pushing aside any and all noisy leaf litter from around the chair that might otherwise spook an incoming bird as I shifted, I trimmed a few small twigs and left with high hopes for the next hunt.

When Monday came, it was a holiday, so I took full advantage of it and planned on hunting all day. I made it to the set up at 9:30am, set out my decoys, this time with hens added off to the side “feeding”, and commenced calling at 9:40am. I called off and on quite consistently for the next full hour, stopping only for a few brief minutes, and was again using mostly gobbler yelps and clucks, some random gobbling, and an occasional hen yelp for show in feeding.

At precisely 10:40, I heard what I thought were some small clucks and purrs from my left, so I peered through the leaves and scanned the wood line looking for turkeys. All of a sudden from just inside the woods not 15 yards to my left, a thunderous gobble exploded, followed by several others from the same group, taking me so much by surprise I literally spasmed in my little chair and almost fell off it!

Remaining motionless, except for my right hand, I flipped on the camera which was aiming straight ahead at the decoys and reached for my bow, leaning beside me. My heart began racing in my throat as several mature toms emerged from the woods between 12 and 15 yards away and began gobbling incessantly at the decoys. They began moving towards them but one bird went behind me where I was completely open and began to putt. He got to within 5 yards of me before slowly moving back into the woods.

The others stayed, tied to the decoys, and one bird, obviously “the Boss”, strutted to the others and then walked in to the set up. Glancing down at my LED screen I could see he was now in frame of the camera so I waited to get some footage but he got very nervous looking in my direction several times since my basic form was visible, though clothed entirely in leafy camo.

Because of that, when he finally turned away and dropped his head I drew back and released the arrow, striking him just above the tail, and it exited through the left front chest. He immediately flipped up and out of frame, landed about 30 yards away, and the other birds, (a total of five mature toms), gobbled like crazy and descended on him like flies, pecking and beating him relentlessly!

After the shot, it took me a moment to regain my composure from the extreme rush of adrenaline and release the camera from it’s apparatus but I managed to do so and turn it on myself, hands shaking, to give my interview. The whole time I was whispering what had just happened, the turkeys, (who still couldn’t see me), gobbled and strutted all around my downed bird in a spectacular display of dominance, which by the way, was how I approached this particular hunt in regards to tactics.

After I had delivered my heart-pounding, shaky spiel to America, I stood up and inched my way to the edge of the field where I proceeded to film the ongoing display for almost 10 full minutes before stepping out to retrieve my bird, spooking the others back into the woods.

Within the hour I had gotten my son to come back and film the “hero” segment of the hunt and take some pictures for me. All appeared to be two-year olds and mine, though weighing in at only 17 lbs and sporting close to a 7″ beard was definitely the dominant bird of the group. Now granted, not that this can be done every single time out, (nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to hunting), I had still come to one very important conclusion…you can call in Fall gobblers if you do your homework, scout really well, and practice calling techniques you may otherwise be unfamiliar with.

Unlike spring calling, I used primarily gobbles, gobbler yelps, and coarse gobbler clucks in what Ray refers to as “bird specific calling” when it comes to technique. Thanks definitely go to Ray Eye who believed I could do it and encouraged me in my efforts to expand my repertoire of tools and tactics on hunting Fall gobblers. I had successfully called in mature toms not once but two days out and had made a nine yard shot on a boss tom, from the ground, no blind, and with my bow!! If that wasn’t a rewarding and challenging hunt, I don’t know what would be. I will probably still practice “spot-and-stalk” techniques on some birds but you can bet your sweet bippy I’ll definitely be out there utilizing calling tactics and decoys for Fall gobblers again!

(Blaine Cardilli is a freelance outdoor writer & columnist from Maine and a member of several industry prostaff’s, including “Hunters Specialties”; Also the vice executive crew director for “AVERAGE JOE’S HUNTIN’ SHOW”, Blaine enjoys filming his hunts all over New England for TV; He has been calling and hunting the wild turkey for the past 12 years and enjoys giving indepth seminars on all aspects of turkey hunting; His official hunting page can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/theredneckpreacher)