taking hens or toms in fall

[darron]

Do any of u fall Turk hunters only take hens in fall to save toms for spring? Any research on this saying it helps? I am sering several toms on my property aling with some Jake's and a few smaller flocks of hens. Was thinking about passing on toms. Thoughts in this?

[bbcustomboxcalls]

Personally, I don't shoot hens but if it legal in your state it is up to you to make that decision.
As for saving jakes or toms for the Spring, with all the predators and weather factors there is no guarantee those birds will be there in the Spring.  So I say go out and have fun in the Fall by taking whichever bird you feel comfortable taking.
Great time of year to hunt!  Good luck!

Bill 

[nativeks]

When we had a lot of birds I didn't care. Now I don't take any. When our numbers recover Ill start targeting fall birds again. I asked my brother to give the turkeys a pass if they come in deer hunting this year.

[darron]

In ohio it is legal to take either sex just curious on peoples thoughts. I have always had an abundance if hens and fewer toms. Now things are leaning the other way.

[Spring Creek Calls]

I will take either this year as a there is an abundance of poults in my area. I love hearing all that turkey talk from a fall flock.

[Fatbeard]

I fall hunt hens only. I will let my son shoot a gobbler in the fall. Our season runs two weeks long and limits vary from 6 birds in several to 1 bird in other counties. Hens are crazy thick here. Starting to group back up for winter.

[njdevilsb]

We have a 15 day fall season and we have some birds around that I have seen on trail cams.  Normally we only see hens in the fall, but last week we had 4 longbeards show up on the cams.  I probably won't carry my gun since bow season is open for deer, but if a bird comes by, I'd love to take one with my bow.

[fallhnt]

I shoot any legal bird in fall. It's fun to call em' in.

[captin_hook]

If it's legal , shoot em. I do. They taste great.

[strutnrut]

Here I hunt both but don't shoot many Toms in the Fall don't want the Spring Only hunter complaining about killing to many Fall Gobblers. We can shoot 2 per day either sex. Season is 30 days long. We have a hen problems in some areas and I do my best.

[ferocious calls]

Love to roost toms' in the fall and call them in like springtime. Doubles the pleasure.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

Dead hens don't lay eggs and turkey numbers are rapidly declining throughout the country.

No hens for us and gobblers are saved for the spring.

[SinGin]

Here I hunt both but don't shoot many Toms in the Fall don't want the Spring Only hunter complaining about killing to many Fall Gobblers. We can shoot 2 per day either sex. Season is 30 days long. We have a hen problems in some areas and I do my best.
[/quote
So you can shoot up to 60 birds in the fall, where do you live???

[darron]

thank you for the replies. I fall hunt my own property and I spring turkey hunt it as well along with other properties in various counties. In the past 2-3 years the gobbler pop, for whatever reason, has exploded. This past Jan while muzzy hunting I watched a group of 21 toms walk by me and I had one of the best springs to date while owning the property. I want to make sure I don't devistate the toms which is why I am leaning towards taking a hen and leaving the toms for spring. Typically it is common to see flocks of hens reaching in the 40-50 number.

I guess a better q's could be: for those of you that fall and spring turkey hunt the same property are you selective as to which sex you take?

[strutnrut]

I live in Tennessee right outside of Fort Campbell KY. We can't hunt on Tue or Wed and they don't have a great choice of hunting area all of the time so it is more difficult than it sounds but the Campbell bird don't count against your State limit and I can take 6 in the country I live in. Now please keep in mind that I in no way try and kill that many birds. We also have a Winter Season which are beardless birds only. So as you can see we have a VERY LARGE turkey population and have to try and control the hens if not they get out of conrtol. There isn't that many diehard Fall Hunters here so they allow the ones who like to Fall Hunt to attempt to control the hen population thru hunting.  They use to trap and move turkey from Campbell but over the years they have basically stop trapping. I wish they would do more trapping and move the birds to area on public land that don't have many birds so we would have more places to hunt in the Spring.  The most birds I have ever seen was one winter on a snow I counted over 300 birds on a cut corn field... Due to having been right next to a NON HUNTING impact area.... Sometimes it sounds like a turkey farm down on these impact areas....  I just don't feel the pressure to have to KILL KILL and  KILL if I don't kill a bird then I just hunt them again the next day. We can take 4 Spring Time Gobblers. I most of the time only take 2 or 3 because I hunt with Soldiers a lot and Killing isn't my priority.