the lost art of roosting..

[G-Man]

Does anyone still activley roost birds? I was taught this method and can usually pick the tree the bird is in 80% of the time. definatley within 50 yards 99% of the time. then its just a matter of slipping in close. i use to think 100 yards was good enough, but my educator told me to get close 40-50 yards. It takes some skill to learn to walk thru the woods with no flashlight in complete dark making little or no noise. but it increased my harvest rate by 100%. a simple tree call scratching the leaves, and flydown having a big gobbler land 10-40 yards from you is worth going out the evening before and locating them. even had them poop on me while sitting against the tree they are in. by far the most exciting way to hunt for myself.

[growalot]

In the fall

[HectorBuckBuster]

I used to roost bird all the time. I don't do it as much as I used to. Over the years, I have setup really close to birds.

[mbucks27]

I still go out and roost birds if i am up there the evening before.  Last year was a terrible year for me for turkeys but hopefully this year will be better.  I haven't been able to get up there to scout this year but there are always a few toms running around the farm that i hunt.  I'm off the 6th-10th from work this year and i cant wait to get up there.

 

John

[growalot]

I had that happen down at camp...I cleared a narrow path to the tree so I'd be nice and quiet going in  as to not to alert him the next morning...as day light arrived I'm looking hard at the tree I thought he'd be in...when a gobble let loose like a clap of thunder...I nearly wet my self...which would have made little difference for he dropped a bomb on my head that was..."Animal House" epic!...then promptly flew away from me ...never to return .....lol

[Sambuca]

I'd love to roost birds. The problem is that they dont roost on my 80 Acres.  They seem to roost own the hill toward the stream on the neighboriing properties.  I would do the same as Growalot and make a path to the tree if they were there.

[Hunting3m]

Do turkey roost in the same trees everyday? During deer season i saw a huge flock fly down the same spot maybe 4 times. Havent had a chance to go up to that property, but opening morning what if i sat around there?  

[G-Man]

maybe not the same tree but within 50 yards of previous roosts especially in spring as long as they aren't pressured. further it's been my experiance the same area will be used year after year after year , even if you get the tom another moves in to takes is place. very useful when birds aren't gobbling..go to the area set up call soft and stay vigilent they are there almost guarenteed

[G-Man]

fall birds follow the food.. spring bird set up areas by fighting for them,and then they stay pretty consistant in their roosting , perhaps moving when wood fully leafed out or in adverse weather conditions....when breeding is coming to an end

[phade]

I am all ears on this....give us a step by step on roosting technique.

Im not great at it, and honestly i think the art falls off as property size shrinks. Smaller parcels equals less roosting chances.

[jjb4900]

used to do it all the time, unfortunately my turkey hunting time is limited these days......

[sits in trees]

I like tucking them in when possible...not always an option though. Most times I just have to try and call them from someone else's property. I call it dumb hunting from a blind... 

[Zag]

I do when I can. One yr we had one fly right of the roost right to us. By the time he had both feet on the groud he was dead!!

[TurkeyHuntPA_NY]

The keyword here is that I TRY to roost birds. Its hit or miss. NY especially. The birds seem to never gobble at night, but let me tell ya something Jack (Uncle Si voice)...in the morning the gobble their flippin' heads off!

 

Honestly, I'd rather have them gobble in the morning than at night any day of the week! Getting pumped! 2 weeks Jack!

Edited April 18, 2013 by TurkeyHuntPA_NY

[2012_taco]

never had great luck roosting at night. sometimes I just sit and listen you can hear them fly up and gobble or hear the hens that may be with them, sometimes owl hooting works but I usually listen for the real owls to start and wait for the gobbles. It is always better knowing where they are in the AM

[WhitetailAddict11]

I read a very interesting article in field&stream, if my memory serves me, while hanging in the library at school not to long ago. The author talked about going out the evening before and getting into a position where you can call a tom away from his hens right before dark so he's forced to roost away from them. Once it's dark enough you quitely slip out and then come back in the morning and set up between him and his hens. Dont make a peep until he gobbles and then make a fly down cackle and he should leap off the limb about time your done making the cackle. Sounds like a very viable option to me. Definitely may give it a try.

[Meat First]

Easy part is locating the roost.....whether its the night before or from past experience.  hard part is to sneak in close enough without spooking them off the roost.  Then you have to anticipate which way he will go when he hits the ground unless you can call him in straight away.  Tactics is the best part of hunting in my opinion!

[growalot]

I know here that the water is lower on the hill...actually in the middle...the birds usually like to roost on the high side and glide down to water in the morning then work their way up hill again...so I'll sit on the high side at night and wait...if nothing then I'll go down mid day and check the area on the lower side of the hill streams for piles of poop under trees...during bow season I just listen for the fly ups....one morning as the sun came up ..I was shocked to see I was completely surrounded in my stand perch by turkey....they'd come in and roosted around the stand...lol

[Meat First]

Good point Grow about bow season...we usually hear/see flyups in oct while bow hunting..

[LuckyPickle123]

Absolutley! Over my past hunting experiences, roosting a bird gives me about a 80% to 90% chance of smoking that bird in the morning.  I get so pumped up when I roost a bird, because I know its already dead before I go to bed lol.  Have had great success roosting birds, Just gets them so wound tight before the next morning.  I don't generally slip in that close, never had to.  About 100-150 yards seems to work perfect for me.  Get them screaming in the roost, do a fly down, and the next gobble out of the bird will be on the ground.  A few more calls, then go quiet, and get the bead ready!

[PREDATE]

I like to stroll around in the evenings and give a few cackles from high ground. This usually entices a gobble. I then close the distance and set up(in camo). If I can pinpoint their location I will just wait for dark and slip out. If I'm not sure where they are I will try to call them closer just before fly up.

 I have called longbeards across roadsand small valleys using this method, so they will waiver a bit in their choice of roosting trees with a little coaxing.

[WhitetailAddict11]

I'm glad to hear some NY guys have done this with success.