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Located birds.... When they roosting?

zeus1gdsm

By zeus1gdsm,
in Turkey Hunting

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wildcat junkie Contributor

wildcat junkie

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Out right now... Located a tom and 2 hens. He showing like a parade dog... I watched until they were out of sight 100yards plus.. Tried a call no luck moved up and have essentially followed them to next tfield

... I've lost sight... What to do

Quit calling for starters. If you use turkey sounds, you will educate the birds. Use an owl hooter when it starts to get dark.

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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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A crow call wouldn't hurt a thing.

 

However, an easier and less intrusive way to find out where a bird is roosting is to listen for him to gobble on the roost in the morning, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, figure out where he goes when he flies down..

 

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G-Man Veteran

G-Man

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A bird can move quite a ways in a short time,if you can go to spot you saw him last in am and hoot or just listen, chasing him at evening will just move him further a few days doing the same obs er Ving in evening and listening in am should get you pretty good idea of his location

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nyslowhand Enthusiast

nyslowhand

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In my experience, trying to sneak up on a turkey(s) is a futile, losing exercise. Generally, when you spot them with the naked eye, they've seen you first! Only bad things can come from attempting this! Glassing is something I don't do, but may work better.

 

As was already mentioned and as tempting as it may be, never use a turkey call in pre-season scouting! Setting yourself up for failure when the season does open!

 

Last thing you'll have to take for what it's worth - from my experience hunting turkeys annualy in the same habitat. terrain and for a minimal turkey population, I never get excited about their roosting locations until the week before opening day. At that time, they're generally roosting in the same general vicinity if not the same trees on May 1st. Typically in a normal year and as the season progresses, the Toms do venture further to find receptive hens and will roost in different areas. Of course, this may be different where &/or how you hunt!!!

 

 

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grampy Veteran

grampy

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Once the season starts on May 1st, one of the biggest complaints you hear from hunters, are the birds have gone silent. The reason some birds go silent is because they have heard most all of the hunters calls since April 1st.

Try not to show your hand with the calls until the season starts. And even then, my experience has been that less calling works better than over calling.

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zeus1gdsm Newbie

zeus1gdsm

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Alrighty full report.

 

I arrived on location about 5:20pm. suited up and was greeted by an overflowing river. I drove to a couple other acccess points to asssess the situation and came back to the first due to the over swampy terrain.

 

I ended up using a small tree to cross a feeder creek to access a lower part of the river and then crossed the river on a larger tree.

 

 about 1/4 of the way down the old farm road alongside the first field i noticed a brown lump moving through the waist high dead goldenrod.  Sure enouhg it was a hen and alongside her a tom on full display. Needless to say this being my first ever true turkey scout i was pretty darn excited. AT this point they were about 250yards or so if not further away.. ( dark blobs without the binos and even then far away)

 

I threw up my new "hammock chair" ( fanatic outdoors/deadringer) and threw 3 soft calls in an attempt to bring them in closer..... I waited, couldnt see them so i stood up to get a better view and couldnt find them. (at this point i made this post)

 

I packed up the chair and moved further along the road at a snails pace. glassing as i went.  they had move don another 20 yards or so and were still doing their dance. Boisterious male and disinterested female ( reminded me of my time in local bars a few years ago)

 

i setup again. this time to simply watch with no calls... and watched them out of sight..towards the woodline at the edge of the field.

 

I packed up and decided to just scout the land itself to familarize myself with it and how long itd take to walk its length.

 

As i hit the road again there was a flash out of the corner of my eye and it was 2 jakes/hens heading from the road to the next field, into my field, along the far woodline, towards where i last saw the others.

 

I continued to glass every 5 steps... but didnt see anything, once i reached the end of the first field and made the slow transition to the next i was again greeted with no sightings.

 

At this point i gave up on the birds I saw there was too much waist high cover and i kept them at too much of a distance to really track them.

 

I decided to continue down the road  glassing every few steps and keeping my eye out for sheds.

 

turns out there was about 4-5 fields depending on your classification. no other birds seen. no sheds.

 

I timed my walk out and tracked it on the GPS.   1.5 miles and it took me 1hour 25 minutes to walk it ( glassing every 5 steps)

 

on my way out instead of crossing the log in failed light i just plowed through the overflowed river with a walking stick.

 

pics ot follow. of the area.

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jjb4900 Newbie

jjb4900

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at this point you should be scouting more with your ears than anything else..........I really caution against trying to follow and track them to where they roost, like someone mentioned, if you can see them, there's a 99% chance they know you are there....and I definitely would not be setting up and using turkey calls to bring them or locate them at this point............stick with owl or crow calls.

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G-Man Veteran

G-Man

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The birds have plenty of area to roost on the edge of the fields, I've seen birds go 800 yards in 10 minutes near last light to get to their roost area.

Me personally would go to where you last say them at 1st light and listen or if morning not possible get in that area in full camo and sit till dark looking and listening, be prepared to walk out in dark (no flashlight or colored lens light) I have had bird fly up and roost 30 yards from me while doing that and had to wait 30 min for full dark and then walk 200 yards with out light quietly so I wouldn't spook them. Went back 2 days later for opening day and it was a real easy quick hunt as birds roster 50 yards from where they were 2 days earlier.

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G-Man Veteran

G-Man

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Why you going there in the afternoon, do you realize that spring turkey hunting days during May in NY end at noon?

find the bird for the am hunt, best time to do it and you can slip in close in the complete dark instead of waiting for one to gobble on its own or making one gobble when it gets light. The early.bird gets the worm and works great when they don't gobble in am due to crappy weather, you know it's there from evening before and can hunt it even when they are not vocal.
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LI OUTDOORSMAN Newbie

LI OUTDOORSMAN

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In my opinion you have found a great looking area holding birds and at least one nice gobbler. STAY out of there until opening morning and get in early in the vicinity of where u last saw activity and let the woods and birds talk to you....it will play out one way or another.

and of course dont tell anyone where they are....no one..

Edited by LI OUTDOORSMAN
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zeus1gdsm Newbie

zeus1gdsm

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In my opinion you have found a great looking area holding birds and at least one nice gobbler. STAY out of there until opening morning and get in early in the vicinity of where u last saw activity and let the woods and birds talk to you....it will play out one way or another.

and of course dont tell anyone where they are....no one..

This sounds like a plan.... And allows me to scout another area instead..
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