Roosting birds

[First-light]

I am by far not the most experienced turkey hunter but I have gotten a few. My question is, when we find birds and their roosting spot for the night we sneak in and set up by the birds in the morning.

I have set my decoys 30 yards from roosting Tom's and have not spooked them. Is their eyesight poor in the darkness? It is superior during daylight hours, just wondering.

[Robinson446]

Good question. im not sure... Maybe they are still sleeping when you set up???

[steve863]

I think you are pretty lucky to have gotten that close.  I have seen them fly off the tree in the dark when spooked.  I don't think I would want to set up closer than 100 yards.

[Fantail]

If you can get 30 yards from a roosted bird, you got ninja skills.

[First-light]

I guess lady luck was on my side and some very tired birds snoring away!! lol

[Pygmy]

You can get away with a lot in pitch darkness...

I have a friend that limits out on gobblers every year with a recurve..He uses a custom made portable blind and often sets it up in the dark within full view of a roosting gobbler...

I have inadvertantly sat down within 20 or 30 yards of a roosting gobbler in the dark, and then had him gobble on the roost at daylight...

It helps if the terrain and underbrush is such that you can walk without crashing a lot of brush, snapping sticks or whatever, but roosting turkeys are used to hearing deer and other critters walking around in the dark...

Use your head.... Be as quiet as possible and don't try it on a moonlight night, but on a dark night you can often get pretty close without spooking a bird..

[TurkeyHuntPA_NY]

I agree with steve.

Setting up closer than 100 yards, you have some crazy skills. The CLOSEST I will ever get to a bird 75 yards max and thats pushing it. I have bumped so many birds over the years of turkey hunting, it makes me sick.

PLUS...when you get closer to a bird under 75 yards, if he is a mature bird. He knows if there was hens in any trees around him before he goes to sleep, so by you calling at 50 yards or so, it will throw a red flag up like "where the heck did she come from and will fly the other way." (now if its a jake, it will probably work in your favor because they are just crazy horny birds.)

Also, when you roost a bird the night before, you dont know if there is any other turkeys around that gobbling bird. If there is and you go in there thinking there is only that one, 9 times out of 10 you will be wrong and there will be a few other birds in surrounding tree, then it will take is to bump on of those and your hunt is over.

Moral of the story, stay within 100 yards of that bird and you should have a good hunt ahead of you. Hope this helps!

[steve863]

Heck Burt, if you are so good in getting that close to gobblers, you don't even need to bring a call with you.  Just wait till he jumps down off the tree and go BOOM!  Sort of like saying good morning and good night to old Mr. Tom all at once!!  LOL

[virgil]

I'm also new to turkey hunting and have been looking forward to picking up some advice from you guys.  One question- when you talk about 'roosting birds', what time of evening or night are you guys referring to?  Should i be in the woods listening for birds late at night, or closer to dusk?

[Cabin Fever]

Yeah, getting within 30 yards of a roosted bird is possible, but I think that's pushing your luck. I would definately try to back off some. Sure does suck when you go through all the preperation, sneak in, and bust the birds off the roost.

You can get away with some noise in the morning, as the turkeys are use to hearing deer and other nocturnal critters scamper about. Just try to keep the noise to an absolute minimum, get in very early, and keep the flashlight dim and low to the ground.

[TurkeyHuntPA_NY]

I'm also new to turkey hunting and have been looking forward to picking up some advice from you guys.  One question- when you talk about 'roosting birds', what time of evening or night are you guys referring to?  Should i be in the woods listening for birds late at night, or closer to dusk?

Virgil, you should be listen for birds right at dusk. Usually in the first week of Sping Gobbler its between 8 to 815. I will usually sit in a field and listen. I wear my turkey vest and take a seat around 745 and will sit and listen until its totally dark.

Try to stay out of the woods if you can. 9 times of 10 birds will roost half way up a hill or right on the edge of a field, but don't get discouraged if you don't hear one. There has been many times where I have listened the night before and then the next morning I go back to the same spot and I hear turkeys gobbling all over. I have noticed this especially in NY. I just can not seem to roost birds in NY.

Hope this helps! Good Luck Hunting!

[virgil]

Virgil, you should be listen for birds right at dusk. Usually in the first week of Sping Gobbler its between 8 to 815. I will usually sit in a field and listen. I wear my turkey vest and take a seat around 745 and will sit and listen until its totally dark.

Try to stay out of the woods if you can. 9 times of 10 birds will roost half way up a hill or right on the edge of a field, but don't get discouraged if you don't hear one. There has been many times where I have listened the night before and then the next morning I go back to the same spot and I hear turkeys gobbling all over. I have noticed this especially in NY. I just can not seem to roost birds in NY.

Thanks a lot.  That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for- I'll give it a try.  I've seen plenty of turkeys on my land during bow season.  So, I'm hoping for a good start at turkey hunting.  I've got a slate call that I've been playing around with.  Thanks again.

[G-Man]

I use to follow the 100 yd rule with mixed success. I like to get 50-75yards or less from a roosted tom, yes this is possible when you know the woods and get in when its dark(no flashlight)and the more leaves on the tree the closer I get. the key is to get setup between the tom and the hens. The tom will land in your lap...no calling involved. Works 90% of the time. I have even busted the hens out on purpose in the dark...the tom knows they were there and will come in just make sure to send the hens in opposite direction of his roost tree!  Calling will only bring a bird in that wants to go that way,how many hung up birds have you had to deal with? woodsmanship is much more important!

[Pygmy]

Legendary turkey hunter, Ben Rogers Lee, said that a good woodsman would kill more turkeys that a good caller...

Of course, many of his gobblers may have had shot in the soles of thier feet... : ....

[growalot]

I have inadvertently sat at the base of roosting birds ....once a whole flock flew out of the tree and down hill from me...took and 1 1/2hrs from them to come back up....Had bird crapping on me and I couldn't move for spooking them before fly down...Not my sweetest morning : ...and another the Tom I was hunting let out a Gobble on the roost and I nearly wet myself...talk about shocking...geezz...I go in very early... all trails mowed ...and no flash light and I use the same scent control for turkey as I do deer season....spook the deer and you cut your chases of seeing birds...just what I've noted ...for every thing is planned ahead...They just didn't co-operate and roost were I thought they'd be

[First-light]

I have inadvertently sat at the base of roosting birds ....once a whole flock flew out of the tree and down hill from me...took and 1 1/2hrs from them to come back up....Had bird crapping on me and I couldn't move for spooking them before fly down...Not my sweetest morning : ...and another the Tom I was hunting let out a Gobble on the roost and I nearly wet myself...talk about shocking...geezz...I go in very early... all trails mowed ...and no flash light and I use the same scent control for turkey as I do deer season....spook the deer and you cut your chases of seeing birds...just what I've noted ...for every thing is planned ahead...They just didn't co-operate and roost were I thought they'd be

I should say my favorite turkey blind is off a mowed trail about 40 yards in off a field. Real easy set-up. No mystical powers here.

My three G's- get in/ get it done/ get out!

[G-Man]

virgil,  If your trying to roost and do not hear a bird gobble naturaly, it can be done with a varaity of locater calls, owl hooters,coyote howler, i even use an elk bugle. Standing in one spot will not work all the time,especially when foliage is thick late in the season. i like to walk a ridge from sunset till dark stopping and calling every 100 yards or so, I walk down the ridge and back (about a half mile) and have not had a bird answer the call untill i am past it 200 or more yards. if i hear one i'll move to within 150-100 yards and try again, if it doesn't respond ill go past it a few hundered yards and try again. I can usually pinpoint a bird to within 50 yards of where it is doing this all the while i am listening for jakes/and hens and just the sound of a bird flying up. the mature tom tends to put itself between the hens and the jakes. try to set up on the side closer to the hens(the tom wants to go that way anyway and it lets you intercept hens that are heading to the tom) Over the  years hunting the same property i now have my toms located to the tree they roost in( i have 4 roost areas and even if there are no gobbles i know the birds are there). Best of luck this season!!

[virgil]

Thanks G-man.  I'm looking forward to next weekend.