Hey guys this is my third year turkey hunting and Ive never had any luck roosting birds. I ve got a 600 acre tract and the back of our property borderlines game management, which all the wma land is basically ghosttown because no one could possibly walk that far in from the road, has to be 2 miles in the woods haha, but the wma land looks good but we have a few birds on our land but not as much as the wma.
So what works best for you guys when roosting birds? I'm going down saturday morning to hopefully roost some. Thanks for the advice and God bless
Get on a high point or ridgetop and listen for birds gobbling and or flying up. You can use locater calls such as a peacock, owl hooter, crow call to make them gobble.This is usually done in the evenings so you know where to begin the A.M. You can also listen in the mornings at these places for gobbling then move in and setup. The more you do this and discover known roosting areas the easier it becomes.
Get on a high point or ridgetop and listen for birds gobbling and or flying up. You can use locater calls such as a peacock, owl hooter, crow call to make them gobble.This is usually done in the evenings so you know where to begin the A.M. You can also listen in the mornings at these places for gobbling then move in and setup. The more you do this and discover known roosting areas the easier it becomes.
Just remember, not all birds are going to gobble in the evening. I had a bird on my place last year who gobbled his head off in the morning, but never, I mean never, gobbled in the evening. On the evening roost, an owl call usually works pretty good on birds that are willing to gobble.
Just remember, not all birds are going to gobble in the evening. I had a bird on my place last year who gobbled his head off in the morning, but never, I mean never, gobbled in the evening. On the evening roost, an owl call usually works pretty good on birds that are willing to gobble.
I agree completely. A lot of times it seems like they may only gobble once if at all. I will sometimes bring in a wing and do a flyup without the cackle. Sometimes that will get one to gobble if it is still enough and you are close enough to the roost.
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Gulf Breeze UMC
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This might not be recommened by others but I also have had problems getting birds rooosted. The one thing that they did respond that chained birds together was a gobble shaker. It made one bird gobble then a few others sounded off back at each other for about 5 mins. Might not always work though
This might not be recommened by others but I also have had problems getting birds rooosted. The one thing that they did respond that chained birds together was a gobble shaker. It made one bird gobble then a few others sounded off back at each other for about 5 mins. Might not always work though
Well, first of all, birds will roost on their own. Just stay back and hidden and then watch. Around dusk they will fly up to their roosting spot. I always find it easier to know where they're roosting first. This can be done by some simple scouting.....ex: walking around the woods looking for ALOT of turkey scat and feathers...or simply waking up early before season and listening. Once you know their roosting spot, get a close place and make sure they don't see you come in or leave. Then wait it out. If I typically see a Tom fly up into a tree...then I don't call. I don't need to hear him gobble. If I'm in a location where I can't see what type of bird they are...then I might hita locator call in hopes of getting him to gobble. But remember, not all birds gobble at night. If there are quite a few birds, and it is peak of breading season...you can typically count on there being atleast one Tom in the bunch. I hope this helps.
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Kurt Rojemann
www.drop-tine-taxidermy.com
I like to go out in mid to late afternoon,if i know the general area they are roosting and get up on a hill with a spotting scope and spend the evening glassing until i see them flying up from a distance. Then the next A.M. get in early!!
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Team 6 The Turkey Takers
Just remember, not all birds are going to gobble in the evening. I had a bird on my place last year who gobbled his head off in the morning, but never, I mean never, gobbled in the evening. On the evening roost, an owl call usually works pretty good on birds that are willing to gobble.
I second this. We rarely hear gobbles in the evening.
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Poster of the GREATEST photo in HNI history, 12/09/09
"My god Siman...............you just made me sick"
The best way for me (if you have time) is to find them in the am when they are still up in the roost and being vocal. After they fly down (don't disturb them or let them know you are there) I will walk under the trees in the area they just came down from.The amount ofscatwill give you an idea of how much they have been using those trees to roost.If there is a lot of scat then find a vantage point where you can glass those trees that dusk. If you can't get there in the morning then look for fresh scat under trees and do the same thing. Turkeys love patterns if they aren't disturbed.
Best way to roost birds
