First, I hunt only private property. This is an extreme advantage because not only do I have the bird patterned, but I have a pretty good idea of how many of his bearded brethren are around. And to me this is an oftentimes overlooked attribute when setting up on a bird.

If I hear the first bird gobble, then hear 4-5 other gobblers within the same vicinity, I can pretty much be guaranteed that he's got a flock of jakes surrounding him. If he's got a flock of jakes, he's also got a harem of hens. If I'm going to hunt this longbeard, I need to know where the hens are going off the roost, or get between him and his hens (usually 25 to 50 yards from his roost).

Besides location and number of "neighbors", I use their roost behavior for nothing. I've had silent roost birds go bonkers when they hit the ground, and we've all had those thundering idiots who get tight-lipped as soon as their feet touch earth.

S&R