i rarely ever use locator calls...exspecially off the roost. i do my legwork and scouting. i go in before daylight to a high vantage point where i can hear a good distance and hear where i THINK they roost from my scouting..they typically roost in the same areas every night...atleast most birds do...

off the roost they are typically very vocal...i wont use any locators at all...i focus on sneaking in and setting up while they are still on the limb. theres enough owls and crows sounding off, and natural gobbles that i never seemed to need a locator off the roost.

after flydown i do use a crow call to shock gobble them...then i setup and call to them and hope i am setup in the direction they were heading...

turkeys are generally creatures of habit..they tend to do generally the same thing each day..roost in the same areas, head to the same areas when they fly down etc...with proper scouting, some calling and patience, and turkeys...well....thats how turkey tags are filled. alot of guys think to turkey hunt you just go out and make noise on a call...that works...occassionally..but ive found scouting and patience is key to consistantly killing birds

public land i also find myself walking a lonnnnng ways from the road. even then, i am still usually dealing with other hunters and pressured birds..i find that pressured birds seem to be less vocal, exspecially after flydown..and somewhat callshy. they get sick of coming to hen calls and getting shot at, seeing something that isnt right, or just not seeing the hen they thought was there. put yourself in a turkeys shoes...if your girl called you all the time and something wasnt right, you got shot at a few times, and she stood you up countless times you would try sneaking in on her..checking things out before committing...seeing how serious she is and making her wait a while...

i cant count how many times ive left a setup and hear the bird i worked all morning gobbling where i was sitting an hour or 2 later...im wising up...thats how i killed mine this year...

public land turkeys can be a challenge...exspecially if theres alot of turkey hunters in the area...but it can be done. takes some learning though..can be a frustrating task...but i keep comin back for more...love spring turkey huntin!

good luck