i got to about 60 yards before but that is really close.

It all depends on the terrain and how much leaf is on the trees. In the early season here in NW Tennessee 125 yards can be too closewith no leaves on the trees. Lateseason you can get closer than that withoutworry. Remember that the intensity of the gobble will vary by the time of year, humidity, wind, etc, so that it may be difficult to determine exactly where he is. As an example, I have set up way to far from gobblers early in the season (no leaves) on a clear morning because the sound carried so well. Conversly I have spooked turkeys off the roost in the late season becausethe turkey sounded much further away with because of thesound absorbingeffect of the leaves

I never try to get any closer than roughly 100 yards. When you get closer to a roosted turkey than that several things can happen, most of them bad:

1. You can spooka turkey walking in that close unless it is really wet or you are Daniel Boone or Casper the Ghost. Remember, that turkey is up there in the tree and can hear everything around him. In those pre-dawn hours the wind is typically the calmest,thebirds aren't chirping, and it is very quiet. If you are walking in I don't know how you can get much closer than 100 yards without making too much noise unless you want to pull your boots off and walk in barefoot (I've used houseshoes before). You also can't use a light and run the risk of tripping over something or breaking a stick and then the game is over.

2. Let's say you do get in real close, 50 yards or so, and start tree-calling from the ground under the bird. That doesn't make any sense to me. The gobbler hasn't heard any hens fly down, yet all of a sudden he hears some soft calling coming from the ground 50 yards under him. That isn't natural. Turkeys make a lot of noise flying down and that gobbler knows that ahen shouldn't be in that position. In my experience when I've done this,the turkey will either fly off in the opposite direction or stay up in the tree a long time looking for that bird on the ground so close to him. The longer he stays in the treegobbling the more likely he will gobble up some hens, fly down to them and now the game is over for awhile.Neither one of these outcomes is good.

3. I like to give a turkey some room to feel safe when flying down, and most of my screw-ups on roosted birds have come when I have gotten in too close. I think it pressures the bird too much to get real tight and, if hefeelspressure from something unnatural, willfly downfar off somewhere rather thanjust pitching down below the tree. I like to let him know that I'm around by some soft calling, let him pitch down on the ground, then start calling him in earnest.

This is just my experience

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Good posts on this. I might add that the hen to gobbler ratio can complicate things as well. In some areas of MO where I hunt, the hen numbers are so high, I hate to set up too far away from a roosted bird. If I know he's alone, I'll try to get within 75 yards or so and maybe only call once or twice before he flies down. Just enough to get his attention. Many people call too much at a roosted bird. Just let him know you are there when he's in the tree. Then when he hits the ground, pour it on 'em and get your gun up.
WM

I'm learning alot from this thread. I never thought that I could get too close. The last 2 seasons I have been afforded the opportunity to sneak in very close to roosted birds. I did score both seasons, but there were some birds that just wouldn't come in no matter what. I'm thinking I just might have been too close to start. My tree calling might have seemed out of place although I did get responses. The hens always pitched down away from me and the gobbler always followed. I'm going to be thinking about this thread when I hit that particular farm this season.

It's all situational. I think that applies to every aspect of turkey hunting, though. That's what makes it the greatest hunt in the world to me.

Your only too close if you spook 'em.

IF you're hunting private land, take it slow and easy. Don't set up too close, and if you don't get him today, you've got a good shot at him later. Public land is a whole different scenario. Get close...call as little as possible (so he hopefully won't gobble much and attract other hunters), and be aggressive with your set-ups. This is a deal you have to get done, or somebody will wonder in and get him or scare him into the next state.

All situational.

I'd agree with the majority - it's totally dependent on the circumstances. The biggest factorsare foliage, flock size, lightand sight lines.

If youget 10-15 birds roosted together, it's a little more difficult to slip in undetected - 30 eyeballs with 270 degree eagle vision really hurts your chances. Even harder if the leaves are still in bud, and the woods are wide open.

You can close in to 50 yards if there's a land formation in the way, so you've got to be perceptive of the bird's roost location, and where his sight lines are at.

Light - if it's pitch black, I'm not afraid to walk right past my tom to get into position. But, after stopping at the gas station, tuning the calls in the car, hitting that snooze button a few extra times - you're usually slipping in just as it's cracking daylight. The lighter it gets, the bigger radius you have to keep.