Roosting birds?
 

Does anyone do this anymore?Seems like this is a fading aspect of preperation what do ya think??....Alot of us hunt the same piece of ground and have scouted our birds out before opening day and pretty much know where there gonna be,but I really still enjoy the confidence oflayin my head on my pillow knowin they will be there in the mornin when I wake up,and where I'm gonna be..Plus I do believe there are some advantages being already set-up before he wakes up on the limb.I know i've heard birds before either a long ways away sounding off on the roost or I just got to him a little late before he got on the neighbors piece of ground and cussed myself for being lazy and not putting him to bed...[:@]..Bob..

RE: Roosting birds?
 

Bob,I still like to roost em the night before.If I can I like to be where I plan to set up the next mornin.Give him a little tree yelp,then slip outta there.Bet he paces that limb all night thinkin bout that hen he's gonna hook up with in the mornin:D

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See I knew I could get one of your secrets out of ya!!!:DNice to see your still with us Jimbo!!!!:)Oh by the way Adrian says you aint got nothin but guns from the 1940's in your gun cabinet..:D:Dlol

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HAHA,I just won an 870 camo,with the thumbhole stock.So he's wrong lol.I just saw Adrian at the Harrisburg sport show yesterday.He's still short.:DKept losin him in the crowd.

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U guys are too much......I still roost every chance I can get - sure stops wastin time in areas there are no bird...

JW

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I still roost the birds Im hunting before opening day. I dont use any calls except for the owl hooter while Im roosting. Our season allows for all day hunting, so Im generally in the woods until they go to roost...

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Bobgobble2,

I personally don't it to much, but what I am very fortunate to have is, 1000 acres of land that I hunt (mostly). I do have permission to hunt some other land in the area, but the 1000 acre tract is my first pick.

I have an area I can park my truck in the middle of the 1000 acres. From this point, I can hear any turkey on it that gobbles. If I don't have a specific place to go each morning, I get out my sack chair and thermos, and listen. I have sat there for many hours, hear a gobble, jump up and take off towards him. I never call til I get within a couple 100 yards of the bird. So maybe this is another version of running and gunning, but it has worked for me more than one time. I might add, that from the point I park and sit at the truck, I can also hear birds gobble on the neighboring land, and have been successful in geting near the property line and calling the bird across the line to me.

Let me suggest, that if you have the time, just sit and listen at your vehicle, more than one time I didn't hear a bird until late morning, mid day, mid afternoon, etc.

dog1

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Dog your given away one of my personal secrets buddy!!!!I have had great success on high pressured gobblers with late mornin to afternoon hunts.Late season gobblers can and do pattern hunters being approach'd and called at from the same general direction through the course of a season at dawnand will notnecassarily change roostsites but just go silent until the woods clear out(hunters).One of the most difficult challenges a turkey hunter faces is sometimes lettin that call rest and having enough patience to let one of those woodwise gobblers give up his position.Often times under heavy hunting pressure or the fact they could just be henned-up at dawn they may not speak until later in the day.I have actuallyheard more gobbling activity from late afternoon till fly-up on more than one occasion.We can hunt till 4 PM here in Cali and believe me if it dont happen early mornin I'll eat breakfast or a little lunch and be back out to the woods till shootin time ends.Last spring we took a bird at 3:52 PM with a client,boy was I happy as much as relieved..:)The key to this though is dont blow-up your stretch of turkey woods as Dog points out pull up a chair and enjoy the sounds and smells of spring.Oh dont fall asleep either!!!:D:D..Bob..

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I have to agree Bobgobble. We have also taken a few birds later in the afternoon and evening... Most of mine have come in the early am but Im a believer of killing one later in the afternoon...

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I still do it alot, but pretty much have a handle on there pattern by the time the season rolls around.

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itll getcha a turkey 95% of the time if you know what your doin

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I hunt vast areas, and our birds move allot. I like to roost them for the next morn.Do not forget about a little wing flapping to go along with those soft tree yelps before slippen out of there.

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that llittle wing flap can make or break your day, i like to just use my cap, works great

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Why is that?

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Sounds like a turkey flying up to the roost. I use this early in the morning right at fly down...

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Maybe I misunderstood?

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I went to our club too early one day last year and hooted a couple of times. Next thing I knowa gobbler was flying over my head. Newby mistake, wont make that one again. Last year was the first year I have turkey hunted and it was a learning experience. I do try to roost them if I am going the next morning.

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No you didn't Ulti....hmmmm...."make or brake"....95% thats a shade steep brotha....[:-]At least in my stretch of woods.:)

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I would try to roost a bird every evening if I had the chance. I have mostly hunted run and gun style on large areas of NF. If I can find a bird that gobbles on the roost I expect him to be hot in the morning or at the very least talking. That doesn't always hold true, but I've always felt a roosted bird put me a leg up in the morning.

If I can roost one late season w/ full foilage, I'll push in really close before light, especially if I'm sure where the bird is. Then I hope to never say a word and roll hima couple steps afterhe touches down.

As far as the wing flap goes. If I'm trying to work a bird off the limb, say I know he's got hens around or I can't get to the side I expect him to go or I'm trying to keep him from flying down across an obstacle, I'll always do a couple really really soft tree yelps w/ my head leaned back pointed into the tree. Then when I think it is time for flydown I'll do afly downw/ my cap from above my head and into the leaves. I may throw in a cackle during the wing flap, but I normally won't say anything after that until he touches down. You know he likes it when he gobbles at the fly down w/o any calls.

I've had the hens almost set down on me after that.

I can't imagine not roosting birds if I have the opportunity to get out.

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Unfortunately, most of the property I hunt is a 1 to 2 hour drive and you need to be out of the woods by 12 or 1:00 (depending on the state). Since I'm not hunting in the afternoon, it doesn't seem worth it to me to drive 4 hours just to hear where a bird is roosted.

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if you use it right where i hunt, youll get your bird right off the bat 95% of the time. i got some good spots:)

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I always "try" to roost birds, but I can never seem to get them to gobble in the afternoon...[&:]

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Do you wear camo when you hunt;)

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Not trying to be too critical of you, but your what, 17 or 18 years old? Do you have enough experience to boast that? I've been hunting forover 30 years and seriously turkey hunting for 13 years and 95% success rate is unheard of. There are guys on this forum who have been turkey hunting a lot longer than me and I'll bet they don't have a 95% success rate at anything involving turkey hunting.I'm not questioning your hunting abilities, but I don't think you have experienced a fraction of situations that many of us here have. Just because you roost a turkey the evening before doesn't mean you are going to get him in the morning, and definately not 95% of the time. Please don't insult our intelligence and don't take this the wrong way. BTW, I like to try and roost a bird, but it doesn't always happen. I'm still going to be out there in the morning and afternoon though.

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Gotta agree with superstrutter. I roost birds every time I can. Yes, you might come back andthose birds are still there 95% of the time. I've met some pretty persuasive hens, though. If it doesn't play out just like I want it to at flydown, it's my calling vs the hens that he hung out with all night. Sometimes I get the best of him, and sometimes I don't. Even when things are going exactly the way they are supposed to, I get whipped sometimes.

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If I can roost them and know where they will be, then sure. Any little bit helps:)

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What's the old saying? A roosted bird isn't aroasted bird.

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Ive roosted birds since 1985 and I can say maybe 50% of the time they have cooperated. They are still tough to hunt off the roost whether you know where they are. And that 50% maybe pushing it. But I still love roosting them. Its different now since we went to all day hunting here in Indiana.

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Fellows, I agree with what most all of you say.Sounds like you all have hunted a lot. If you have read any of my post, I have Turkey hunted for a long time. I LOVE Turkey Hunting most of all.

I have tryed Roosting birds many times. One time I heard one Gobble and it was on Private Prop.[:@]I call the Owner told him where the Bird was. He never even went after the bird[X(]I don't know if it is the, Timing of the season, To many Hens, Not enough Gobblers, Just plain un-lucky, Can't hear?
After about the second day of season I am Soooo Tired, discourged, Down, I am totaly Greeddy when it comes to Toms. I don't want anybody in the World to get a bird till I do.

I got to tell you about this 76 I think old man I ran to several time out hunting. The last 2 years he has found a GOOD place to hunt and has Hammered two Gobblers each year. He is Soooooooo Pumped the old man love to turkey hunt. He can't hear hardly at all they put him in a Blind and Call them over him and he loves it.....LoL He's a good old man, been hunting a long time before me, however my Unchle took him out the first time.

TF

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I like to roost birds every chance I get. Even if you get one roosted there are still alot of things that could go wrong. 95% I could do that on a turkey farm, no problem.

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Superstrutter:

I have hunted turkeys for 37 years and in 6 states and I can't agree more. In my experience there is no sure thing when it comes to harvesting a gobbler.

I have had them fly in to me from the roost, come running in and the norm when they take their good ole time coming in from the roost.

Then there are those many times when they just go the other way for no apparent reason, hens can come walking into the roosted gobbler and they fly to the hens. I have had people shoot at them in the roost while I am waiting, I once had a dog run one off, and a dog chasing a deer and another time a coyote.

I had a perfect setup last year and put on my best series of calls only to have the gobbler fly 10 feet over my head and sail a 1/2 mile into the valley. WHY???

I have been fortunate to have harvested a lot of boss gobblers, but my success rate of harvesting roosted birds in no where in the range of 95%.

Good luck to all.......


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