JW

Don't do what I did!

Never sit against the tree they fly-up in!

I had roosted the flock the night before and did see them fly-up.

So I went and sat a bit closer - I got too close!

You can hear fly-ups as others have told you from quite some distance away. Listen for a short wing-beat, breaking branches and maybe a cluck ro two. But mainly the wingbeat and branch breaking. Just knowing you heard this you are father ahead than going to an area you think has birds. You know - you roosted them. Not toms? Okay are hens but Toms have to be clsoe by is my theory.

I try to shadow birds close to the timeto fly-up as I just sit known feeding areas. The birds will leave the field and start feeding in a direction and this will tell me where the roost is.
What I have found that the majority fly-up around 10 minutes before sunset plus or minus 15 minutes. Some earlier and some later. We even saw a group that dang near got run over by a car as it was jsut plain dark and well after sunset. One did need a flash light. But these birds wanted a specific roost. Was the latest I ever witnessed a fly-up.

kdsberman

...nevermind. I thought you were referring to calling them off the roost.

RockyMtnGobblers

When I'm looking to locate a roost in Colorado I look for S. or E. facing slopesnear water if there is any and there are places with no water close that you will find turkeys in. Turkeys can get water from the morning dew on grass.
I use a locater call tolocate a roost and they don't always respond to one locater so you may have to use another type. I usually use an owl call but if I believe they are there and they don't respond I will use a coyote call etc. When I have a roost located, I get in early before light to pinpoint the roost but not close enough to bump them.

OntElk

listening to a turkey gobble at night knowing you're hunting him the next morning is just plain fun. I have some spots I know thespecific trees they like to roost in but will still go out night before to listen to them.

I also have stood on the back porch and made any crazy sound and got them gobbling in the evening. Crazy things. If they decide to gobble that night they'll gobble at just about anything. One night I yelled "night night" and three gobblers sounded off (I wouldn't recommend that. they were just crazy loud that night)

I truly don't believe it's a necessary part of my hunts but I do enjoy it. You can roost them in the morning and a good turkey hunter can make a move to get on a bird. That can be exciting as well.

iamgreatwhite

It seems as though there are many different and successful strategies that everyone has. I am familiar with almost all of these strategies and agree withpretty much allof them.Looks like you have your answer to yourquestion but I will go ahead and give you my most successful routine anyway.

I have one routine that is a combination of many other smaller ones. It all depends on what location I choose to hunt. I live in a county in Indiana where there are open fields, river bottoms, thick wooded hills, and areas that are a mix of all of the above. All are great locations to hunt turkey but they all require a slight degree of difference in the way you hunt them. Same goes when it comes to putting birds to bed ofan evening. It seems the turkeysare alldifferent in their own way, even though the hunting areas may only be 2-10 miles apart.

Every year I spend countless hours observing birds everywhere during all seasons. But I've been doing this for so long that I can go out to one of my spots and without roosting still be sittingabout 100 yardsaway frmo agobbler on the roost. However, for the last 3 years I have hunted the same spot. This spot is a combo of fields, woods, river bottoms, and hills. I go out and the week before opening day I watch the flock...mornings and evenings. Then the night before opening day I simply drive up to my spot and hit a couple owl hoots(if the sound of the truck door doesn't get em going). This lets me pinpoint where I will sit. I have sat in the same spot the last 3 years,but I still make sure a bird will be thereby going out the evening before every single year.

To further ensure my success I do use a decoy. Like others have said toms will roost with hens and you have to pull them away. Which is very hard to do unless you can stir jealousy and aggression in the bird. Throw a couple decoys out like a hen in the breeding position and a tom in strut. You just have to make sure that the tomcan see the decoys. I'm convinced thatonce I have a tom looking in my direction and sees my decoys its only a matter of minutes if not seconds. This has worked every time and in the last 3 years hunting with this combination it has been responsible for over 10 tagged birds. Now we are only allowed one bird here in the spring but that was justme helping kids get their first bird.(Which I feel is even more of a thrill than me killing one. By watching the kids it brings back memories of what killing my first bird was like.)

Butto be put simply the bestthing you can dois spend as much time as you canobserving behavior. Just like when you call a turkey in...you learn how to communicate byobverving and listening to hens behaviors. If you can take about 3-7 days and dedicate it to studying birdsright before season, roosting should not be a problem. Just keep your distance. Once you have mastered it, it can be very rewarding. But beware, it can cause boredom due to the factit becomes "routine" and nothing changes. I have given up on the shotgun and now go with only my bow. The only exception to that last statement is that I'm going out of state after a Merriam's and since I don't know anything about the environment there I'm sticking with the shotgun. I'm sure once I've had a few years of that under my belt I will be looking to new horizons.


Hope this helps!

Hawkeye23

Roosting birds are the next best thing besides calling them in. I like going out the evening before opening day after weeks and weeks of scouting and getting that bird to light up.I like heading into the woods to locate themrather thanjumping out of the truck to throw a few calls out.It gives you abetter undestanding in regards to the birds exact location. When it comes to calls I like tothrow out some yelps in the evening and if i get a bird to light up I try and close the gap as the evening gets darker and simulate a hen roosting withina hundred yards of the birds location. When i say simulate a hen roosting i mean throwing out some cackles and flapping my hat against my leg. I ve found that this absolutely drives the birds wild because they sit on the roost all night thinking theres a hen right where you'll be set up the next morning. One effective tactic i ve used in the past is if i know a gobbler is henned up i'll wait till almost dark and haul ass towards where their roosted and flush them all over the place. I then wait about ten minutes and simulate a hen roosting. You better believe that the next morning that gobbler will be gobbling his head off in search of those hens he was with the night before. Turkeys seem to always roost in the same general location. Targeting where hillsides come to a point is a good place to start looking for roosting locations. Good luck this season.

Remember.... roosted is roasted

fingerz42

Roosted ISNT roasted, but it sure helps.