Roosten em?
 

Ok Saterday is the first day of the two day youth season( my last youth season I can hunt in Arkansas)so Tommrow I am going to roost birds but I need tip's what time where do I go anything ya'll think will help please

ok heres what I do. I go to the property im going to hunt. I do not go into the wood or stand in a wide open field. I get their at least an hour before roost time. I sit back relax and wait listen. Once dusk approaches I will hit my owl call a few times. Sometimes they gobble and sometimes they dont. But I also listen for turkeys flying up to the roost. Turkeys flying up to the roost are not hard to hear. Sit back listen and enjoy the peace and quiet... :)

If you can get in there undetected, go to the higest spot to listen.

thank ya'll very much..very appreciated

I usually slip in before daylight and let them do what turkeys always do and that is give away their location without ever have to use a call once. Gobblers will sound off from the roost without any help once daylight breaks.

I make a mental note of where they are roosting and then I take that information home and hit the satellite photos on google earth or google maps to see the layout of the terrain. From those photos I can select a good set-up location. I usally have a primary and an alternate.

That may not work for you, but it's what I do.

I also just slip in before dusk and sit and be very quiet and just listen. If I don't hear any fly up then I will owl hoot. If I do roost a Tom and terrain will allow I will get to where I am planning on setting up on him the next morning and give out some hen yelps so he will believe there is a hen that will be roosting in his are and give him something to think about the next morning when I yelp at him again from the same exact place. This has worked very well for me over the years.

Great advice guys! :) I'm going to try this tonight and tomorrow morning!!!! New land to check out - need to make sure there's actually turks out there!

Will let u know how it goes!!! As always - thanks for the great advice! Great question too, Hunting Kuk!!! :)

Kim

By the time I want to roost I have patterned a few birds while they have been feeding.

I then go sit near likely roost trees as I have also scouted those. I look for tall white pines with white oaks near by as I am in the midwest. I look for broken branches, feathers, poop, typical areas a bird might be on a limb.

Once I find those I will sit within earshot (approx 100 yards).

My rule of thumb - I hear birds fly up from 7:30 PM to 8:05 PM (is real dark then) the deeper in the woods the roost tree the darker the woods gets earlier. I go find a spot to relax around 5:30 to 6 PM.

I do not owl hoot but do note if I heard birds flyup. I count fly-ups.

To me just knowing I am close to birds is really all I need. I f I hear no fly-ups then I will work towards birds as I pick another area in the morning and let the Tom tell me where he is. I then will move as he gobbles trying to get as close as I can (less than 80 yds - like to be 50) I don;t make one call but let Tom tell me.
Once I have decided I can go no farther and I set-up I let him gobble to which I respond to take his temeprature - what he likes to hear. Some may be soft slow clucks only to others I cutt to and cutt aggressively. Each bird is different. And sometimes I have to get up to move - But all that experience comes with hutning them and making mistakes!
I have made a ton -

In other siturations I know where the birds like to feed and will set up there to wait hours on end.
I scout to develop a pattern. I try to let the bird tell me where he wants to be and then be there before him.

JW