neb

I have a question on roost time for turkeys. Last night while watching these hens and tom they stayed on the edge of a field till sun set. Now the sun was down but still light. So I would guess that their roost tree wasn't that far away. Would that be a good assumption? I don't know where they roost but wanted your thoughts on this subject.
Thanks

Oldtimr

They would roost close to where they were when you saw them. You don't really need the exact spot they are roosting to set up for them in the morning, in fact it is better not to be too close to the roost in my opinion.

neb

Exactly. The reason I asked is that I haven't seen a track or heard one there this year till last night. I would say they have to be fairly close because of the time they left and they were not in any hurry. Usually birds leave and they leave now with out an distractions. I got blind set up this morning 200 to 300 yards from where they were last night. I have set up there before it is a junction point from crop land small pasture and river bottom.

Oldtimr

Good luck.

Champlain Islander

Yup it is my experience that if you see them in a field as the sun is setting they are going to roost pretty close to the edge or along the edge in a tall tree. Usually they go back a little bit but when they pitch out they like to land in the field about 60 yds from the edge if they are close to the edge. Knowing that I would go fairly close along the edge a little ways away and set out a couple of decoys. They often pitch out then feed along the field towards another field or area. Watch them and pattern them for a good setup spot.

w123t

I'll agree those turkeys probably roosted close to the field but
I have also seen them travel as much as a 1/2 mile very quickly after they leave a field like that just before dark.

Oldtimr

When you are hunting you must play the odds, what happens most of the time, not what has happened or what may happen. Otherwise, you cannot have a plan unless you base your actions on the norm. The thing about wildlife is, you can never say always or never, we must work with the probable.

Champlain Islander

Most of the time they roost pretty close to the same area unless they are pushed out of their normal feeding areas. They do like to roost near water which is often a good tip. A side hill with large branched trees going up away from a pond is always a good spot. I normally like to get them when they hit the field at daybreak but in the woods also works OK but you just have to be careful you don't bump them out of the roost. Decoys work about half the time. I have had them come running in and other times look at them and work the hens away. If they seem to not be interested in closing the gap and are out of sight I call aggressively using cackles with a lot of volume followed up with yelps. If they don't come... move away and try again.