OK, I' m pretty sure I know what the answer to this will be, but I wanted to know what you guys would do.

Went out Saturday for the first day of turkey, and set up where I knew they should be... when it got full light, I was surrounded with turkeys, I had set up right in the middle of their roosting area. One was 20 yards away from me and never saw me, I could have dropped him no problem. I waited, hoping one would fly down in front of me, but they had other plans I guess. Ended up chasing them around all day, and actually called one in and missed it.

I mostly hunt spring turkey, so I' m not too familiar with the way things should be done in the fall. I know you shouldn' t shoot a turkey off the roost, and I never have, even though it would have been perfectly legal. But how many of you would have taken the shot first thing in the morning (it was full light before they flew down)? I started second guessing myself later in the day, when I thought of the differences between spring and fall.

For example, spring turkeys are calling only. Fall, you try to bust up a flock and call them in, but if you walk up on them or whatever it' s fine... bag ' em. What really got me thinking was when someone else got into ' em and finally busted them up, and one flew over me and landed in a tree. If he was a little closer, I could have got him. If I was right to not shoot a roosting turkey that morning, what would be the difference in shooting the one that flew into a tree midday when spooked? Is that ethical, since it' s not ROOSTING, or not? Or is it mostly anything goes in the fall?

So, what would YOU have done??

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Actually, not shooting off the roost has gotten me my biggest spring gobbler to date; when I was in high school the sun came up and there was a jake I could have shot in the tree next to me, he gobbled but flew the other way. I tried to call him in but before he came in, three mature gobblers came from in front of me and I got one of them that went over 20 lbs. and had a 10 1/2" beard!

So doing the right thing does pay off.

BB in my book,is right on the money!Definate difference in a bird that is roosted for the night than one that as BB stated is just getting a better look!I' ve also killed birds in the past that after the initial shot on the ground, have taken to the limb!

I gotta agree.Sittin on a limb isn' t the same as bein on the roost.One point I' d like to make is I think you get the best scatters by flushin em off the roost.Especially if you can flush em while it' s dark.

Great point Jimbo!!Right after fly-up is a great time to bustem the evening before you intend to hunt!Let those young flocks sleep alone and they' ll be hollering to get back together at daybreak!