Tips on roosting turkeys?
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- bowhunter15
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
Get good at lots of locators, both the standard ones like barred owl, and the atypical ones like coyote howler or goose. Also listen for natural locators. An area I hunt has bald eagles, and turkeys always gobble at them. Sometimes I can't get them to gobble at my locators but they'll gobble at a flock of geese flying overhead. Or sometimes they'll be quiet at my calls but gobble on their own right before dark. There's also been times when I walked past the same area with an owl call three times. On the last series right before dark, I really hammered the last note, and got one of the three gobblers to give up their position. I'm by no means an expert but am learning.
- bowhunter15
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
Also it can help to pinpoint areas where you'd expect them to roost on aerials and spend your time around those spots, vs trying to cover everything and being out of earshot when one decides to gobble. On of the areas I hunt the birds nearly always roost in evergreen stands surrounded by open timber. In another area, they're attracted to riverbottom trees. In a third, they're attracted to the very edges of bluffs where they can easily pitch out across open canyons to safety.
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
bowhunter15 wrote:Get good at lots of locators, both the standard ones like barred owl, and the atypical ones like coyote howler or goose. Also listen for natural locators. An area I hunt has bald eagles, and turkeys always gobble at them. Sometimes I can't get them to gobble at my locators but they'll gobble at a flock of geese flying overhead. Or sometimes they'll be quiet at my calls but gobble on their own right before dark. There's also been times when I walked past the same area with an owl call three times. On the last series right before dark, I really hammered the last note, and got one of the three gobblers to give up their position. I'm by no means an expert but am learning.
I always wonder how long should I call am I using to many different calls or am calling at the right time? They don’t gobble much here at sun down so its hard to roost one
- Bubbles
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
Hunting beast podcast with Bighunt has some good turkey roosting/scouting info. Worth a listen.
- Net Guy
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
Sit at the edge of a field (long ways away) with a 12 pack of beer and watch them roost the night before.
- BigHunt
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
I agree 100% with bowhunter 15 As what was already stated above.... one thing with the locators is don't get discouraged when they don't gobble right away sometimes you have to hoot 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 times before they respond or it might just be as simple is a frequency tone adjust.. or that it's just not the "right time" and what I mean by that is there is a certain time right at dusk you should be trying to locate them. The gobbler could be there but if you call too early he might not respond. I find , if you find that "perfect timing"right before dark 99% of the time I can get them to gobble... think of it as when they start gobbling in the morning right at that peak of light ... that's what u want to Minnick in the eavning
HUNT LIKE A BEAST
- yungbuck
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
I have had good luck with Goose calls and coyote calls for roosting birds, not ideal to use a predator call but most hunters aren't using them and it can definitely get a shock gobble
nothing but a simple minded god fearing public land bow hunter
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
You can also roost them by quietly waiting for them to fly up. A lot of the time they will flap their wings after they are on the roost or you can hear them flying from limb to limb.
For that approach to work you need to have a good idea where they are likely to roost.
I have also seen times when I could not get a response in the evening but they gobbled good the next morning from the same location. Don't discount a location just because you do not get a response.
For that approach to work you need to have a good idea where they are likely to roost.
I have also seen times when I could not get a response in the evening but they gobbled good the next morning from the same location. Don't discount a location just because you do not get a response.
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
Jon308 wrote:bowhunter15 wrote:Get good at lots of locators, both the standard ones like barred owl, and the atypical ones like coyote howler or goose. Also listen for natural locators. An area I hunt has bald eagles, and turkeys always gobble at them. Sometimes I can't get them to gobble at my locators but they'll gobble at a flock of geese flying overhead. Or sometimes they'll be quiet at my calls but gobble on their own right before dark. There's also been times when I walked past the same area with an owl call three times. On the last series right before dark, I really hammered the last note, and got one of the three gobblers to give up their position. I'm by no means an expert but am learning.
I always wonder how long should I call am I using to many different calls or am calling at the right time? They don’t gobble much here at sun down so its hard to roost one
Most hunters I talk to that have a hard time roosting turkeys from what I get out of them, this ^^^ is their problem. When it comes to roosting turkeys in the evening it's all about timing!
HUNT LIKE A BEAST
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
I not sure if this is wrong, but I hit the box call really hard right at dark. They usually go nuts right away. once in a while they are not there or didn't answer. Most times it is instantaneous. I do throw in the gobbler a couple of times just for fun. The kids love hearing them.
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
BigHunt wrote:I agree 100% with bowhunter 15 As what was already stated above.... one thing with the locators is don't get discouraged when they don't gobble right away sometimes you have to hoot 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 times before they respond or it might just be as simple is a frequency tone adjust.. or that it's just not the "right time" and what I mean by that is there is a certain time right at dusk you should be trying to locate them. The gobbler could be there but if you call too early he might not respond. I find , if you find that "perfect timing"right before dark 99% of the time I can get them to gobble... think of it as when they start gobbling in the morning right at that peak of light ... that's what u want to Minnick in the eavning
Good stuff , I probably need to hit them more aggressively then I do and with different frequency calls
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
I've never had good luck roosting birds in the evening unless they gobble on their own...which sometimes they do...and those birds are often hot the next morning from my experience.
I hate getting up... probably more than most guys lol. But when I'm looking for new spots, I start getting up early and putting boots on the ground and listening on nice mornings.
Roost sites here tend to be pretty consistent.
Once I know where they roost I try to figure out a pattern or at least the typical direction of travel. I will listen to them do their thing. Once in a while I might hit the crow call to keep tabs on them.
I hate getting up... probably more than most guys lol. But when I'm looking for new spots, I start getting up early and putting boots on the ground and listening on nice mornings.
Roost sites here tend to be pretty consistent.
Once I know where they roost I try to figure out a pattern or at least the typical direction of travel. I will listen to them do their thing. Once in a while I might hit the crow call to keep tabs on them.
- Ack
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
Back in the 90's when my buddy and I were hunting big woods turkeys we would try to locate birds in the evenings, but not so much in the mixed ag/woodlot areas we hunt now.
Most of the birds in the big woods would roost just off the ridge tops like Burk mentioned, and most times would pitch off onto the ridge or down just over the edge on the side hill.
We also noticed that they would not always roost the same areas every night......sometimes they would have large circuits they would walk over the course of a couple days or so.
For locating in the evening, timing was key as BH mentioned.....too early or late, they won't respond. We had the best luck with responses when imitating a Barred Owl "Whooooo-awww" call with our own voices.....no need for the store-bought calls that everyone and their brother was using.
Nowadays I prefer to locate birds low impact and from a distance. Listening for flyup or flydown, and also getting out early and listening from a distance, letting them sound off on their own first thing in the morning.
Once you know the roost areas, leave em alone and go in and hunt them. Compare it to hunting a buck bedding area....you don't need to be right on em when they hit the ground....just be between the roost and where they want to go and you'll be golden.
Most of the birds in the big woods would roost just off the ridge tops like Burk mentioned, and most times would pitch off onto the ridge or down just over the edge on the side hill.
We also noticed that they would not always roost the same areas every night......sometimes they would have large circuits they would walk over the course of a couple days or so.
For locating in the evening, timing was key as BH mentioned.....too early or late, they won't respond. We had the best luck with responses when imitating a Barred Owl "Whooooo-awww" call with our own voices.....no need for the store-bought calls that everyone and their brother was using.
Nowadays I prefer to locate birds low impact and from a distance. Listening for flyup or flydown, and also getting out early and listening from a distance, letting them sound off on their own first thing in the morning.
Once you know the roost areas, leave em alone and go in and hunt them. Compare it to hunting a buck bedding area....you don't need to be right on em when they hit the ground....just be between the roost and where they want to go and you'll be golden.
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Re: Tips on roosting turkeys?
I tried getting gobbles from roosted birds on a property that I know had turkeys around last season. With my owl call, the first time out, the only reaction I got was another owl that flew around the trees to check me out. I tried several times with the owl call from the field into the woods, but never got a response. These birds had also NEVER been hunted on this property, fyi.
After I few different nights, I finally pulled out the box call out of frustration. Immediately got a few gobbles back. I can’t say if they were there the other nights, but on that evening, they didn’t respond to the owl, but gobbled back at the box call.
I backed out and set up on them the next morning. They went to a different field first, and then hung up in the woods, and never came into my range, in my open field. But fun non-the-less. They did gobble at me, and I watched them out of the back window of my ground blind.
My advice would be, don’t hesitate to hit a cluck or cut in the evening, just in case they are there, but not responding to a locator call. If they aren’t there nothing hurt anyways, right???
I wouldn’t hen call in the (pre-sunrise) AM though...
After I few different nights, I finally pulled out the box call out of frustration. Immediately got a few gobbles back. I can’t say if they were there the other nights, but on that evening, they didn’t respond to the owl, but gobbled back at the box call.
I backed out and set up on them the next morning. They went to a different field first, and then hung up in the woods, and never came into my range, in my open field. But fun non-the-less. They did gobble at me, and I watched them out of the back window of my ground blind.
My advice would be, don’t hesitate to hit a cluck or cut in the evening, just in case they are there, but not responding to a locator call. If they aren’t there nothing hurt anyways, right???
I wouldn’t hen call in the (pre-sunrise) AM though...
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