Roosted bird

[tenfourgobbler5050]

Seems like every year, I get at least one tom turkey that will gobble on the roost in the morning but never subsequently to a call or responding to a call. What is a tactic I should try in that case? Does he hear me even though he doesn't gobble right after my call?

[Tyoung]

He definitely hears you. Be conscious of not calling too much, too loud, and especially too early to him on the limb. Getting in closer, a little earlier may be a tactic you have to try with a decoy. Stealth is a must in this situation. Another tactic may be that you get a little more aggressive with a hen fly down cackle about the time that you think that he is going to fly down or a hen fly down right after he flys down. We've had both those two to work. Just some thoughts.......

[GobbleNut]

Seems like every year, I get at least one tom turkey that will gobble on the roost in the morning but never subsequently to a call or responding to a call. What is a tactic I should try in that case? Does he hear me even though he doesn't gobble right after my call?

Anybody that hunts gobblers on the roost very much has experienced this same thing,...and probably lots of times.  The fact is that none of us know what any one gobbler is going to do when we set up on them.  That is compounded by the fact that their reaction to any calling strategy is often directly and negatively proportional to how many encounters they have had with roost-hunting hunters. 

There are a few "generalities" that we hunters have come to accept as the proper procedure for hunting roosted birds. Get in early if possible, ...Choose an appropriate set-up location, ...Don't call too early, if at all,...don't call too often (if at all),...Do what turkeys naturally do when waking up in the mornings (be a part of the flock)...note gobbler reactions and patterns for future mornings,...and during all of the above, don't let the turkeys associate what you are doing with peoples. 

None of those things are set in stone, however.  "Turkeys gonna do what turkeys wanna do"...

...And finally,...always remember what the word is for doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result....   

[silvestris]

Tree yelps and soft clucks, and not much of that.

[Duckdogdad]

Getting as close as possible is where you start. If he goes off in the other direction, I have found a little aggressive calling at his roost tree, then shutting up...often he will head back to you when he is finished with his hens. Not sure fire, but it does work.

[Marc]

Most of us call too much to roosted birds...  Sometimes I might make a quiet "tree-call" to them...  Very often I wait till they fly down before calling...  Most of us end up cursing at these birds.

Listen to the other hens (which is what they are probably gobbling at).

One thing I will add (which other might disagree), is that if I can see him roosted, he can see & pinpoint me.  I like to set up as close as possible, in a location that I cannot see him, and he cannot see me.

Early season roosted birds are some of the most difficult to hunt...  They know where the hens are, and they will go to them.

[Uncle Tom]

Many years ago on the 2nd bird I ever killed I did a fly down cackle on a roosted bird the first week of the season. Had seen a video of how to do the tactic and had practiced it a little so I knew what I was doing (ha ha ) killed the bird as he circled my decoy at ten steps. Have never had any more success using this tactic in over 25 years of killing them and still to this day cannot figure out how I pulled it off.... bird was 22 lbs and 11" b. and inch and half spurs and one of the most exciting hunts I have ever encountered....came in spitting & drumming and had never heard that before and scared me to death...only thing I can figure is this was the first year the season had ever been open in my county and he had never been hunted....he was as dumb as I was and he paid the price.

[Paulmyr]

 There's a good chance these birds your getting on are subordinates. Couple things to consider in this type of a situation. Is he gobbling a lot? If so there's good chance he's a boss and has 1,2, or more hens in front of him and he's putting on a show for the ladies and not paying attention to much else.

If he's not gobbling a bunch. Are other birds gobbling in the area? If so He doesn't respond to you because he don't want to draw attention from the big fellow. keep your calling to minimum. Just enough to let him know your around. When he gobbles hit him right away with some soft calling. Couple soft clucks and purrs, maybe some soft yelps. Don't over do it. Remember he's not trying to draw any attention.

If he's the only game in town and not raising the roof  with his gobbling, and no other birds gobbling. There's a good chance he's calling to get a response from for the big guy. He wants to know where he's at before he makes any moves. Same tactic. Keep soft and quiet. Just because the boss isn't gobbling doesn't mean he's not around.

If he goes silent get ready, he may be sneaking in.


And of course there's always the option, no matter how hard he's gobbling,  he's played the game before with negative results.

[PNWturkey]

Often when they gobble on the roost, but not much once they hit the ground, it means they are henned up.

Go back in a week or two to the same spot, and he might be more willing to come to your call.  YMMV...

[Tom007]

I bring in a real Turkey wing. I'll do a fly down, beating the wing in the branches, rustling the leaves on a landing. I definitely get a response here  that usually results in a positive outcome......

[hawgsalot]

For the ones that gobble all the time on the roost then seemingly shut up, I'll hunt the afternoon above his roosting spot, killed a may of pressured birds this way.  Hened up turkeys are tough to call in, in the morning if you can't call the hens in.  They are not leaving the girls that came to him to see a girl talking a ways a way.

[Tom007]

Good advice here. I forgot to mention if there are hens with him, I will hit him with a fighting purr sequence. A big Old Tom will not want other gobblers in his area. This has worked when nothing else has.....

[GobbleNut]

Good advice here. I forgot to mention if there are hens with him, I will hit him with a fighting purr sequence. A big Old Tom will not want other gobblers in his area. This has worked when nothing else has.....

Good point, Tom. I'll admit that I have rarely tried the fighting-purrs tactic,...and there have been many occasions after-the-fact on an unsuccessful hunt that I have asked myself why not?  Personally, I have always looked at it as a call of last resort,...use it if I have given up on every other bag of tricks I have.   

My personal bias is that I have come to believe that it is a call that will cause turkeys to move away more often than it will cause them to come.  There are no doubt times when that reasoning is unfounded and faulty, and has very likely cost me opportunities at gobblers that I could not otherwise entice to come.  I should keep your advice in mind and use it more often... 

[Flatsnbay]

What I like to do is get close enough to see where he pitches down to and lands. Turkeys are often creatures of habit so return the next day and set up near his landing zone. Just some quiet calling to let him know that you are there.

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[Lone Star Eastern]

I'm curious to how one would react to gobbling on a box. If he continues to gobble back, I'd guess he's the boss, and then may be mad enough you to come fight if you continue to gobble.

Of course, if he shuts up, he's subordinate, and the game may very well be over for the morning.


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