What is your success rate at fly down? I figured it out for this past year and it was 3/20 or 15%. I figure that my lifetime is less than 10%. I kill more birds from 9-12 than I do any other time frame. Just curious. Z
5 for 6. It was a quick year for us
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I haven't really kept tabs on the percentage (if I did, I would probably give up roost hunting... ;D ), but looking back over the years, I would say 10% would be in the ballpark. Now, I qualify that by saying that I am talking about actually "calling" gobblers in off of the roost. I have often killed gobblers at or around the roost site just by being in the right spot, or by good fortune,...or by continuing to move and "work them" after they left the roost. Including that in the equation, I would speculate my success rate to be considerably higher.
For me, roost hunting is more about the anticipation as to "what might be" as it is about actual killing a gobbler in those situations. More importantly, a guy will learn more about such things as how many turkeys are in the area, where they are roosting, and patterning the birds that are around...and how to approach hunting them...more-so than actually calling them in and killing them immediately when they come off of the roost.
...Not to mention the joys found in sitting in the pre-dawn darkness watching the world wake up...all the while listening to (or for) gobbles ringing out in the distance. That in itself is well worth the effort, regardless of the outcome...
I agree, very very low percentage for myself and roost hunting over all my years. I had rather try and work the bird than take a chance of him seeing me or bumping him off the roost. I don't want to risk running him off into the next county... 9 am till 3 is my happy hour for killing birds after 3 clock i usually head back to rest and let them rest from hearing me all morning... LOL... You just have to love chasing these gobblers ...
never really added it up in the past, wrote down what I can remember from this past season. The kills were shared between me and my oldest son
Off the roost killed the bird:4 days
Off the roost missed the bird: 1 day
heard bird on roost, had interaction but no kill: 6 days
blank, no birds heard: 4 days
I think if I kept going back the data would be pretty consistent for me, majority of birds we have killed were within 2hr of first light and I heard them on the roost.
I would say that's my preferred style of hunting so I focus most of my efforts right off roost and spend the remaining time I have for that day scouting or being distracted by deer sign. My data is skewed to my preferred way of getting a bird
Never really kept track but I do know one thing. The closer I can get...undetected of course...the higher my percentages over the years.
If I had to guess I'd say less than 10% success on roosted birds. My success rate keeps rising as the morning goes. My best success rate is probably on birds that I've located from 11:00 till quitting time.
I didn't keep track this year as well as in the past but it was pretty good.
Overall with amount of days hunted I had a 52.3% harvest on days hunted. Of those, sometimes I got on turkeys on the roost, about half the time I made a harvest. One particular turkey really hurt that as I missed him twice off the roost before finally harvesting him on the third attempt.
I can not miss the dawn wake up of the woods!
I started hunting roosted birds in the morning three years ago on my last tag for that year. I had already killed two on evening hunts. I set up and missed my shot. I did some maneuvers and finally got him later that day.
I killed 3 for 3 last year and my buddy who I brought in got another. So 4 for 4 off the roost. This year, I got my first one of the roost. He almost landed on me. The next one I killed about one hour after fly down. I was late getting there and they were flying down when I was about 200 yards away. I got in on them and sealed the deal, so I don't think that counts. Afternoons and evenings work great for me.
My percentage is pretty low, about in line with the OP. No matter how good things feel the night before, or at first light, they seem to have other plans. I don't know what my kills are by the hour, but I also agree that most of my success is 3-6 hours after sunrise. My state allows all day hunting and I've killed several birds after 1:00 and into the late afternoon. Come to think about it, I've killed more birds between noon and 6 PM than I have right off the roost.
The morning is the most exciting, though, I'll give it that. I've gotten use to it 'not happening' and the bird go in a different direction, but I've learned not to let it get me down. But when I was a beginning turkey hunter, it sure would.
I haven't keep track in a notebook or anything. But my percentage, as of late, on birds I set up on from the roost is pretty solid.
2023....... 200% (1 roost hunt......2 birds killed....doubled with my cousin)
2022....... 100% (2 roost hunts.....2 birds killed)
2021....... 100% (3 roost hunts.....3 birds killed)
2020....... 100% (2 roost hunts.....2 birds killed)
2019........50% (4 roost hunts.....2 birds killed)
2018........100% (3 roost hunts.....3 birds killed)
That's as far back as the pics on my current phone go. But, I do know that somewhere a few years deeper back, my percentage would drop. Kind of a "live & learn" thing.......figuring out that an old dog CAN learn new tricks.
Good thread Z. I don't really get many chances to set up on a roosted bird, but the ones I did get under, I had a fairly good success rate. Conservative success rate around 20-25% I'm guessing. I harvest most of my birds between 7:30 and 10:30 am. I do not move in close on a roosted bird with fear I will bump his surrounding ladies. 150-200 yards is what I like to stay at. The "roost" hunts I did experience were exciting I will say. Nothing like that early morning harvest for sure.
Ok so if I'm hunting my home farms I would have to guess 90% success rate over last 30 years. If I'm out of state and roost one the night before its probably close to 40% success rate. If not roosted the night before then a 5% success rate of a fly down and boom.
Quote from: Hook hanger on August 27, 2023, 08:27:49 PM
Ok so if I'm hunting my home farms I would have to guess 90% success rate over last 30 years. If I'm out of state and roost one the night before its probably close to 40% success rate. If not roosted the night before then a 5% success rate of a fly down and boom.
Yes, familiarity with the area you are hunting makes a world of difference in success rates. That is also generally compounded by whether or not someone is hunting private land where they can control the factors that can't be controlled in a public-land hunting situation...such as other hunters hunting, disturbing, and calling the turkeys you might be hunting. In my experience, success rates tend to decrease in direct proportion to how much pressure is being put on a roost site.
Give me a roost hunt where the turkeys haven't been disturbed by other hunters much and even I can kill one once in a while! ;D
Quote from: GobbleNut on August 27, 2023, 09:29:19 PM
Yes, familiarity with the area you are hunting makes a world of difference in success rates.
You ain't wrong.
:z-winnersmiley:
2 for 6 this year -33% but I'd say overall more like 10-20%
An actual number is hard, but man on the right bird it can be a cake walk.
It's one of those things that happen enough to keep you doing it. But not enough that you feel it's a guarantee haha
I did think about some actual numbers and at the start of my season I hunted 7 days straight, roost hunts every time.
I called in off the roost twice.
Day one, group of Jakes.
Day 2-6, went the other way, ignored me etc...
Day 7, sealed the deal.
I suppose it is somewhere around that 10%-20% margin.
I think some guys have really keyed in on roost hunting have odds closer to 45%
It's probably my favorite part of turkey hunting.
You never know, that bird you roosted, might be that 10-20 margin and come right in!
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Distance to a roosted bird is a fluid situation. If I have him pinpointed, I will be in at 00000 dark 30 and get in extremely tight. If its the general area, I hang back, 100 yards minimum. As soon as they gobble, I might make one move if its still dark, but I am pretyy much where I will stay when they start gobbling. I am very passive when they are roosted, just a hello I'm here call. I get more aggressive later in the morning. IIts hard to change a birds mind on the ground at fly down and I am in it for the day usually, no need to blow them out of an area. Its interesting to see the range of success rates here. I wonder if the locations have more of an impact than timing. I love stretching my brain as it is old and creaky, lol. Z :funnyturkey: :funnyturkey:
I would like to clarify that when I say off the roost, it is after the fly down happens.
Pretty sure we're all on the same page. :icon_thumright:
Roost hunting...Hmmm. If you're talking dropping in your lap, then 3 in 30 yrs. If you're talking with in the first half hour after day lite, then a few more. Most an hour or two after day break, or after that.
I do not even target birds right off the roost usually in the spring. I often don't even leave the truck until gobbling starts. If I know a specific bird is roosted somewhere I will go in 00 dark 30 and set up, but it isn't my norm. I'd say 5% or less of my birds are off the roost within the first 45 minutes of daylight. Now in the fall I want to be right in their bedroom and whispering in their ear, it's way more important on fall gobblers. Instead of love talk whispered into their ear, I'm saying, "This is my woods, get out before I kick your arse" or "me and the boys are going to breakfast buffet, you coming".
I used to have one spot i would take people where I would stay back from the roost as to not disturb it. Always multiple gobblers and hens in it. We would set up west of the roost because that is the way the turkeys always traveled. It was very successful and alot of gobblers got shot over the years. I gave credit to staying away from the roost as to not to disturb them. Early on we had shot a double right near the roost trees and birds didn't use them for 2 weeks straight learned really quickly we could sit back a ways and kill 4-5 in 2 weeks than trying to kill a double up just once in a season in that spot.
Another farm you could sit and kill them the moment they landed in the field where they flew down like clock work every time and didn't faze them at all when you were less than 100yds from trees they roosted in.
These farms over last 30+ years have been that way and yes the population has lowered over that time but stillhave enough to put on a good show. It was quite a sight to scout these roosts before season and watch 18 longbearded easterns strut around each other in the heyday. It made turkey hunting seem easy.
All I know is that I want to hunt with Yoder at fly down, LOL. Here, there, anywhere. I dont have the stealth, the only way I get in that tight is to be in very early. Z
Quote from: zelmo1 on September 01, 2023, 06:03:12 AM
All I know is that I want to hunt with Yoder at fly down, LOL. Here, there, anywhere.
:TooFunny:
Quote from: zelmo1I dont have the stealth, the only way I get in that tight is to be in very early. Z
The question was about what one's success rate at fly down............. NOT what the method or secret was TO that rate. ;)
You just MIGHT be on to something..................... ::) ;D
Quote from: zelmo1 on September 01, 2023, 06:03:12 AM
All I know is that I want to hunt with Yoder at fly down, LOL. Here, there, anywhere. I dont have the stealth, the only way I get in that tight is to be in very early. Z
That's probably 90% of a successful roost hunt. They are awake before they ever make the first gobble. I like to be close enough to watch him stand up and look around before he stretchs his wings. I would bet most gobblers are awake 15-20 minutes before they ever gobble.
The 15-20 minute time frame seems accurate. All the info I have gathered in my short life is consistent with what you posted. Thats why I like to be in early. Z
Favorite part of the hunt is the response on the limb and the anticipation of dawn.
Usually when they fly to me, the landing is behind me ????
Quote from: Hook hangerThey are awake before they ever make the first gobble. I like to be close enough to watch him stand up and look around before he stretchs his wings. I would bet most gobblers are awake 15-20 minutes before they ever gobble.
You, sir, are diggin' where there's taters. :icon_thumright:
Quote from: GobbleNut on August 25, 2023, 09:39:56 AM
I haven't really kept tabs on the percentage (if I did, I would probably give up roost hunting... ;D ), but looking back over the years, I would say 10% would be in the ballpark.
For me, roost hunting is more about the anticipation
This!!! Agreed. :icon_thumright:
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when roost hunting, I am always impressed with the solid thump of a 20 pound bird hitting the ground from 30 feet in the air. :TooFunny: :popcorn: :goofball:
sarcasm font on
Yep.
Just don't ever count your thumps before they hatch. I got stung on that one this spring...... ::)
36% of my gobblers were taken almost immediately after they flew down. Gobbling fly down is the only time you can be certain that you and the gobblers are in the same acreage. Strike when the iron is hot.