I was wondering if it is wise to set up a blind plus decoys the night before...after a turkey roost has been located? It makes sense that they may have less chance to spook rather than making a bunch of racket in the morning..especially if you set up close. It would also be nice to get an additional 1/2 hr sleep!
I hardly ever hunt from a blind, but when I do I like to set up the night before. Usually just leave decoys in the blind overnight
Jblackburn said it perfectly.
I only hunt from a blind with my 8yr old son & I set it up a day or 2 before we plan on hunting. The set up is for my son so I need to have day light to make sure everthing is right for him. Plus I brush in my blind so that would be pretty tough at night even with a flashlight.
It never happened to me but I know a guy that tried setting up at night for a morning hunt. Come morning he didn't hear a peep! Turns out he set pretty tight to hens that must of moved so some reason after he put them to bed. They never talked come morning & immediately pitched to the next town taking the gobbler with them.
Both of these setup were done the same day but we ended up hunting 3 days later in the blind he's posing in front of. We had 2 hens walking back and forth within a foot of the blind looking for me calling about 10 minutes before the gobbler had head trauma issues.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/MK-M-GOBL/JakesGobbler2013.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/MK-M-GOBL/media/JakesGobbler2013.jpg.html)
The before and after of another blind setup that as you can see, we did in the middle of the day.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/MK-M-GOBL/blindsetup1.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/MK-M-GOBL/media/blindsetup1.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/MK-M-GOBL/blindsetup2.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/MK-M-GOBL/media/blindsetup2.jpg.html)
That would work. I wouldn't bother brushing it in...turkeys don't seem to care like deer do. Just leave yourself enough cover on the backside, so you can sneak out if the turkeys head in a different direction and you need to cut them off.
I use a blind when I'm bow hunting or sometimes if I'm taking kids, and I've always set up the morning of the hunt. Mostly that's because the area I hunt is a 40 minute drive from home and my access is nonexclusive. I just get in when it's still completely dark and I've never had a problem, just be quiet. I try to not pop open the blind within 150 yards or so of the roost. Sometimes I will open the blind up while still at a distance and then get inside, lift it up off the ground a bit, and walk in closer. Exactly how careful you need to be and what you can get away with depends a bit on if you are dealing with birds that roost right on the edge of a field or if they are roosted back in the woods.
I popped open this blind in the dark right where it is sitting in the video. You will see where the birds are roosted. I wasn't expecting them to be quite so close, but it shows how close you can get if you are careful about being quiet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AttgxBlIYME (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AttgxBlIYME)
If I set up a blind the night before it would probably be stolen.
I would set up midday the day before rather than at night. wind or storms could cause the birds to move as well as someone setting up a blind just after they have went to bed.
Had this same thought last night...depending on the farm I am hunting, I am probably going to set up the night before opening morning this year..saves me a bit of time in the morning to get decoys out and set up.
I prefer humting from a blind on the properties I hunt here in IL and WI. I can set a blind the night before on some but not on others. I prefer to but the ones I can't I get in there really early. About an hour and a half before shooting time. I usually am within 100 yards of a roost though. Keep quiet and no flash lights. If you snap a rwig or make ablittle noise just remember those bords are sleeping. Deer, coons, coyotes, etc. all make noise too. If you're early enough and not too noisy no problem. I never put my decoys out the night before thoough. I use 3 stuffers and don't want them torn apart by critters or stolen. Bad enough if I loose my $400 double bull but another $1500 worth of decoys would turn me homocidal!!
Sure set it up, get in, set silent alarm on phone, go to sleep.
Wake up, stretch.... Start hunt!