Well, it happened for the second time in my Missouri hunting career. A bird was shot off the roost at 5:55 am last week. It was so dark there was no way the bird was on the ground. The other time I had it happen was at night when I was listening for gobbles from the roost. Had one gobble several times, and I was thinking it was looking good for the morning hunt. The shot ended that.
How many of you have witnessed roost shooting?
On more than one occasion unfortunately. :angry9:
I had some property that I hunted when I was younger that bordered a river. The birds roosterd in some low grounds over the water that were accessible from the river. I got set up one morning on a gobbler and had someone paddle in there and shoot him out of the tree.
The morning I got my last bird. Very first gobble I heard from a neighboring farm was immediately followed by a shot. All i could do was chuckle. Problem is it is perfectly legal in Missouri so you may as well just laugh. I still got my bird. I was happy.
I hear a few "early" shots every year.
Yep, it happens. All part of the joys of hunting public in Southeast Missouri.
It's not legal is it?
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Some states it is.
more states than you would think actually, and often the legal shooting time comes up they are still in the tree so its all well within legal lines.
Not saying it wasn't roost shot but sunrise is 6:15, it's light enough at 5:55 for a bird to pitch into a field at that time.
2nd day of Missouri season I heard one...dude has some good eyes cuz it was awfully dark!!!
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I hear two to three every year here in PA.
I don't like it........just my opinion.
I hear at least one every year. The lease I am on in wv is bad for doing it. They prefere to use rifles for the most part.
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I won't shoot a turkey in his bedroom. I'll be waiting for him when he steps out of his house into the front yard. :smiley-char092:
Heard 3 on Saturday (opening day). Expect that I'll hear several more before season is over.
No respect for the bird or the sport.It is caused by the kill at all costs so I can post a picture and prove I'm a hunter mindset.Roost shooting ,fanning ,baiting shooting across a field with rifles nothing sporting or ethical about any of it.Sadly it is not illegal in my state and a lot of people take advantage of the fact.To paraphrase Tom Kelly in one of his books "Gobblers killed by cheating should turn a shocking pink so everyone would know how he died." That would solve most of the issues no one would want to be on Facebook with a pink turkey lol.
I dont think there is any law about it in NY, but there should be. Mike
I didn't realize it was legal to do this in any state. Never even considered it. Rifle hunting too for that matter. Grew up in PA and was told by my dad it was illegal to use rifles for turkeys. Never thought to ever doubt him or bring it up. Props to my dad for that. Roost shooting seems pretty unsatisfying to me
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Second morning to ever hunt Florida public land, we got peppered by a roost shooter. It is illegal there but A LOT of it goes on. Ive hunted all over the US and there is substantially more roost shooting on FL pub land than anywhere else ive hunted. Made 4 trips to FL and heard plenty of roost shots on 2. One trip was a drought year so hunters couldnt use the swamp water to their advantage to get within range silently. Sounded like you were walking on corn flakes that year! And the locals would tell ya they shot them off the roost. Just the way a lot of them hunt.
I shot an Ozark bird one year who may have actually pitched down before legal shooting light. It was already a cloudy morning and it was DARK when he flew down in the timber. Killed him a few minutes later and it was like 4 or 5 mins past legal time. Had i heard the shot from a distance, i would have swore it was a roost shot. So ya never know, they can do some crazy things.
I couldn't find any joy whatsoever in that. If I needed a turkey that bad id go to the store and buy one. Then just take a picture of me with that one to post on Facebook. Calling em in is where it's at for me...
Several years ago I had been watching a bird fly down from a neighboring property and land 50 or 60 yards onto a property I hunt. Went Friday evening before the opener and watched him fly up. Leave to
go home and a guys waves me down asking if I was hunting in the morning. Told him yes and he said he live across the street and had been seeing me park and watch. Next morning the bird gobbled 1 time and was immediately shot. 20 minutes later see the guy walk up his driveway with a bird over his shoulder!
sadly folks, im afraid MOST hunters are glad to kill a turkey by any means necessary. makes me sick to know it goes on but it does and always will. in your neighborhood and mine. people just have to get there selves a fakebook hero shot. I know a few guys who fit this description and they all have one thing in common. they will NEVER hunt with me.
Quote from: Blong on May 02, 2017, 02:20:20 PM
Not saying it wasn't roost shot but sunrise is 6:15, it's light enough at 5:55 for a bird to pitch into a field at that time.
Funny you say that as I went yesterday morning (May 2nd) and I got there just a little before shooting time, but I'll be dammed if it wasn't getting way lighter than I expected. I got to the back field I wanted to set up along and there was four birds in the field, the big tom full strut. Looked at my phone real quick, it was 5:54 a minute before legal shooting time and I was already staring at a bird in full strut.... I was appalled and upset because it forced me to move my set up, I watched the birds move and tried to position myself ahead of them towards the edge of the field they were heading.
I've only been close enough to shoot a spring gobbler off the roost once, and i turkey hunt A LOT. I gotta be honest, it was tempting (legal shooting hours and legal in the state), but the guy I was with talked me out of it.
I have a guy that does every year on the opener.... This year it toook 3 shots...
THERE NO HUNTERS THERE
LAZIE A** SO CALLED HUNTERS ........
Like others have mentioned, you don't know for sure unless you are close enough to hear him fall or the shot is truly in the pitch dark. Never forget one I shot well before sunrise in deep woods. He was gobbling good when I picked my setup about 150 yards away. Could've gotten closer, but the ground closer to him is very broken, and it would be impossible to pick where he'd fly down.
So, I'm set up, with my five-year-old son sitting next to me and the turkey is gobbling like crazy from his limb. I'm hearing zero hens anywhere, so I call. He cuts me off with a gobble and then I hear wings. I purr, he answers and then I hear footsteps. The turkey stopped 14 yards from me, and it was so dark I couldn't see color or anything else for a sure ID. After about 30 seconds, he turned to the side and his beard swung out from the black silhouette. He died right there, and I had to use the flash on my phone to even have him show up in a photo. A friend hunting close enough to hear the shot texted and asked who had slipped in and shot the roost.
Something an old man pointed out to me years ago when we still had to check birds at a station in Tennessee was to look at the birds feet and legs. Often when shot off a limb, there will be pellet holes through them. I busted an acquaintance one day many years ago at a check station. I took a look at the bird and, when no one else was around, I asked how he managed to get close enough to shoot him off the limb? He turned pale and said, "where you hunting nearby?" I answered in the negative, and he asked how I'd known. I pointed to the pellet holes in the bird's feet and said it was tough to shoot through a birds feet when he's standing on the ground.
I am not advocating but not sure how it is any different than using a decoy to attract him where he would not otherwise go or seeing and/or hearing the direction he is headed and moving in front of him and shooting him where he was already headed whether or not you call? You cannot just walk out into gun range of a roosted gobbler easily. I have only shot two off the limb and in both cases they were closer than I first though and someone was walking into my setup on public land about to spook the gobbler.
Quote from: drenalinld on May 04, 2017, 11:53:44 AM
I am not advocating but not sure how it is any different than using a decoy to attract him where he would not otherwise go or seeing and/or hearing the direction he is headed and moving in front of him.
I'd say the difference is that a roosted gobbler feels safer watching you walk under it in the wee hours than it would getting even a tenth as close when they're on the ground too. I think they feel safe from ground predators so keeping still and quiet usually lets them be safe. But not from someone with a gun who watched them fly up the night before and knows exactly where they're at to go and shoot them out of the roost. The only time I've walked up on birds within shooting distance , they've been in a tree and not the ground so I would say that is one difference. When I was a young boy I would sneak up on roosted turkeys for practice stalking and it was easier than stalking squirrels.
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I gotta tell a story on this one. I know a fella that was quite proud of his prowess in the woods. He was never a turkey hunter per se but he wouldn't pass up a good opportunity at one. When I was a youngster one spring day we were chatting and I mentioned I was going turkey hunting the next day. "Turkey hunting huh?" was his reponse. "I guess you like to run around with a call trying to call one in and shoot it dontcha?" I admitted that was kinda the general strategy and he just chuckled. " boy if you ever really wanna get serious bout killing turkeys you gotta throw all that nonsense out. If I wanted a turkey bad enough well I would just go shoot one tomorrow." I told him something to the fact that I guessed I just wasn't that good at it yet. He chuckled. " tell you what, you go hunt them your way and I will go hunt them my way. Call me in the evening and will see who has a turkey."
Well I went out and hunted my heart out, unsuccessfully and that even I called the fellow to see how things turned out on his end. He answered the phone and I said "well, how big was it?" "I don't wanna talk about it" was the only response I got. We made some small talk and finally he couldn't hold back. "Well I went out last night behind the house cause I wanted to find out where those ol turkey gobblers was a roosted." "Every year there's at least one gobbler that likes to roost under the hill back there." I sat back there and right about dark I hard what I wanted to hear. Two old turkeys a' floppin round in that big oak down below me. I didn't get closer cause I knew exactly where they were. Well I went home and spent some time picking out what gun I was gonna use. So I settled on my 20 guage automatic. I really wanted to kill'em both to really show you how it's done. Well I went down and was standing under that old oak way before daylight. As soon as I got enough light I picked out the first one. I got to lookin round and finally found the second one. I shifted around a little and practice my swing. When I could finally see my bead I up and shot that first bird, swinging the shotgun as son as I shot to bust that second one. I shot him too and about that time the first bird hit the ground. I knew it sounded kinda funny. I walked over and wouldn'tcha know it I had done shot me a big ol turkey buzzard. I was so mad I never even walked over to the second one cause I knew what it was too."
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Quote from: Happy on May 04, 2017, 07:48:29 PM
I gotta tell a story on this one. I know a fella that was quite proud of his prowess in the woods. He was never a turkey hunter per se but he wouldn't pass up a good opportunity at one. When I was a youngster one spring day we were chatting and I mentioned I was going turkey hunting the next day. "Turkey hunting huh?" was his reponse. "I guess you like to run around with a call trying to call one in and shoot it dontcha?" I admitted that was kinda the general strategy and he just chuckled. " boy if you ever really wanna get serious bout killing turkeys you gotta throw all that nonsense out. If I wanted a turkey bad enough well I would just go shoot one tomorrow." I told him something to the fact that I guessed I just wasn't that good at it yet. He chuckled. " tell you what, you go hunt them your way and I will go hunt them my way. Call me in the evening and will see who has a turkey."
Well I went out and hunted my heart out, unsuccessfully and that even I called the fellow to see how things turned out on his end. He answered the phone and I said "well, how big was it?" "I don't wanna talk about it" was the only response I got. We made some small talk and finally he couldn't hold back. "Well I went out last night behind the house cause I wanted to find out where those ol turkey gobblers was a roosted." "Every year there's at least one gobbler that likes to roost under the hill back there." I sat back there and right about dark I hard what I wanted to hear. Two old turkeys a' floppin round in that big oak down below me. I didn't get closer cause I knew exactly where they were. Well I went home and spent some time picking out what gun I was gonna use. So I settled on my 20 guage automatic. I really wanted to kill'em both to really show you how it's done. Well I went down and was standing under that old oak way before daylight. As soon as I got enough light I picked out the first one. I got to lookin round and finally found the second one. I shifted around a little and practice my swing. When I could finally see my bead I up and shot that first bird, swinging the shotgun as son as I shot to bust that second one. I shot him too and about that time the first bird hit the ground. I knew it sounded kinda funny. I walked over and wouldn'tcha know it I had done shot me a big ol turkey buzzard. I was so mad I never even walked over to the second one cause I knew what it was too."
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Lol! Now that's funny!
Ha I had a bird shot right in front of me and I watched him fall out of the tree on day 2 of this season. Two guys from Arkansas walked past my truck and snuck on this bird that "they roosted" from a couple hundred yards away across the creek the night before. I had watched him fly up that evening and set up perfect that morning. Knew they were gonna do it when the one guy didn't stop getting closer to the tree.
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Quote from: catman529 on May 04, 2017, 09:52:56 PM
Ha I had a bird shot right in front of me and I watched him fall out of the tree on day 2 of this season. Two guys from Arkansas walked past my truck and snuck on this bird that "they roosted" from a couple hundred yards away across the creek the night before. I had watched him fly up that evening and set up perfect that morning. Knew they were gonna do it when the one guy didn't stop getting closer to the tree.
Had this happened to me, I likely would've busted the bird on purpose. If they're only method of killing birds is roost shooting them then you'd probably have a lot better chance than them once the birds on the ground.
Quote from: catman529 on May 04, 2017, 09:52:56 PM
Ha I had a bird shot right in front of me and I watched him fall out of the tree on day 2 of this season. Two guys from Arkansas walked past my truck and snuck on this bird that "they roosted" from a couple hundred yards away across the creek the night before. I had watched him fly up that evening and set up perfect that morning. Knew they were gonna do it when the one guy didn't stop getting closer to the tree.
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I sure hope you called the GW and turned them in?
Quote from: S.C.C on May 05, 2017, 07:19:52 PM
I sure hope you called the GW and turned them in?
Nope they didn't do anything illegal. But it's on Youtube now so if they see it they'll see what fools they looked like.
Catman does some good youtube videos....
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Quote from: FL-Boss on May 05, 2017, 11:08:06 PM
Catman does some good youtube videos....
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thanks! For every 5 minutes of good footage another 30 are deleted. Lol
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Quote from: Happy on May 04, 2017, 07:48:29 PM
I gotta tell a story on this one. I know a fella that was quite proud of his prowess in the woods. He was never a turkey hunter per se but he wouldn't pass up a good opportunity at one. When I was a youngster one spring day we were chatting and I mentioned I was going turkey hunting the next day. "Turkey hunting huh?" was his reponse. "I guess you like to run around with a call trying to call one in and shoot it dontcha?" I admitted that was kinda the general strategy and he just chuckled. " boy if you ever really wanna get serious bout killing turkeys you gotta throw all that nonsense out. If I wanted a turkey bad enough well I would just go shoot one tomorrow." I told him something to the fact that I guessed I just wasn't that good at it yet. He chuckled. " tell you what, you go hunt them your way and I will go hunt them my way. Call me in the evening and will see who has a turkey."
Well I went out and hunted my heart out, unsuccessfully and that even I called the fellow to see how things turned out on his end. He answered the phone and I said "well, how big was it?" "I don't wanna talk about it" was the only response I got. We made some small talk and finally he couldn't hold back. "Well I went out last night behind the house cause I wanted to find out where those ol turkey gobblers was a roosted." "Every year there's at least one gobbler that likes to roost under the hill back there." I sat back there and right about dark I hard what I wanted to hear. Two old turkeys a' floppin round in that big oak down below me. I didn't get closer cause I knew exactly where they were. Well I went home and spent some time picking out what gun I was gonna use. So I settled on my 20 guage automatic. I really wanted to kill'em both to really show you how it's done. Well I went down and was standing under that old oak way before daylight. As soon as I got enough light I picked out the first one. I got to lookin round and finally found the second one. I shifted around a little and practice my swing. When I could finally see my bead I up and shot that first bird, swinging the shotgun as son as I shot to bust that second one. I shot him too and about that time the first bird hit the ground. I knew it sounded kinda funny. I walked over and wouldn'tcha know it I had done shot me a big ol turkey buzzard. I was so mad I never even walked over to the second one cause I knew what it was too."
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????????????
It makes me sad that they miss out on the real hunt when they bust one on the roost. If they want one that bad why don't they buy one at the supermarket. My :z-twocents: worth.
Quote from: greencop01 on May 10, 2017, 08:02:41 PM
It makes me sad that they miss out on the real hunt when they bust one on the roost. If they want one that bad why don't they buy one at the supermarket. My :z-twocents: worth.
I agree completely. I am grateful I was raised differently by my mother. Please Keep in mind though that the area I grew up in has been doning things this way for years and still is. It has always been about success not sport. I was happy to see someone get a little comeuppance for their actions in this case.
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Here in PA I've seen it only a couple times, and that was years ago on a piece of private land that was pretty much open to any and all and that year the turkey were extremely vocal and very visible to any joker. I can't remember hearing or seeing it happen in PA in more recent times, and I hunt public land 99% of the time. Now in WV every year I've hunted there and much more recently several times a season I hear those dudes busting them off the roost. The first year i hunted WV I heard an "owl" hooting and getting closer and closer to the gobblers shock gobbling untill BANG!! I was so angry I took off in thier direction to detain them while I got a hold of a game warden. Yes, at the time I was a Federal Law Enforcement Officer with my credentials and legally could do that. I wouldn't recommend doing that unless you are a LEO carrying your credentials.
Quote from: Bowhunter123224 on May 10, 2017, 09:24:39 PM
Here in PA I've seen it only a couple times, and that was years ago on a piece of private land that was pretty much open to any and all and that year the turkey were extremely vocal and very visible to any joker. I can't remember hearing or seeing it happen in PA in more recent times, and I hunt public land 99% of the time. Now in WV every year I've hunted there and much more recently several times a season I hear those dudes busting them off the roost. The first year i hunted WV I heard an "owl" hooting and getting closer and closer to the gobblers shock gobbling untill BANG!! I was so angry I took off in thier direction to detain them while I got a hold of a game warden. Yes, at the time I was a Federal Law Enforcement Officer with my credentials and legally could do that. I wouldn't recommend doing that unless you are a LEO carrying your credentials.
IMO that would not be the smart thing to do . Charging guys with guns while in the woods might get you shot. And it will be their words against yours.
When your a LEO your used to risk they had a gun or 2 I had a gun or 2. And when you think about it when the ole Trooper hits ya with the red and blue lights and says you were doing 65 in that 45 it's his word against yours. No difference with me in this situation; except I never found the guy.
A shot at 5:55am does not necessarily mean they shot the bird off the roost.
The bird I killed the other day was dead at 6:04 am. I can't say I looked at the time when he flew down, but he put on a solid 20 minute spittin' and drummin' rendition before I pulled the trigger.
Two days later my brother killed one at 6:02 am.
I shot one years ago about as soon as his toes touched the ground when he flew down. That was the last week of the season and it was well before 6:00 am.
While I was in Oklahoma this spring hunting a group of hunters lost $700 a piece for roost shooting. It is prohibited in Oklahoma. The rest of the time I was there the local conservation officer was there checking.
I've killed birds right at 6am before. And ive actually had them fly down as early as 5:55 on a clear morning towards the end of the season.
What is 6am? Right now that is after sunrise where I hunt, but at the beginning of season it was barely even shooting light.
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IL law states ,illegal to shoot off roost before 7:00 and hunting hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise. So it's easy to tell who's legal and what's legal.
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Quote from: Blong on May 02, 2017, 02:20:20 PM
Not saying it wasn't roost shot but sunrise is 6:15, it's light enough at 5:55 for a bird to pitch into a field at that time.
I ended up directly under a bird a few years back that was roosted right on a logging road adjacent to a field. I heard him drumming, and immediately dropped down to the closest tree. I did a tree yelp, and he flew down. I honestly thought I'd spooked him because it was so "dark" (a few minutes past legal shooting light). He died 15 yards from the gun barrel 5 minutes after legal shooting light which I always believed to be WAYYY to early to kill a turkey on the ground.
Not saying the OP didn't hear roost shooting, but unless you actually see someone shoot a bird out of the tree. You never can know for sure as long as it was past legal shooting time
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True. I've had toms pitch down even before legal shooting hours. That's why I always wear a watch with a dead battery. ;)
Quote from: fallhnt on May 11, 2017, 08:15:28 PM
IL law states ,illegal to shoot off roost before 7:00 and hunting hours are 1/2 hour before sunrise. So it's easy to tell who's legal and what's legal.
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Not sure how that matters in regards to being able to tell if someone else shot a bird off a limb.
^^^^your good to go after 7:00
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Quote from: fallhnt on May 12, 2017, 01:18:27 PM
^^^^your good to go after 7:00
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But if legal shooting time is 6:30, you have no idea if that shot in the distance was at a bird on a limb or the ground.
^^^^you can lose sleep over it. I won't.
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I just don't get it.
First of all, it's illegal in NH to shoot a bird off a limb, irregardless of it being his roost tree, or any other tree for that matter.
I would find no personal satisfaction in killing a bird that way. For me, it's the thrill of knowing I called him in, and he committed to my set, and I did everything right to kill that bird.
I would get no satisfaction if he spooked, and flew in a tree, and I killed him off the limb.
Not for me at all.