“Off the Roost”, or Mid Morning?

[Tom007]

In all my years of hunting Turkeys, I can honestly say I have harvested most of my birds between 7:30 am and 9:00 am. I have shot some at daybreak, fly down, call, connect, but no where near as many as later on in the morning. A lot of it could be my style of hunting. I scout around 20 days per season, no calling, no owl hooting, just listening. I mark my birds, and move on checking them 2-3 times before the opener. I don't get hung up as to their exact tree location, just their vicinity. Most of my key, go-to spots just are better between 7 and 9am for reasons I'm trying to figure out. When I do hear a gobbler on the roost at daybreak, the closest I'll set up is 150 yards. I know the woods from scouting, so I'm comfortable judging and staying further away from the roost than most hunters. Early on, I bumped birds out of the tree walking in, thus I just don't get in tight. I have found that if they gobble back on the limb, there's a good chance he will show up. What do you all prefer, tucking in tight to a roosted bird, or do you stay back and try to get him to eventually come? Do you harvest most at daybreak, or later on in the am? Im sure there will be a variety of answers here...

[zelmo1]

I'll get in tight if I have a good location, 75 yards in the pitch dark. If I'm not sure, I hang back and see what I got, 150 yards is about where I want to be if it's not a known roosted bird. Right off the roost is the best opportunity, but most of my birds are after the hens leave them in the morning, approximately 8-11 am around here.Z

[King Cobra]

Hey Tom, I definitely do not prefer to get in tight on the roost. The chances of bumping the gobbler or other birds that may be around him is too great. I usually stay back and let the bird make the first move, too many variables involved in getting in tight. As far as the time of day kills are made, most of my kills are made after the birds have flown down and started their daily routine. Understanding the current situation is key to making a plan that will determine whether you succeed or not.

[Dougas]

I like to be 80 to 150 yards from the roost. I have taken the most around 9:30 to 2:00. Next is evening followed by shortly after flydown, however the numbers for mid day and evening are closer to eachother than they are at fly down.

[Yoder409]

I love a classic roost hunt. 

I'll get tight as I can.  My favorite spot puts me about 80-90 yards up a slope from the roost tree.  It involves a 200 yard walk across an open field, then another 125 through the timber to get to my set-up.  I have no problem getting in position and sleeping for an hour til the birds wake up.  It's my most favorite hunt to do and, as yet, has been 100% effective IF the bird is roosted there.

But, I've no problem with the chess match of getting on a bird later in the morning and playing that game.  Both my birds at home this year were started  1 1/2 and 3 hours after flydown time......and from considerable distance.

But, I'd say 75% of all the spring birds I've ever killed have perished before 9:30 AM.  I don't really even care to hunt afternoons.  Don't even do it at home.  I will if I'm travelling.

[Happy]

I prefer to stay back and tend to have success later in the morning. Usually have 1 or 2 kills every year right after flydown.

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[GobbleNut]

Over the years, the pattern I (and I think a lot of others) have noticed is that I will either kill a roosted gobbler right after fly-down or, if I don't, there will be a period of time where they are unresponsive...mostly due, I think, to them being involved with other turkeys in their morning breeding rituals. Then, a bit later in the morning, they seem to be more willing to come to a call.

In answer to your question about which has occurred more often, I would say the split is about 50/50. It is a rarity anymore that I kill a gobbler past about 9:30 to 10:00 in the morning. Admittedly, some of that is due to a lack of effort on my part beyond that point...just don't have the drive anymore to push myself that hard at it. Also, I just prefer those early morning hunts.

As for setting up on roosted birds, I let the "cover" dictate how close I will get.  That is, I will get as close as I dare, within reason, based on the visual barriers between me and the turkeys. In the country I mostly hunt, that distance tends to be around 100 yards, give or take. In addition, I almost never hunt turkeys where I know exactly where they are roosted, so the theory of getting in tight in the dark rarely applies in my case. In addition, for me personally, there is a fine line between trying to get in tight to a gobbler to achieve a good calling set-up and getting tight to just try to ambush a gobbler when he flies down. 

Finally, Tom, I personally have found that your comment about "if they gobble back on the limb, there is a good chance he will show up" often does not apply with the vocal Merriam's gobblers I most often hunt. Quite honestly, they will very often gobble at every call you throw at them...and then just go the other way like they never even heard you in the first place...     

[Tom007]

Great/Interesting answers so far....

[Tom007]

Over the years, the pattern I (and I think a lot of others) have noticed is that I will either kill a roosted gobbler right after fly-down or, if I don't, there will be a period of time where they are unresponsive...mostly due, I think, to them being involved with other turkeys in their morning breeding rituals. Then, a bit later in the morning, they seem to be more willing to come to a call.

In answer to your question about which has occurred more often, I would say the split is about 50/50. It is a rarity anymore that I kill a gobbler past about 9:30 to 10:00 in the morning. Admittedly, some of that is due to a lack of effort on my part beyond that point...just don't have the drive anymore to push myself that hard at it. Also, I just prefer those early morning hunts.

As for setting up on roosted birds, I let the "cover" dictate how close I will get.  That is, I will get as close as I dare, within reason, based on the visual barriers between me and the turkeys. In the country I mostly hunt, that distance tends to be around 100 yards, give or take. In addition, I almost never hunt turkeys where I know exactly where they are roosted, so the theory of getting in tight in the dark rarely applies in my case. In addition, for me personally, there is a fine line between trying to get in tight to a gobbler to achieve a good calling set-up and getting tight to just try to ambush a gobbler when he flies down. 

Finally, Tom, I personally have found that your comment about "if they gobble back on the limb, there is a good chance he will show up" often does not apply with the vocal Merriam's gobblers I most often hunt. Quite honestly, they will very often gobble at every call you throw at them...and then just go the other way like they never even heard you in the first place...     

Never hunted Merriams Jim, they sound like the could be tough quarry to get.....they tease ya..

[Greg Massey]

For myself, I never hunt the roost or want to take the chance with bumping other birds. I've had gobblers and hens roost year after year in the same roost areas. I contribute to them coming back year after year because of the roost area not being disturbed. I've only killed a few just after daylight and i'm sure it because I don't chase the roosted birds. I don't do all that Owl hooting from the ground either,I just let mother nature wake them up. I like to get into my setup a good hour before daylight / fly down with as little light as possible. As fly down time is approaching and everything starts talking in the woods,I start soft calling to the gobbler / gobblers, because I want to let him know, hey we have a new hen in town.

I kill most of my gobblers between 7:30 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon.

Everyone has their own style of hunting and chasing gobblers in my opinion.

I scout before the season from a distance so as not to disturb the birds as best I can.

[GobbleNut]

Never hunted Merriams Jim, they sound like the could be tough quarry to get.....they tease ya..

Tom, just like turkeys anywhere, they can be tough, but they can also be laughably easy to kill. It all depends on which one a guy happens to run into.  Their Achilles Heel is that they are much too willing to gobble and let hunters know where they are at. 

On the other hand, their "saving grace" is that, just because they will gobble at your calling, they very often have no intention of approaching it. They will definitely "tease ya" into believing they are going to come when they ain't gonna.

Nonetheless, those Merriam's gobblers that don't learn to shut their mouths, over time, will die just due to hunters getting in front of where they are headed by tracking them with their incessant gobbling.  ...That gobbling sure does make them fun to hunt, though! 

[KYTurkey07]

I tend to have the most luck between 10 and noon. The area I hunt is pretty thick so I stay back a couple hundred yards. Don't want to bump them. I get setup at least an hour before daylight so I can hear all that goes on in the woods. I'll do my tree yelps followed by a fly down cackle. Then I sparingly soft call. This is usually enough to bring in some curious birds after they are done with their morning business. I would love to get one off the roost, it sounds fun. Just don't think my terrain would allow for it.

[Yoder409]

......their "saving grace" is that, just because they will gobble at your calling, they very often have no intention of approaching it. They will definitely "tease ya" into believing they are going to come when they ain't gonna.

LOL !!!

Nail on the head !!!

Merriam's are GORGEOUS birds !!!  But, they definitely DO suck in that regard.

[Prospector]

Tucking in too tight is a risky move that has little benefit. By tight I mean under 75 yds. He's probably not going to drop straight down unless he sees a hen. So he's going to glide at least 40 yds. Which means if you're a turkey hunter you can be 75 yds away and still take him when he touches down. Get too close and he might glide past you and put you out of position. Get too close and he's how far you were + the 40yd glide if he flies away from you.  Usually for me 100 yds or so is plenty. Have killed a whole lot more a little too far than a little too close. If he wants to come to my call that is plenty close enough. Just my opinion, but there is past mistakes and experiences punctuating that opinion.

[Yoder409]

Tucking in too tight is a risky move that has little benefit. By tight I mean under 75 yds. He's probably not going to drop straight down unless he sees a hen. So he's going to glide at least 40 yds. Which means if you're a turkey hunter you can be 75 yds away and still take him when he touches down. Get too close and he might glide past you and put you out of position. Get too close and he's how far you were + the 40yd glide if he flies away from you.  Usually for me 100 yds or so is plenty. Have killed a whole lot more a little too far than a little too close. If he wants to come to my call that is plenty close enough. Just my opinion, but there is past mistakes and experiences punctuating that opinion.

Lotta truths in here.

But what a bird does from the limb is HIGHLY dictated by terrain.

In the instance I laid out in a previous post........ the gobbler(s) are only 80-90 yards.  (There could be hens within a tree or two of where I set up).  But the gobblers are roosted WELL down slope from my position.  They drop nearly straight down.......and well out of sight down over the brow of the hill.  This particular area has about a 2-3 acre "corridor" to set up in.  There are 50 places or more to choose from.  Took me 20 years to figure out only ONE of those places was the right one. 

Other places I set up, a roosted bird will sometimes hit the ground 400 yards from the limb.  THOSE ones are IGNORANT.