“Off the Roost”, or Mid Morning?

[RutnNStrutn]

While I have taken my share of birds right after fly down, the majority of my gobblers have been taken between 9 & 11, along with some in the afternoon.

[ChesterCopperpot]

Very rare for me to get on a bird on the roost. Where I hunt terrain dictates you take your time getting to him if you do. In the mountains you'll bugger a whole bunch of things up if you just go taking off fast as you can toward one on the roost, plus it's just big, big country. Best to take your time. Add to that, we just don't have the birds we used to have, so the days of hearing three or four and having to decide which one to go to are long behind us. Past few seasons it's seemed I've averaged hearing a bird once every three days, and that's usually walking 8-10 miles a day. You get in a good gap before daylight and listen to as much country as you can. If you hear one, great. But if you don't, you just get to walking. Big country and every little cove is like a bowl of sound. You can have a tiny ridge separating you and until you hit that lip you can't hear that other side. All that to say, most times I'm finding birds 8-10, 9-11, somewhere in there.


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[GobbleNut]

Very rare for me to get on a bird on the roost. Where I hunt terrain dictates you take your time getting to him if you do. In the mountains you'll bugger a whole bunch of things up if you just go taking off fast as you can toward one on the roost, plus it's just big, big country. Best to take your time. Add to that, we just don't have the birds we used to have, so the days of hearing three or four and having to decide which one to go to are long behind us. Past few seasons it's seemed I've averaged hearing a bird once every three days, and that's usually walking 8-10 miles a day. You get in a good gap before daylight and listen to as much country as you can. If you hear one, great. But if you don't, you just get to walking. Big country and every little cove is like a bowl of sound. You can have a tiny ridge separating you and until you hit that lip you can't hear that other side. All that to say, most times I'm finding birds 8-10, 9-11, somewhere in there.

Although it is a rarity that I don't hear a gobbler on the roost, my strategy is similar. I am going to cover as much ground as I can attempting to find a gobbling bird and/or getting one to gobble at my calling. Admittedly, I hunt "big country" on public ground where it is feasible, as well as advisable, to take that approach.

On the other hand, I have seen numerous comments from folks that express "discontent" with guys like us that do that.  There are certainly circumstances where the "cover ground" strategy is going to get a guy into hot water with other hunters that may be hunting the same area. ...I get it.  Point being, all of us should be aware of how our approach to hunting a given location may, or may not, impact others hunting there.

Another comment:  You guys that are forced to hunt places where you "average hearing a bird every three days" are most certainly more dedicated to this endeavor than I would be.  I tip my hat to you.  As my screen name implies, I hunt turkeys for the gobble.  If they ain't gonna, I ain't gonna...simple as that. For me personally, if there aren't turkeys out there in the woods gobbling once in a while to my calling, the entire "thing" loses its appeal to this guy pretty quickly.

[Old Swamper]

I mainly use daylight to take inventory. I will listen from a well thought out location, and not engage a gobbling turkey unless I know I can get the ground I need to kill em'. On the hard hunted wma's that I frequent, every day that goes by, the turkeys will gobble less and less. Knowing where they go is the key to most of my success. I ain't got to hear one gobble to know he is there. After eating my biscuit and taking a good nap laid back in my truck seat, I will start most of my hunts right around noon, after the morning crew is long gone. I am not the guy who is going to walk 8 to 10 miles trying to strike a turkey. I will slide quietly into known strut zones and call just enough to let one know I am there. My game is to fool them into coming to look for me, whether they gobble or not. 

[Dougas]

The majority of gobbling on my private and public areas are on the limb in the morning and for about 20 minutes after fly down and about an hour before they fly up to the evening roost limb and for a little while on the limb. Every now and then one can get one to gobble to the call during the day, but it is rare. Scouting is extremely important when you hunt turkeys that are not all that willing to gobble to your calls.

[TrackeySauresRex]

On returning to the roost tree after killing one there.

This year, after twelve years of great success on my private property, something changed and I only saw 2 turkeys there all season and I shot one. Usually I see hens and toms all over. I suspect that neighbors called the fish and game and they came out and trapped the area and did their "culling" routine and gave the meat to the homeless. They won't relocate them.

It sounds like you had a decent cell of birds in your area. I've never heard of a culling of the flock. What state if you don't mind me asking?

I never liked being to close to the roost area as well. I always liked within 80/100 yard range. I've taken many at all times. However, I'd say 10/12 is my most action.

[Dougas]

I'm in Western Oregon. Turkeys are more of a nuisance than a game animal here. In a 20 mile circumference on any given day, in any part of the year, I will see between 20 and 100. I will have 5 to 20 in my yard on any given day. Huge toms, several bearded hens, huge toms that are spurless as well. I live about a quarter of a mile from the city limits in town.

[b wilt]

I'm in Western Oregon. Turkeys are more of a nuisance than a game animal here. In a 20 mile circumference on any given day, in any part of the year, I will see between 20 and 100. I will have 5 to 20 in my yard on any given day. Huge toms, several bearded hens, huge toms that are spurless as well. I live about a quarter of a mile from the city limits in town.

Sounds like Heaven, LOL

[Dougas]

I'm in Western Oregon. Turkeys are more of a nuisance than a game animal here. In a 20 mile circumference on any given day, in any part of the year, I will see between 20 and 100. I will have 5 to 20 in my yard on any given day. Huge toms, several bearded hens, huge toms that are spurless as well. I live about a quarter of a mile from the city limits in town.

Sounds like Heaven, LOL

It does sound like heaven, however, it really isn't, because, in my area, the majority are found on private property with no chance of access. I have knocked on hundreds of doors and received permission on only 3 properties over the years. One lasted 2 years until he sold it and the main one didn't have turkeys on it except one morning this year, when it usually has a lot and the other one, is by advance appointment, so, I only get a couple of times a year when the owner has windows of time. There are public land with some turkey activity, very little, and I found one piece of public land that is a good producer, though. Clear across the state, however, does have quite a bit of public land turkeys.

[Gooserbat]

I killed 3 of the  7 I killed this year off the roost  One was only 45 yards from my setup when he was on the limb.  The other 4 were killed between 10:00-1:00. 

Now 2 of those 3 were roosted the evening before and I was in those birds in the dark before dawn.

[GobbleNut]

I think a fitting secondary question to ask regarding this subject is how many birds any of us may have killed as a result of HEARING those gobblers when they were on the roost, whether we killed them right at fly-down or perhaps a bit later?

Of the seven gobblers I was involved in the harvest of this year, all but one of those was a result of me locating them on the roost and then either calling them in immediately or maneuvering on them and killing them a little later. 

The point being that, for me at least, the importance of being out there in the woods when that early morning roost-gobbling is occurring can't be overstated...whether I kill them right away or not. 

[highball]

Off the roost

[Dougas]

Two of my 3 this year, I heard on the roost in the dark. The other had been off the roost a short while when I got there.
Last year,1 of my 3 I heard on the roost. One, I got there shortly after fly down and the other was killed in the evening.
2022, the first one and the last one was heard in the dark on the roost.
The middle one remained silent from the time he woke up to the time he flew down. I watched him through my 10 power binos. I watched him go from a stooped vulture stance to lifting his head and shaking himself awake until he flew down. Not a peep. He had the second longest beard of any turkey I have killed.

[Roost 1]

I'm in Western Oregon. Turkeys are more of a nuisance than a game animal here. In a 20 mile circumference on any given day, in any part of the year, I will see between 20 and 100. I will have 5 to 20 in my yard on any given day. Huge toms, several bearded hens, huge toms that are spurless as well. I live about a quarter of a mile from the city limits in town.

There goes the turkey population in western OR. Internet claims another another state.

[Tom007]

I think a fitting secondary question to ask regarding this subject is how many birds any of us may have killed as a result of HEARING those gobblers when they were on the roost, whether we killed them right at fly-down or perhaps a bit later?

Of the seven gobblers I was involved in the harvest of this year, all but one of those was a result of me locating them on the roost and then either calling them in immediately or maneuvering on them and killing them a little later. 

The point being that, for me at least, the importance of being out there in the woods when that early morning roost-gobbling is occurring can't be overstated...whether I kill them right away or not. 

Agree here my friend. I am out there an hour before daybreak regardless. I hear many distant gobbles at times, I set up and many times these distant birds come in. It may take time, sometimes an hour or so. In my experience, if a bird answers, even from a far, he "might" come in. My favorite spot is "clock work" productive between 7:00 and 9:00 am. It is very rare that I don't' have action here during this time in the morning....