Calling to a roosted gobbler

[YoungGobbler]

The other day I was reading the forum and I read someone mentioning that he would refrain from calling (yelping i'd guess) to a gobbler that was still roosted... I would like to know what's your opinion on this? Because this spring, I did exactly this and it worked... I started soft soft soft calling... He answered me while still on the roost, we talked for about half an hour and flew down and came to me... I didn't know it was wrong to talk to them like that while they are on the roost  So... What's your ideas on this?

[g8rvet]

It is not wrong, until it is, would be my opinion. I bet every long time hunter here has tree yelped to to a roosted gobbler and had them come in on a string.  It depends a lot on where and when you are hunting - public vs private, early vs late season, hens with him or alone, etc.  I usually work in as close as I can and then just sit and listen a bit and try not to get in a big rush.  There are so many variables it is hard to say one single best course of action.  For sure though, overcalling to a roosted gobbler is almost always the wrong thing to do. 

[silvestris]

A gobbler can leave the roost in one of 360 degrees.  So what I want to do is attempt to narrow that down to around to ten to fifteen degrees in my direction.  So yes, I am going to tree yelp or cluck at him while he is still on the roost.  How much or how loud I call to him is the question I hope to correctly answer.  Most of the situations I am confronted with call only for the roosted gobbler to "think" he heard the hen's call.

[GobbleNut]

I agree with pretty much everything stated in both comments made above...especially that less calling is generally better than more calling and that timing is important.  I will add that there are two factors that will come into play in any roost hunting scenario that may be as important, or even more so, than the calling aspect.  The first is happening to choose the right gobbler.  The second is choosing the right set-up. 

Assuming one has been fortunate enough to choose correctly with both, the calling tactics used are less important than they are when the wrong gobbler and/or wrong set-up choices are made. In addition, there are many instances where a hunter can choose a good set-up and make reasonable calling choices (or lack thereof) and will have just chosen the wrong gobbler to hunt.  Unfortunately, in unfamiliar territory, it is often too late when you realize the gobbler and set-up you have chosen are not optimal.

One other point I would make that I believe is an error many newer turkey hunters make is calling way too early to a gobbler on the roost.  Gobblers on the roost will often start gobbling long before hens will start calling...which is often just a few minutes before they will fly down.  Novice hunters tend to want to start calling because the gobbler is gobbling, thinking that it is time to do so.  In my experience and opinion, that is not "natural", will possibly make the turkeys suspicious...and is, generally speaking, a mistake.  Even when choosing the right gobbler and set-up, the wrong calling tactics can result in the chance of killing a gobbler slip away. In my experience, all other factors being equal, that is usually a function of calling too early and/or calling too much.

[YoungGobbler]

Thanks for your comments. It's always fun to read other's observations.

[Paulmyr]

Calling to a roosted gobbler has way too many variables for a simple answer. How close are you to him? Is he alone or part of a flock?  Can you see him?
Are there hens nearby? Have you hunted him before, if so , how did he respond previously and where did he go? Am I sitting where he went on previous hunts? Are there obstacles involved? Is he facing towards you or away? I'll try to take all this into account before the decision is made to call or not and how aggressive I should be.

If he's by himself, which is a rare occasion for me, if I can't see him I'll call just enough to get a response. Calling to much after this point has the possibilty of hanging him up in that tree waiting for you to come in. When you don't he'll figure something up and head on out. I won't get too carried away when dealing with a gobbler by himself. I'll keep the intensity of my calling to a minimum. Some quiet clucks or tree yelps. After he responds I'll wait for him to hit the ground before I get serious about calling.

If I can see him and he's facing away, I'll try to turn him on the roost just before flydown if I feel I'm hidden well enough. He'll generally get fidgety on the limb when he's getting ready to fly down lowering his head and neck, adjusting his wings, and moving his feet. If he's facing me I'll wait for flydown before calling.



If he don't respond, somethings up. There's a good chance he's played the game before and most likely he's going the other way when flydown time comes. If that's the case I was out of the game before it started.

Possibly he's a subordinate, his gobbling is an attempt to locate the flock and the location of the boss. He won't respond until he knows where the boss is if he responds at all. His gobbling will be at spaced intervals. He's searching and listening for the flock whether it's just the boss and his hens or with other subs mixed in. He's had the tail whoopings that come along with being a sub and wants to make sure the coast is clear before he makes a move. He needs to know where the boss is. If he don't hear the flock and decides to come in he'll usually be silent.



If I'm a good distance away from a gobbler I'll be more aggressive with my calling. It maybe a terrain feature, a fence, property lines or a combination keeping me from getting closer. I need to make sure he knows where I'm at and possibly there's something going on that he needs to check out. Flydown cackles with wing beats and cutts aren't out of the question for me in this scenario. If a creek or fence are involved I want him to fly the obstacle from the limb. I want him to think he needs to get where I'm at asap. If I feel nothings in the way for him to make an approach on the ground, I'll let his response to my calling dictate how aggressive and how often I call to him.

If it's a flock of turkeys and I'm not in visual contact, when I hear things heating up and the hens start yapping I'm throwing my hat in the ring and keeping it there. I'm trying to attract attention to my location. Maybe a hen gets mad at me and flies down towards me or a sub flies in to check things out. I'm trying to pull a turkey in my direction because once the flock hits the ground and they're not close to me it's generally over. I maybe able to fire up a hen and she brings in a gobbler in tow or a sub sneaks in. I've played the subtle game to many times in this scenario ending in failure as the flock hits the ground and walks away. I'm going to do my best to attract the attention of one of them turkeys and let the chips fall where they may.

If I can see them, I'm usually pretty close, possibly underneath some of them. I'm playing it cool. No calling. I don't want to get picked off. I'll let them hit the ground and go from there.

Those are general rules of thumb on how I try to deal with roosted gobblers.

[YoungGobbler]

Thanks for your comment.

[Greg Massey]

Just depends, sometimes i want him to know i'm the one he wants and sometimes i may play the quit game with him... Setup / pressure / patience's all play a part in how you play the game with him.... If your not calling how would he know your around... But i will agree sometimes it may be best to wait until he's on the ground ...Lots of scenarios in playing his game with trying to entice him to you, especially with hen's in the mix....

[Twowithone]

Happened to me this past season we were talking back and forth low volume and all, then 3 toe Joe flew off the roost the other way. I think it,s a 50-50 crapshoot.

[Kylongspur88]

It totally depends on the bird. I've had it work for me and against me. All I can say is if your within a short distance of him give it a go. If it doesn't work stick it out and he may circle back later in the morning.

[Yoder409]

Generally.......yes.   I'll call to a roosted bird.  But, not if I can see him.  If I can se him....he can see my set-up.   Bad for two reasons:  1... He hears a hen and can see exactly where she SHOULD be, but she's not.   And 2...  Once I call to him, he's gonna be looking
...trying to see me til he flies down.  So, now I'm pinned down.  Can't itch my nose, shoosh a mosquito, adjust my positioning or anything
  He's looking.

[GobbleNut]

Generally.......yes.   I'll call to a roosted bird.  But, not if I can see him.  If I can se him....he can see my set-up.   Bad for two reasons:  1... He hears a hen and can see exactly where she SHOULD be, but she's not.   And 2...  Once I call to him, he's gonna be looking
...trying to see me til he flies down.  So, now I'm pinned down.  Can't itch my nose, shoosh a mosquito, adjust my positioning or anything
  He's looking.

Excellent point, Yoder.  Expanding on that particular aspect of roost hunting, (my) four basic ideologies in terms of distance away from the roost to set up seem to be either 1) get as close as you can, 2) get "pretty close" but not close enough that the roosted turkeys might spot you, 3) set up at any distance as long as the gobbler can hear you call to him because if he is the "right gobbler", he will probably come (or conversely, if he is the "wrong gobbler" he ain't gonna come regardless of what you do), or 4) set up in the right spot and you won't have to worry about the rest.  All of those start with the fundamental premise of not letting the gobbler/turkeys know you (a human) are there to begin with.

The problem with the "get as close as you can" theory is that, obviously, the closer you try to get, the more likely you are to get busted...and as Yoder points out, even if you make it close without being spotted, you are also likely compounding the problem of not being able to call due to line-of-sight issues with one or more turkeys.  That issue is further complicated when you don't have a clue as to how many eyeballs you might be dealing with in the trees around you.

I suspect there are lots of us here that have had those "oh sh*t" moments when a turkey you did not know was there suddenly yelps or gobbles in the tree right over your head...and then, at some point, glides safely away from you out of the tree after a bit, taking the rest of the flock with them.   

As always, there are many nuances to roost hunting beyond those above.  Good topic...perhaps others will also expand.... 

[YoungGobbler]

I thank you all for your time and answers, interesting 'turkey talk'