Hens staying in trees long time

[Big Willie]

I have hunted 6 days this year two youth and 4 regular every single day the hens are staying in the trees 20 to 30 minutes after legal shooting hours. I have been on three different tracts of land. The toms are gobbling hard and come out and strut but wont come up to me  I am calling very little.I have killed several turkeys over the last eleven years never seen thehens stay up this long any advice is welcome

[Planner]

I'd recommend picking up your calling. Become the vocal "dominant" bird and you'll be amazed what happens. The hens will come to you and drag the toms with them.... Or the gobblers you are seeing without hens will come investigate. Both are good outcomes.


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[TRG3]

To add to Planner's excellent advice, a few gobbles might just bring the toms and hens to you since you are now the new and dominant "bird". By taking charge and challenging the existing peck order of both the hens and gobblers, aggressive calling should get something going. It's worth a try. Let us know how it works out.

[Marc]

Are the gobblers flying down before the hens?  If so, I would think that calling at that point could be really advantageous.

I have had many days when the birds stay in the tree for some time...  Been mornings when shooting time is around 6 am and birds are still in the tree at 7am...  On overcast days it seems to me that the birds stay in the tree a bit longer, and I would guess that there are other (more subtle) weather and environmental conditions that would make the birds less eager to fly down.

[Big Willie]

Most of the gobblers hit the ground yes and they cut u off calling every time but wont come over. thanks for the ideas

[Marc]

I rarely have killed birds right off the roost...  But all the times I have, the toms have come off the roost before the hens.  I would think it to be a desirable situation.

Try a flydown cackle with some wing flaps.  Follow with a couple searching yelps and shut up for a few minutes.  I would try to make it sound like you are walking away from them (i.e. use a mouth call and your hand to throw the direction of the sound).

[jims]

I would think you'd have first pick of the toms if you are making the first hen calls on the ground?  I wonder why the hens are roosting for longer?  It sounds like something is intimidating them from flying down earlier.  Are coyote or other predator numbers up in your area?

[TauntoHawk]

In my experience the toms often hit the ground first and strut a little before the hens come down. Not really long might only be a minute or two.

I was actually just thinking about this thinking that I would assume the toms would let the hens go first to look for danger on the ground but I guess they just are a little more excited to get the spring show started each day

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[wvmntnhick]

Killed a bird several years back that was still on the roost for more than an hour after daylight. It was a crisp clear morning too. My buddy and I heard birds out the hill pitch down quietly. We waited a while and devised a plan of attack. Started to get up and had a bird gobble about 20 yards behind us. Then his buddy gobbled. Both were jakes but I didn't care. My time was limited and I had to drive over 2 hours to find a place to hunt at the time. Needless to say, when they came near, I shot one of them.

As for dealing with the hens staying later in the trees, how thick is the area you hunt. Essentially, how far would they have to fly at night to find a new roost tree? If I were running into this problem regularly, I'd slip in late one night and scare them off the roost. Get them busted up overnight and I bet the old boys will be more likely to come to you the next day. Just a thought. It's not a guarantee but I've had decent luck when the hens and gobblers have been scattered after dark.

[fallhnt]

Hens play hard to get too