CALLING TO TURKEYS ON THE ROOST

[WW]

Do you call to gobblers on the roost or wait until fly down and why?  I've seen several videos where some do and some don't call while on the roost. I've killed them both ways, and just wondered what the majority does.

[rakkin6]

Maybe a couple tree yelps and that's it. Just enough to let him know I am there. Took me a little time to figure this out.

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[ChesterCopperpot]

Depends on my proximity to the roost. I think a lot of hunters, particularly those who roost birds of an evening and set up on those birds of a morning, have a bad habit of setting up too close. Up close I think it's a very bad idea to tree call to roosted birds. With some distance, though, I like just enough soft calling to get him to answer me from the limb and then I don't call again until he's on the ground.


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[Dtrkyman]

Mostly minimal to no calling, however I have gotten really aggressive on early season birds in larger flocks, get an old hen mad and keep yapping at her, she brings in the whole crew!

[PalmettoRon]

Agree, minimal is better. It's hard to resist getting that gobbler to roar back, but it's best not to get him all wound up and then he's expecting a hen to show up. I do a few light tree yelps and just a bit of soft calls to let him know I'm there. Once, he's on the ground and especially if I hear hens, then I agree that trying to tick off the hen is a good move. We all love to hear them gobble, but I've witnessed buds hammer at the gobbler on the roost and have the gobbler answer a bunch only to go the other way when he finally did fly down. Less is much better IMO.

[trkehunr93]

If I can see the gobbler then I'm quiet until he hits the ground, if I feel I'm about 100 yards or so away and he's out of sight then I'll give a few tree yelps to let him know I'm there.  If he has a hen with him then I'll match every call she makes, doesn't always work but when it does it's quite effective. 

[Tom007]

Leaf scratching, but minimal. If he gobbles at the leaf scratching, I'm done. He usually flies down, and comes.....

[Happy]

I won't unless I am certain he has hens with him.

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[M,Yingling]

Realy depends if iam familiar with them and know which way they normally fly down and set up in that direction most time will just do some nice soft tree talk on gray slate,,, if in new spot and can hear other hens most times i will call more especially after hearing one of other hens fly down 

[derek]

As always it depends on the situation but I'm certainly not afraid of it.  I have a handful of birds I have killed right off the roost I may not have killed had I not poured it on them in the tree, particularly with trying to convince them to cross a creek or river when they pitch or to get them away from a mouthy hen (or piss off said hen and get her to come to me).  I don't like being the only quiet hen when the real hens are getting real talkative.  If I can see him, I like to give him just enough he turns and faces my direction on the limb.  Other times I'll elect to wait until he pitches.. but more often than not I'll give him a little something at least to get him thinking about me prior to hitting the ground.

[WTNUT]

Since new to the forum,  it is time for me to add something.   After 38 years of hunting,  I agree with the posts above.  When it comes to calling to them on the roost,  more is better.   I agree entirely with the person that said as soon as the gobbler knows you are there stop.   One of my biggest mistakes early on was making them gobble their heads off on the roost because I thought I was doing something ha ha and they would fly down and go the other direction every time!   Good luck.

[GobbleNut]

Since new to the forum,  it is time for me to add something.   After 38 years of hunting,  I agree with the posts above.  When it comes to calling to them on the roost,  more is better.   I agree entirely with the person that said as soon as the gobbler knows you are there stop.   One of my biggest mistakes early on was making them gobble their heads off on the roost because I thought I was doing something ha ha and they would fly down and go the other direction every time!   Good luck.

  I would assume from the rest of your post that you actually meant "less is better" rather than "more is better" (you might want to hit the modify post button) 

[GobbleNut]

Again, as pretty much everything is in this business we call turkey huntin', it all depends,...and much of that "it all depends" depends on the turkey (or turkeys) you are calling to. 

Having to generally choose between the choices of calling too much, or calling too little, I will choose "calling too little" every time.  However, to say one or the other method is the best in a specific situation is not a concept that is set in stone. 

The trick is to fit naturally into the conditions you are faced with on any given set-up (and hoping that set-up is in the right place).  Most folks that fit into the "call too much" category are more likely calling too early more than anything.  Call too early, and too much, and you are likely to run up that big old red-alert flag in a turkey's little pea-sized brain.   

[Spyderman]

I really try to wait until they flow down before I start calling to them. As a few others have mentioned, I will sometimes do a very quiet tree yelp to let him know of my general direction. If I don't hear any gobbling, I wait until sunrise to call at all.

[ShootingABN!]

Look up Shane Simpson and Dave Owens on Youtube.

Shane likes to call to them on the limb. See in his videos. I've seen Shane work them right off of the limb in video and setting beside him at the tree..

Good luck.