Calling before flydown

[Tomspur]

Have been reading where a lot of you guys are not calling or minimal calling before turkeys flydown in the morning. I have been hunting for years and have called at turkeys before flydown and have killed many. In a lot of cases I hear hens start the morning off  and I just imitate them. Usually they will come to my calls and drag the gobblers with them.
My question is: should I stay quite until they hit the ground or keep doing like I have been? I am no expert by any means just looking to get better. Thanks

[guesswho]

If you have killed many by calling to them on the limb I wouldn't change.  But I personally don't call to them until their on the ground and I'm where I think I can kill him  This may be 10 minutes after fly-down, or three hours.

[appalachianstruttstopper]

My rule is if I hear hens before flydown competeing with my calling, I give them a run for their money. On the other hand, if I hear nothing on the roost but a gobbler and no hen competition, then I usually wait to make my calls after flydown. I would rather work a bird that is already on the ground any day to one in the tree.  my $.02 worth

[dirt road ninja]

They sure do gobble a lot when you call hard to them on the limb.

[Skillet9510]

It all depends on what is going on. If I have completion, then ill call a ill more before they hit the ground. If I'm close enough to hear tree yelps and soft purrs then ill do the same ever so lightly. It's all about acting like a real turkey, so when in Rome do as the Romans do!

[appalachianstruttstopper]

Tell ya'll something funny, in my area, I have personally never heard a hen "tree yelp". When I heard other people around the country talking about it, I had never heard of it. Our hens cut and yelp on the limb harder than they do on the ground, you can hear them for like 200yds. Definetly hunters need to act like the turkeys in their particular areas.

[cahaba]

If you have killed many by calling to them on the limb I wouldn't change.  But I personally don't call to them until their on the ground and I'm where I think I can kill him  This may be 10 minutes after fly-down, or three hours.

This.

[nate12285]

I usually call some while they are on the limb too. I will usually do a few tree yelps but don't over do it. Once he hits the ground, I will then change my strategy.

[jhcats10]

I'll give a few soft yelp to let him know a hen is in the area, then I'll wait until he hits the ground and start working him.


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[turkey_slayer]

I don't unless I know he has hens. Even then it depends on how I can get to him and my setup. If I can get within a close, ideal setup then I will try working him or the hens either with aggressive or subtle calls depending on how they respond.

[redleg06]

If I know he has other hens near by then I give it a shot to see if he'll pitch down my way before they get off the roost. Usually doesnt workout like that but even if it doesnt, the outcome is usually the same--- he will walk off with the hens and I'll have to plan accordingly. Basically if he has hens I dont feel like I have anything to lose and there's that chance that he gets fired up on the limb and pitches down to me.


If I think he's alone I wait till he flys down before calling. 

Like guesswho said, if I'm not in a good position to call him in, Ill wait till I am. I dont want him heading in or even looking in my direction if I dont think i'm in a spot where he'll come all the way in.

[Hayudog]

If I know he has other hens near by then I give it a shot to see if he'll pitch down my way before they get off the roost. Usually doesnt workout like that but even if it doesnt, the outcome is usually the same--- he will walk off with the hens and I'll have to plan accordingly. Basically if he has hens I dont feel like I have anything to lose and there's that chance that he gets fired up on the limb and pitches down to me.

Like Redleg06 said, he'll most likely follow his hens on the roost near him.  But if you do nothing, you have little chance of anything different.  Also have hens come in and do all my calling for me. 
Also have had them take him the other way to avoid competition.  Never the same, never.

My favorite situation is to have two gobblers roosted and I'm between them.  If neither can see me, I'll do tree yelps after they both have woken up and gobbled on the roost.  Make sure they know I'm there.  At about fly down time I'll do as hens in my area do.  Get more excited and finally a fly down cackle and use my hat to make the wing beat sounds of a bird flying down.

Tell ya'll something funny, in my area, I have personally never heard a hen "tree yelp". When I heard other people around the country talking about it, I had never heard of it. Our hens cut and yelp on the limb harder than they do on the ground, you can hear them for like 200yds. Definetly hunters need to act like the turkeys in their particular areas.

And I think best said of all- do what you hear hens in your area do. 

[Shakey Jake]

Usually i call very little to a roosted bird. I did purchase a Haint gobble call that sounds awesome n thinking i might challenge the ole boy come opening day

[atoler]

If he is by himself, I make no noise until real close to flydown, then do a flydown cackle. at that point, I stay quiet until he is on the ground. If there are multiple gobblers sounding off around me, I might do a few tree yelps and flydown cackle. If hes with hens, depends how I'm feeling. sometimes I try to get them fired up, other times I like to just stay quiet and see which way they are goin and then circle in front of them before calling. all depends on how im feeling that particular morning.

[strut2]

If you have killed a lot of birds calling while the bird is still on the limb then stay with it. But personally I haven't had the same success. I do a few soft tree calls and might do a fly down cackle but I don't do much more than that until I know he is on the ground. It is natural for a hen to go to the gobbler when she ready to mate. So we as hunters are trying to pull an unnatural maneuver on those cautious  gobblers.  Sure every now and then gobbler is going to run in right off the limb. But I like to play it safe and work the bird when he hits the ground.
If he has hens I may call alittle more depending on how much their talking. but ill start working the hens when they hit the ground too. Just my opinion. Best of luck!