First Gobble on Roost?

[jay/nc]

I killed my first turkey 14 yrs ago & have been lucky enough to take 6 more over the years. I really enjoy hearing them gobble but because of my hearing (or lack thereof) I have to be extremely close to hear one. I've worn hearing aids for the last 20 years & they help some (except in windy days) but there have been numerous times when hunting with someone else that I can't hear a bird that they can.

I like to hunt with my son or a good buddy because it generally means that I'll hear more gobbles (due to them hearing the gobbles first & letting me know which direction to listen).

Which leads to my question: in general on a clear morning when do you hear that first "Gooble on the Roost"?

I realize that birds just don't gobble sometimes because of things like hunting pressure, rain, fog, having hens nearby, etc.

For instance if sunrise is at 7am & legal shooting light in 30 minutes prior when do you normally hear that first gooble?

Good luck this season & be safe! Jay


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[Bowguy]

I've heard them way before daylight, and start way into the morning. Most commonly though after the first songbirds start

[Marc]

I would think that there are some differences between different areas of the country...

For me, given that nothing unusual happens, i would say somewhere between 10 minutes before shoot time, to 15 minutes after...

It does seem to me that on warmer days, I hear them gobble earlier, and on chillier mornings, it can be a bit later...

[tomstopper]

I've heard them way before daylight, and start way into the morning. Most commonly though after the first songbirds start

Same here. Usually when the woods start to liven unless something makes them shock gobble first.....

[GobbleNut]

There are definitely differences in roost gobbling start-ups in different parts of the country.  Also, I think that what subspecies you are hunting plays a role as to how early they will start gobbling.  Our Merriams birds here in the mountains of southern New Mexico will generally start gobbling thirty minutes or more before sunrise.  Often they will gobble when it is still almost pitch dark.  I have seen the same with Rios in Texas and Oklahoma. 

On the other hand, it seems that Easterns,...at least where I have hunted them,...prefer to wake up a bit later.  I have rarely heard them gobble until there was fairly good light in the sky.

[jay/nc]

I live & hunt in North Carolina but have an opportunity to hunt in Ohio this season.

I appreciate the replies. In the past I've never been in a hurry to get to the woods too early when hunting alone because of the simple fact that I most likely wouldn't hear a gooble on the roost unless I was close enough for him to drop a turd on my head. LOL

Although when there's someone with me I try to get there as early as possible!

I did some scouting this weekend on a new tract I'll be hunting this season and saw a lot of sign and even walked up on a flock of hens and jakes. I got within 100 yds of them before I knew they were there. I put up a couple of trail cams in likely strut zones in hopes of getting longbeard pics.

[haystaddle]

I try to keep track of gobbling in reference to sunrise times. Here in the Northeast I can count on gobblers to start on their own around 45 minutes prior to sunrise. As said previously there are a number of other factors that can change that time in a hurry.

[Cut N Run]

I've hunted turkeys in North Carolina since I started in the early 1980s.  Most mornings I only hear gobbles after the first crows have fired up.   I can recall a couple of times when turkeys gobbled before it got light, before the crows. I've heard a few on the ground that started earlier than they'd usually come out of the tree.  There may be unknown circumstances that caused them to get on the ground so fast, but I could only guess what they might be.

On several clear, cold mornings the gobblers stayed on the limb and either didn't gobble much, or got started later than usual.

That's the thing about turkey hunting; There's never always and there's always never.

Good luck this year.

Jim

[WildTigerTrout]

I've heard them way before daylight, and start way into the morning. Most commonly though after the first songbirds start

My experience also.

[TauntoHawk]

45 min before sunrise is a rough estimate. I've heard coyotes wake birds and they start shock gobbling in complete darkness.

[Hooksfan]

I wouldn't even begin to bet on how early the birds will begin to gobble here in Missouri.  It will range from pitch dark to nearly full daylight.  My general rule of thumb to go on is to not be concerned until the crows start flying and calling and I still haven't heard one.  I usually never make a call until I have given them every chance to gobble on their own.  If they haven't gobbled by the time I can hear the crows, I might do a tree call and later a flydown cackle.

[turkeyfoot]

I hunt NC and typically I don't make a call till hear songbirds going with some dim light in sky. As far as when they start often depends on how fired up they are can be in pitch black sometimes and won't shut up till shot those are my favorite unless on public ground then it sucks. I hunt lot of public so I'm in no hurry to get one started up, Best thing is always be in your listening spot because they often wake early even if not gobbling and before leaves are on easy to get busted. Cool crisp mornings are my best for gobbling activity. This will change as season and hunting pressure changes also