Help Needed on Late Season Public Land Bird

[Hootin-N-Hammer]

I'll start by saying I'm rather new to turkey hunting, only have been turkey hunting for about the last 4 years so any advice is appreciated. Well, I've been turkey hunting this public land the last two years and as far as I can tell it isn't pressured very much, Ive only seen a few cars out there with me during the weekdays and managed to talk to a fellow hunter out there who also said its not pressured a lot. Early season was rough and very quiet but recently I've had some good luck locating multiple birds early in the morning.
Last week I had three toms gobbling like crazy on the roost on the edge of a large field that has a road on one side and a big creek bordering the two other sides. I set up and gave a couple soft clucks and purrs and one or two medium volumed yelps but of course, as soon as they flew down they immediately left the field with a couple hens and went into a small hardwood bottom. I returned the next day and didn't hear a peep from those birds, but did hear a couple more maybe 800 yards away. I came back again the next day very early and set up on the field again while it was still pitch black because I wasn't sure if they had seen me or heard me the previous day but once again they didn't make a sound.
  So this leaves me with two questions. First, I've always read and heard that turkeys usually roost within 200 yards of where they did the previous night so is there a chance that the bird I heard on the roost the second day 800 yards away could have been one of the original 3 gobblers? and how would y'all go after them? 

[Hootin-N-Hammer]

I should probably include that I'm in Alabama with only a few days left to hunt and that the public land I hunt restricts you from hunting past 1 PM so unless someone has taken a shot at these birds illegally, they should still be alive.

[TauntoHawk]

absolutely they could be the same birds and i would bank on that it was. Some places they roost in the same tree, some the same area, others they will move all around at will.

someone might have told you " they usually roost within 200 yards of where they did the previous night" and that might be true where he hunts but I doubt anyone told these birds that.

some birds are nomads and never sleep on the same limb twice

[Spitten and drummen]

your doing awesome to be hunting public ground in bama that has little pressure. turkeys all have their own personalities. some will roost in the same area while others roost in a different area nightly. one thing you will learn if you stick to this sport , there are absolutely no absolutes in turkey hunting. some you can pattern and some have no ryme or reason as to what they do. heck , sometimes I think they don't even know what they are gonna do until they do it. good luck.

[howl]

I would start by being set up to cut them off going to that bottom if they are there. If other birds are gobbling, I would pick the one roosted highest and go after that one. I would not call to any bird on the roost if I could help it.

[157buck]

These birds I'm hunting here in the hills of Arkansas rarely ever roost in the same place.  The are likely to be a solid quarter away from one day to the next.

[Big perm2]

I hunt public land in Missouri and even tho where I hunt is not heavily hunt they still act like they are. On occasion they play well, but other than that they are hard headed.. Long story short got on a bird in mo he gobbled early once or twice got within couple hundred yard of him goin back an forth on ridge. He came in to about 80 yrds went back to 200 yrds couple of times. Finally my buddy stayed back calling I eased to the to of the ridge sat up my fried called and turkey came back it was about 11:45. The that bps 10ga went boom!!

So just stay with them listen and learn. It's like anything you do, the more you do it the better you get. You may even make a mistake, buts that's the way we learn!!


Talkem into given up!!!

[Red Huck]

absolutely they could be the same birds and i would bank on that it was. Some places they roost in the same tree, some the same area, others they will move all around at will.

someone might have told you " they usually roost within 200 yards of where they did the previous night" and that might be true where he hunts but I doubt anyone told these birds that.

some birds are nomads and never sleep on the same limb twice

This is what I've experienced hunting the SNF in SC. Birds may roast in the same area a while and move on. Rarely in the same tree. This year they are not talking much and the season ends Friday.

[ilbucksndux]

Id go out Early and listen for them to gobble and get as close as possible. Dont call at all if you do very little. Do a fly down flap with your hat and some soft clucks then shut up. If he heads your way dont call at all.

OR

Go to where he is going into the bottom and set up 30-40 yards off of the field. No decoys,call sparingly.

[jakesdad]

" heck , sometimes I think they don't even know what they are gonna do until they do it."


Truer words have never been spoken!!

[MEbeardlover]

Competing with hens right off the roost is tough. My limited experience with roost hunting to this point has shown me that. It's tough to compete with the real thing. If your weekday schedule allows it, (sadly, mine does not  )try to head back mid morning. This late in the season the hens must be nesting. When the hens go to nest, the toms get lonely and more susceptible to calling.

[eggshell]

Hunt Gobbling birds not birds that are supposed to be there....even if they are there if they're not gobbling it's hard to kill them, as gobbling means they are in the mood and susceptible to calling. If you have a pattern then you can hunt quiet birds. I like to give them a break for for 2-3 days after a couple days hunting. If you do the same thing every day they are patterning you as well. Do something different. sometimes you win the chess match sometimes you lose. Don't get enamored with one spot move on and try others. setting your sights on one target often leaves you with tag soup.

[Triple Gobble]

Just stay after them, go roost them in the
Evening even though you can't hunt them after 1