How to approach roosted tom to hunt

[Hughesjr60]

I am not sure how to approach this turkey to hunt opening morning Wednesday. I will take my boat from the ramp of the lake to a river that feeds lake. The turkey or turkeys will be roosted up on the ridges. How do I hunt him? I know where they will want to go. to the fields in the east but they are on private and I'm on public. I do know the property owner and they don't allow hunting so I know they won't get pressure in the field unless its trespassers. Do I try to slip up the ridge or do I try to call him down hill into the river bottom? Or do I get out really early well before light and slip up the ridge? Tough decisions! Thanks guys.

[CMBOSTC]

I would be between them and where they want to go.

[Erno86]

I've called in toms going downhill before, but it's harder for a tom to see things in front of him, while walking downhill, rather the opposite view when he's walking uphill. He'll also sometimes prefer to have the sun behind him, when coming into a call.
If his hens stay on top of the ridge, he will follow them for awhile, before they go to nest. River bottoms are colder in the morning, than top ridgelines --- as long as it's not too windy. Also...cold air thermals, will still slide down the mountainside, until 10am in the morning. If you want to get within 100 yards of his roost at dawn, may I suggest climbing to the top of the ridge very early in the morning.


Good luck,

Erno

[longbeard11]

Go in early, no lights, get on ridge they are on between them and where they want to go. This is your very best option

[Hughesjr60]

Thanks guys. I also thought about getting up the ridge very slowly and quietly early. There is a huge downed tree that I think would be good to get against. Problem getting between where they are and where they want to be is the property line is just 40 yards from where they are roosted. Good news is the fields are to the east so the sun would be in their eyes. It's if they come back to the roost area I'd have sun to my back behind the tree and if they came back then it would be to their back. It's pretty open up on this ridge, should I use a hen decoy, jake, both, none? Thanks again

[Bowguy]

If the prop Line is only 40 yards from where they're roosting they may come down on the private prop. Question for you is how do you know exactly where they're roosted? Hear em gobble there once, twice? Is it a pattern they have? Is your info current?
If you don't roost them the evening before a coyote may come into them before they roost n move them elsewhere.
Now do you have a back up plan if any of this happens or is this the only flock you know of?

[Hughesjr60]

I saw them in the roost a couple weeks ago however they were roosted here last year also. Ridge is tore up with scratchings. Yes I actually have a couple more areas to go I have heard turkeys recently. I'm actually going in the morning to listen to see if they are still in the general area. I figure to be safe I could set up in the river bottom close to roost wait till fly down see if I can call them in. If not maybe move up on the ridge and wait for him to lose his hens mid morning.

[CMBOSTC]

I would be between them and where they want to go. Setting up in the river bottom isn't going to do you any good if it's not where he wants to be.

[Erno86]

If the tom's been spooked the evening before...there's a good chance that he might have roosted in the river bottom for the evening. Once he starts to fly downhill, he'll have a gain in height from the forest floor, for a more difficult overhead shot, from a hunter...say, stationed down on the river bottom.

It's a toss-up. But...may I add, turkeys love to hide in sticker bushes. You can flush them close, buy slowly walking along thick clumps of sticker bushes, and pausing every so often for a minute or two.
A nearby turkey flush from a sticker bush: sounds like someone is getting a 2x4 hit over there head.

[renegade19]

Go in early, no lights, get on ridge they are on between them and where they want to go. This is your very best option

Agree!

[KentuckyHeadhunter]

If the fields are to the east they are in the direction of the rising sun which they will typically avoid at flydown.  It is possible they fly down in a different direction and then B-line their way to the field(?).   I would set up to the north or south of the roosted birds and try to cut them off.  Without knowing? the true geography of the land it's really difficult to determine.  Good luck!

[Ericbrooks]

Your odds of calling them down hill in the opposite direction they want to go isn't very high


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[Hughesjr60]

Well I went out opening day. I started in the river bottom and they were not gobbling much at all. As a matter of fact only 2 gobbled from the roost and they were on the opposite side of the river from me. I sat for about a half hour and realized I really wanted to be up on the ridge where they are known to roost. I got up there sat up facing west with a big fallen tree to my back and sun and called a little. By 8:30 I had a gobbler gobbling the next ridge over but hung up. But instead of packing it up I decided to stay out after reading so much about late morning being good. Well 10:30 and I heard crunching in the leaves and a super jake came in, skirted my decoys. I called aggressively and 10 min later he came back and I peppered his head. Normally I wouldn't shoot a jake but it was public land and I had not killed on public before and you know what I'm really happy with him! Thanks for all the input guys!

[terp]

Congrats! Shoot what makes you happy

[TauntoHawk]

I always want to be in the way of where they are going, I always want to be up tight to the roost, and I always want to be early... thats like the name of 75% of my game for fly down