Aggressive roost hunt strategy

[JMalin]

I've got a bird pinpointed to a tree or cluster of trees feet apart.  Assuming he returns this evening to the same spot, I want to slip in either under his tree or put my back to a small tree fifty or sixty yards from where he's roosted.  It's public land and it's safe to assume he's been called at quite a bit.  This morning, there was a fairly deep drain between me and him (that had I known about, I would have setup elsewhere).  He gobbled good on the limb.  I called to him a couple times, and while he didn't particularly hammer immediately after, he did continue to gobble.  He couldn't have flown down more than a few yards from his roost and proceeded to gobble fairly well for another 15 minutes or so before dropping off his ridge away from where I was setup.  Went back in there at noon, he gobbled once shortly after I got to the parking area and only one more time after I had closed the distance on him and tried to get him to answer.  Dunno if he had hens at that point or just wasn't interested in coming up to take a look.

I really want to kill this bird.  It would be my first eastern and I've been hard at it for almost a week now.  It's certainly not how I want to do it, but I just haven't found many birds that will work on public ground in Missouri (everywhere I've been seems to has been under pressure), so it's come to this. 

Option A: sit under the tree/trees I believe he is roosted in under the cover of absolute darkness.  It'll be tough getting in their without making noise as the ridge he is on has an extensive amount of trashy shrubs/new growth woody vegetation.  Don't make a peep and hope he flys down for a quick kill (assuming he flies down the direction I'm facing).  If not, let him do his thing/drop off the ridge, reposition, call lightly and hope he comes back up for a peak.

Option B:  setup with my back to a smallish tree 60 yards from where he is roosted (under the cover over darkness as well).  Have hen decoy deployed.  Call softly once just to let him know the "hen" is there.  Hope he flies down into range or struts his was up to the decoy.  I did a little bit of clearing to provide a better shot opportunity for this option.

What would you do?

[AppalachianHollers]

Following.

Whatever happens, congrats on roosting a bird!


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[Greg Massey]

It's all going to depend on his mood and if your offing what he wants to hear.  I'm afraid if you move to close to him on the roost , he's either going to see you or your going to bump him. Also you have the problem of hens being in one of the trees in that same location.  Your just going to have to keep hunting him and being persistent.  One of the birds i killed this year , i spent almost 4 days with total of about 30 hours before i killed him.  Again patience's and persistence paid off.

[JMalin]

Probably a moot discussion at this point.  Didn't see or hear a bird fly up in the vicinity of where I heard him this morning, unless he was just on the back side of the ridge and treetops I had my eye on. 

[GobbleNut]

Tough call.  Most of us could probably write a book on the various strategies that are possible in your situation.  Unless you have better options elsewhere, I would get back into the area where you think the gobbler might be roosted, hope he gobbles early so you can get in tight, and try a different approach from the one that didn't work the first time.  Good luck,....will expect a hopefully successful report tomorrow!

[RutnNStrutn]

If it was me, I'd slip in there well before light, I'd set up with a realistic hen decoy (DSD or Avian) where he could see it from his roost. I wouldn't call at all, until it was good and light. Then it would be just short sweet tree talk to get his attention. Then I'd shut up and hope he flew down to my deke. Only if he flew down elsewhere would I try to call him in. Pressured public land gobblers are tough to get. Good luck!!

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

[Marc]

Good thread...

Personally, I would not like to sit under the tree a bird is actually roosted in...  Too much chance of making a mistake, and more often than not (in the areas I hunt), roosted birds fly some ways before touching ground.

My preference is to get as close as I can without him being physically able to put eyes directly on me (which generally means I cannot see him in the roost from my setup).  If I can see the bird in the roost, I NEVER call until he is on the ground and can no longer see where the call is coming from (i.e. me).

I have noted that the hens usually fly down before the toms (correct me if I am wrong here please), and later in the season when the hens are on the nest, it seems to me that toms stay roosted longer...  The last couple years, I have had some success doing a fly-down wing-beat, followed by some clucking and yelping, and then shutting up...  I do this after the first hens have flown down, and before the toms are off the roost...  If I do not hear hens, and birds are gobbling, I try and time it before the toms are off the roost.

And, if you have vocal hens, that puts a whole different spin on things...  I still do the fly-down if possible, but I am much more vocal in addressing those hens...  One of two things generally happens here, either the hens hit the ground in front of the toms and lead them AWAY, or the hens fly down and address me, hopefully leading the toms to me... 

All too often, I do things perfectly, and am left scratching my head as to why my perfect plan and execution did not work....

[dejake]

Be where he wants to go.

[blake_08]

I know this is not a rule and there's exceptions to everything, but the Easterns I hunt where I live generally fly down on the uphill side if they're rooted on a hillside.

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[JMalin]

There was a bird roosted about 250-300 yards away.  Setup was less than great (in a brush pile 120 yards or so from the bird, as close as I felt comfortable getting, couldn't actually see him), but it didn't matter as the bird never came.  His feet hit a road leading to a field I was setup on the corner of.  He gobbled and drummed once or twice then went quiet all the while a different bird 600-700 yards away is gobbling his brains out.  So I sit there thinking my bird is still close and when he gobbles again, it sounds like he's moving to the other Tom.  It's a foot race at that point with the Tom I was setup on moving quickly through woods and likely to pop out across a road I was using to close the gap.  Well, he gobbled close and I should have just sit down and setup (even though I felt it was unlikely I was going to bring him to me the way he was moving).  Sure enough I bumped him as he crossed the road 50 yards in front of me.  The other bird was gobbling good still at this point, so it was time to go all in on him.  Dropped down, crossed the creek to get on the same hillside I thought he was on and he (and any other birds around) have gone silent.  It's as if I've never hunted turkeys before.  Maybe I should take the rest of the day off to get my head on right.  It's become more work/pressure than enjoyment at this point.

[GobbleNut]

Been there, done that,....many a time.  It's all just huntin', JMalin.  Sometimes we end up thinking we are turkey hunting geniuses,...and sometimes we end up feeling like the worst turkey hunters on the planet.  Don't worry,...it won't get any easier to take the older you get. Some guys on here know that for a fact! 

[RutnNStrutn]

Been there, done that,....many a time.  It's all just huntin', JMalin.  Sometimes we end up thinking we are turkey hunting geniuses,...and sometimes we end up feeling like the worst turkey hunters on the planet.  Don't worry,...it won't get any easier to take the older you get. Some guys on here know that for a fact! 

x2

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

[Greg Massey]

Been there, done that,....many a time.  It's all just huntin', JMalin.  Sometimes we end up thinking we are turkey hunting geniuses,...and sometimes we end up feeling like the worst turkey hunters on the planet.  Don't worry,...it won't get any easier to take the older you get. Some guys on here know that for a fact! 

x2

Sent from deep in the woods where the critters roam.

X3 .. you just have to keep trying ..

[Hobbes]

Just slow down and regroup.  Don't give up.  Don't give up.

Move to a fresh location if you can.  If not, let things simmer down and see if one of them picks up gobbling on his own.  If not, do some calling to try to get a response.  The next bird is liable to run in like an idiot.

Don't give up

[TauntoHawk]

This is a common scenario for me and I've had good success slipping 50-60yds off the roost tree in the direction I believe he will fly down on and not calling until he's on ground.

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