Guest cowboy89 Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 hey guys this is like my 4th year turkey hunting and i hear guys say that they roost this bird last night and they shoot it the next morning. what do they mean by that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slughunter Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 In a nut shell, It pretty much means they follow a nice group or even a lone gobbler and find out what tree he roosted in for the night and then the next morning before it gets light they set up in that direct area and call or decoy it in off the roost and shoot it. -shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turkaholic Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 As the old saying goes "roostin ain't roastin" now those are words of wisdom. Many things come into play when roosting birds. It certainly helps to be familiar with the area. Knowing where birds roost can take years of listening in different locations. Having a good vantage point like a ridge to listen off helps. Sometimes birds will gobble on roost at dusk and if your within ear shot you can pin point their location. This is where locator calls come into play. I like to owl to get a gobble but many other things work well also. The gobble tube , coyote howler and even slamming the car door will sometimes get a gobble. The object of the game is to get close to them in the morning and set up in the perfect spot. This sounds easy but it is not, many things can go wrong. Getting birds in the bag at first light is a challenge. Knowing how close to get is key. Taking his temperture, by the way he is reacting to the morning and your calling can help you to know how close, and what you can get away with. Often what can happen is, he will gobble untill the hens fly down and pick him up. Many times you will hear a gobble that evening and in the morning you bump other birds roosted with him. Roosting is a good tool to learn the roost areas of your hunting grounds and will pay off in the long run. After a few years you will have found many spots that you can feel good about hunting because you herd birds there. If things go fowl at first light and they gobble their way down the mountain try to be back in that area around 10 or 11 when that old gobbler has no girl friends around. I have had lots of luck killing my roosted bird on my way back to the truck at noon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowtech_archer07 Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 That's good advice turkaholic. I've tried to roost birds before, and have when I have been successful at rooting them, I have yet to get one at first light right off of the roost. However, if you can get a bird to answer your call in the morning, 9 times out of 10 he will come through that area at some point later that day. It may in an hour, it may that afternoon, but he will come back and check that spot where he heard the hen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm23494 Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 I've also had a few friends have some luck with breaking the flock up right as they are starting to roost. This causes the big boss to go looking for his hens in the monring and with a few well placed decoys and some calling led to a few birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slughunter Posted February 12, 2008 Report Share Posted February 12, 2008 I've also had a few friends have some luck with breaking the flock up right as they are starting to roost. This causes the big boss to go looking for his hens in the monring and with a few well placed decoys and some calling led to a few birds. That right there sounds like something I might have to try, thanks for the idea. -shane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted February 13, 2008 Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 I've also had a few friends have some luck with breaking the flock up right as they are starting to roost. This causes the big boss to go looking for his hens in the monring and with a few well placed decoys and some calling led to a few birds. I've tried this. More often than not......the gobbler will sound off early next morning from wherever he landed the night before and there will be hens running bee-lines to him from all directions. Unless you can see exactly where the gobbler lands after you bust him at night........your chances are not so great at nailing him next morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaw Posted February 13, 2008 Report Share Posted February 13, 2008 I've had better luck going out the morning before I hunt and pin-pointing where they're gobbling from the roost before they fly down, and then going there extra eary the next morning without a flashlight. these birds seem to like roosting in the same spot they were the day before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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