When setting up on birds...

[Turkeygirl]

I was wondering, because someone told me this yesterday, that you want to call the turkeys up to you, so set up above the turkeys? Is this true..like for hilly terrain?

I was also wondering, if you are hunting turkeys that are roosted on a side of a hill....do turkeys fly off their roost and land uphill or would they fly downhill and land in a field or open area if there is one there?

This new area the guy is letting me hunt, it hilly and where he showed me the hotspot is an open area with an ridge bordering it with oak/hickory and a small creek/spring running in between the field and ridge...and then the powerline running across the open area on the side of the hill.

I'm use to hunting flat farmland...so this hunting spot is new to me in alot of ways,lol.

[buckbuster11]

Yup, if possible you want to get above the bird you are trying to call in. The reason being, if you are trying to call the bird downhill he can stand on the ridge above you and view the entire bottom below him. If he hears you calling but sees no birds there, he is obviously less likely to come in.

On the other hand, if you get above him and set up so that in order for him to be able to see what he thinks are real hens he has to crest the top of the hill, you are in a much better position. You make him have to come up over the hill and when he does, you nail him.

As for the flying off the roost part, I'm not sure if they prefer to fly up or down but it seems like a lot of times I see them go down when they come off the roost and rarely up a hill. I don't know if there is anything to that or not.

[Guest csod08]

I read somewhere once that birds like to fly uphill when they come off the roost. I'm not sure if there is much truth to that, but its just something that i read.

[13littleones]

If he says hunt the hotspot......hunt the hotspot !

[WHISKEYSWAMP]

at the hilly area I hunt they roost right on top of the ridge overlooking a river. I have easy access to the top and can usually sneak very early within 80 yards of them and set up on the same level. they usually fly down on the first shelf and then work their way back up. they eventually make there way back down toward the shallow river and cross or they'll just fly down across they river which is their normal travel route.. I prefer to be on top the ridge at first and then I move from there if nothing happens. I've killed 3 birds on top and 2 on the bottom. hope this helps!