Finding the roost

[Tweez]

How do you find the roost at night, do you find them and watch

or use a locator call?

[Turkeygirl]

Well either get to a high point in an area you think turkeys are in the evening andj ust sit and listen until dark or almost dark...use a locator call like an owl in the evening to try and get one to shock gobble....or in the morning go out before sun comes up, sit and listen for them to gobble off the roost...can try a locator call...

Have you hunter turkeys before?

[Tweez]

I started last year i know about the morning locator call

buy i didnt know about the night thanx i will give this a try.

[Strut10]

Pretty much, any locator that'll work in the morning will work at night.

You have a fairly narrow indow, time-wise, to locate in the evening. Too early and they aren't flown up yet. Too late and they just won't talk. Once in a while you can get them to go well after dark. But usually you have about a 15-20 minute window to be really productive.......at least the birds I play around with.

You DO NOT want to get close enough to watch them. If you can watch them......they can watch you. Not good. Hit your call quickly and then listen. On a barred owl call, I'll shorten the usual "Who cooks for you"...........yada-yada, down to a 3-note hoot and roll. That way if the bird's response is immediate, I can catch it rather than being deafened by the hooter. Be ready to zero a location on the bird's first response. It's best not to wear out your luck by trying to get multiple responses, if possible.

There's also nothing wrong.....and in some cases much right.....with using turkey sounds in the evening as a roost locator.

[Rhino]

I'll 2nd what Strut said. That late afternoon window in my neck of the woods is only about 10 minutes. If you have real owls sounding off you can relax and let them do the work for you.

If you find yourself in too close where the birds can see you from the roost wait at least until it's almost black dark before you slip out and remain as still as possible until that time comes. Like Strut said though it's best not to get that close.

Mornings are easy. It's just a matter of being there early enough to hear them crank up their early morning gobbles from the roost. Then you can pin their locations down while they're still roosted. If they continue to gobble after they fly down you can get a feel for what direction they're heading after they leave the roost as long as they continue to give their location away by gobbling.

[Flintlock1776]

If you had the chance to scout (only, no calling) before the season and you found scratchings or feathers I would start to cover that spot towards the evening and see if they return there.

They do wander so they won't always return to the same exact spot so you may need to keep at it.

Also, look for big trees with wide limbs, they will stay in any tree if necessary, but I always found them to like the bigger trees when available.

Once you cover a spot that you see them roost keep get in real, real early the next morning and hope they fly down and start to go in your direction. I found that by putting out some decoys helps. I also use a gobble shake call very sparingly.

There may be other techniques but that is what I suggest.

Good luck

[Tweez]

Thanx everyone i have the late season here in Michigan

starts may 4 going out for some scouting this weekend

thanx again

[BAMABUCKS]

Great advice given already. Enjoy the season & make it a point to learn something new every time you go out. This usually comes from mistakes, but we have all been there & learning from those mistakes is what makes you better.

[crazyfarmer]

one very important peice of advice since you are sorta new... be Patient. I dont bother with locater calls in the morning. I like to sit and listen for the birds to gobble on their own if I know they are in the area. Then I move in and setup before making any calls. I always had a bad habit of calling to early and having the bird fly down and head to me before I was setup. Ive actaully seen birds spooked from guys that hit crow calls to early, espically if the turkeys are close. As said, you will learn something each time out. But the biggest key is to be patient. If you think nothings coming, stay there another 15-20mins. You would be surprised what might walk in when you thought he wasnt coming. But its also times when you need to move quickly and setup in front of them. Knowing what to do when will come to you over time.

goodluck also btw:)