roosting birds

[Fish to Win]

This is my first Turkey hunt and I have a lot land in stearns Co. to hunt but just wondering how you locate the birds up in the trees to attempt to set up the next morning by and if this is worth it? I have heard from other people that they have seen birds on my land but I have not and would like some advise on where to start other than picking a field and calling- my season starts 05-12-06. thanks.

[Hotspotter]

This advice might only be worth what you pay for it, and it's from a guy who's roosted about 30 gobblers in the past 2 weeks without killing one of them off directly off the roost.

Is it worth it? Yes and no. I'll do it if I'm not over-tired or am not confident there are going to be roosted birds within walking distance at dawn. If I'm feeling good about the area, I'll just get on a high ridge or hill at daybreak, listen for the first/closest gobble, and strike out after that bird. I'll try and get within 100 yds of his tree undetected (no closer than 50 yds), make a few soft yelps and hope he's without hens and flys down to me.

When roosting birds, the end result is hopefully the same. Get within 100 yds and hope he flies down to you. The advantage here is in knowing the general area, or hopefully tree or group of trees he's in. This gives you time to plan, figure, and strategize; but most importantly, it gives you a spring in your step on those mornings it's difficult to crawl out of bed.

How to do it? Sometimes, it's as easy as sitting within a few hundred yards and listening towards dark. If there's any wind, you probably won't hear wing-beats, but you'll probably hear gobbles still if within a couple-hundred. Many times the dominant bird will gobble his head off just after he flies up to roost. If you're not hearing any talking towards dark, it doesn't hurt to blow a locator call to get them to sound off. I like a barred owl hooter, and it works pretty well down in the SE. Crow calls, coyote calls, and even hen cutting work as well.

The more information you have the better. If he's within sight, see which limb or side of the tree he's on. Which way he's gobbling. He might be gobbling at his entourage of hens that you'll want to get between in the morning.

As I stated earlier, it doesn't always work (I'm 0-8 days so far this year off the roost, but all 8 times the bird has been with hens). But many times, esp. late season or for birds that are alone, this is a great way to get your bird early. Even when it doesn't work directly off the roost, you're constantly maintaining contact with the birds, so maybe you can hang close enough to kill that bird later.