2010 Roost and Fly-down Times

In doing some scouting on local birds, at least for this week, roosting has been around 7:05PM, and fly-down has been as late as 7AM. This morning the first gobble was 6:20AM, and it was dark!!! The crows on two big flocks I’m watching are incessant. They make the toms gobble so much I hope they don’t wear them out!

This is likely to change with time of year, weather, location, etc., so feel free to post what you’re learning out there. Hopefully it’ll help some of us get just enough extra sleep without missing flydown.

Joel

Heading out this Sunday a.m. Joel! It maybe a little early to make a game plan for a set up for the youth hunt but I can get a good idea of where they will be!

Flydown was early this morning, 6:30AM, shortly after the crows got them fired up again about 6:20. They were roosted on a north-facing point, flew down in the woods, and half the gobblers went downhill to hens one way, the other half to hens downhill the other direction. Two or three more gusto rounds of gobbling from either group, and the whole thing was finished by 6:45! The hens kept yelping, but not a gobble more.

Joel

622 1st gobble then nonstop until 645 then on and off until 730 must have heard 200+ gobbles

Fly down at 6:40 this AM to the north…. then gobbling for a couple hours as they rambled through the woods to the south Come on bow season

Little nervous as the bachelor group of toms have split up and are on the move to find some hens. My dad hit the call with a couple chirps yesterday morning at 8-830 and got an immediate response gobble up on the hill! There are a few toms left!

Still a month to go for me, hopefully they will stick around.

10 minutes ago a hen walked her way up one of the hills I’m watching, gobbler 20 yards behind her. I’d call it the pre-rut, but why insult turkeys with a deer reference?

Joel

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10 minutes ago a hen walked her way up one of the hills I’m watching, gobbler 20 yards behind her. I’d call it the pre-rut, but why insult turkeys with a deer reference?

Joel

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Agreed don’t insult the turkeys

i have had my Trophy Cam out for over a week now on the roosting spot where i watched over 12 gobblers come down from during bow season I will know the times they fly up and down once i check it this weekend. Hopefully the camera will still be there since its a new spot so i don’t know if there are any others scouting

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i have had my Trophy Cam out for over a week now on the roosting spot where i watched over 12 gobblers come down from during bow season I will know the times they fly up and down once i check it this weekend. Hopefully the camera will still be there since its a new spot so i don’t know if there are any others scouting

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Very cool! If they’re still using the same roost site, you’ll probably have some pretty cool pics as well.

Joel

A bench runs the entire length of the pine thicket where they fly from the bottom of the bench to the top. It is surrounded by cattle pasture and more than likely they will fly to the lowest spot in the morning I will be moving the camera to the bottom of it this weekend in hopes of capturing them in strut

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10 minutes ago a hen walked her way up one of the hills I’m watching, gobbler 20 yards behind her. I’d call it the pre-rut, but why insult turkeys with a deer reference?

Joel

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Agreed don’t insult the turkeys

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You wish Turkeys could be 1/2 that cool!

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A bench runs the entire length of the pine thicket where they fly from the bottom of the bench to the top. It is surrounded by cattle pasture and more than likely they will fly to the lowest spot in the morning I will be moving the camera to the bottom of it this weekend in hopes of capturing them in strut

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No one looks at turkey pics on here anyhow I posted some really cool ones last week and nada

I looked at ’em gut… No need to cry!!!

Started my scouting here yesterday and once I get chance here in the next day or two hope to be out in the early a.m and be able to report on flydown times.

Mark

1st gobble 559 fly down 622 still some gobbling until 715 or so Lots of hens Set the blind for next weekends WI youth hunt I cant wait

On 04/03 – 1st gobble was at 6:27 and then fly down around 6:40. Heard gobbling until around 7:50. Checked trail cameras and have a couple of birds on the hit list for next weekends Youth Hunt!

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On 04/03 – 1st gobble was at 6:27 and then fly down around 6:40. Heard gobbling until around 7:50. Checked trail cameras and have a couple of birds on the hit list for next weekends Youth Hunt!

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Wow your turkeys slept in

We plan on being in the Covert at 530 this Sat

I also have some great pics but need to get the virus off the home computor before I can post them

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On 04/03 – 1st gobble was at 6:27 and then fly down around 6:40. Heard gobbling until around 7:50. Checked trail cameras and have a couple of birds on the hit list for next weekends Youth Hunt!

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Wow your turkeys slept in

We plan on being in the Covert at 530 this Sat

I also have some great pics but need to get the virus off the home computor before I can post them

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Stay off the naughty sites you wouldn’t have those problems. If you need any help, give me a call. I’m traveling all week, so evenings are pretty wide open.

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We plan on being in the Covert at 530 this Sat

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I’m hoping to be in ours by 5:45! Come on Saturday!

1st gobble 547 fly down 605 strutting in front of covert blind 620 wish the youth hunt would have started today

15 degrees was a bit of a shock

4-12 1st gobble 547 fly down 605 lonely toms

4-13 1st gobble 548 fly down 606 henned up toms

gut:

Finally… Last night still had toms on the ground 7:30 in a light rain. By the way, was our first rain in who knows how long!!!

This a.m. a little late start, but gobbling feverishly at 6 when I got there and on the ground and silent by 6:30 to 6:45. Now with them located hopefully tomorrow goes reasonably well.

Then back to fishing… unless a little lady wants to kill a tom and didn’t get it done. Remember all these positive thoughts from a guy that had a tom within ten yards last year opening day, never saw a feather, then just chased them the rest of the week. The place where the tom was last year has been clear cut to the ground.

Mark

Gut – You’ve got some early birds over that way!

Ours have been consistent…..crows wake them up at 6 am SHARP, flydown is shortly thereafter and they’re clamming up completely after that.

Joel

Joel Sunday was just plain wierd when we got out of the truck at 513 and they were going strong

1st gobble 529 fly down 557

Wind picked up and they got quiet not a peep after 645

It’s getting earlier over here no doubt as sunrise is getting earlier. Right around 5:50 this morning. Though the pattern of complete and total silence after flydown is continuing. Am seeing quite a few signs of that trend breaking however. Will have to writeup a report soon!

Joel

Wind was howling pretty good where I was at. Did some scouting for a buddy of mine I am taking tomorrow morning. Not a sound from the roost. First gobbles were when they hit the ground at 6:10. 2 Strutters came right in to within 2 yards of where I was set up. Hopefully they will do the same tomorrow. WOW! I have never been that close to Gobbling Toms! What a great morning. I should have brought the camera.

Good stuff Drelan

Got the fever yet?

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Good stuff Drelan

Got the fever yet?

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Now that is a stupid question!

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Good stuff Drelan

Got the fever yet?

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Now that is a stupid question!

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I have had the fever since January!