To Roost or go in blind??

Hear is my question how important is roosting bird to you?? esp. if you only have one night a week you could be out.
I for the most part go in blind, wait till I hear one gobble and go after him, get close and proceed to “try” to call him in. But I have often thought that I might be more successful if I would roost them.
I do have to say 90% of my hunting is on public, I use a decoy 1/2 the time, and I like hunting in may over the first seasons.

I personally don’t have much luck getting Gobbles at night. But the land I hunt I know where the birds are going to be roosted and where they like to spend their time. I don’t see not roosting birds as a big deal.I would wait until I heard one and then move in.

If you plan on running and gunning then I don’t think it’s a big deal. But knowing where they are roosting will help you in case the birds are silent that particular morning. There have been many times I’ve known the birds are there but they are not in the mood to gobble. If I didn’t know where they were I would’ve just assumed there were no birds in that area and moved on. I think you will increase your chances by knowing where they sleep and where they pitch down!

Great insight Pat and Mike. It also depends on what weapon you are hunting with. If you are using a bow, you are somewhat limited on being mobile (if you use a blind) so it’s important to do your scouting before dark to ensure that you are set up in the right location in the morning. Filming hunts is another consideration to roost birds at night to ensure you have good footage in the morning. Roosting birds can also pay big dividends in that you know exactly where the birds are, hopefully down to the exact tree and there’s no guessing walking around in the dark in the morning.

I never roost birds, I know where they like to hang out. I can’t remember the last time i roosted a bird.

I used to roost birds but like said above if you know the land and the birds you are hunting I see no need to do so I do like going out and sitting on the tailgate with a and listen to them tho

First off thank

I have a place that I know were they are.. but over the last 3 years I have started hunting new places and don’t know were they are or are going.. Most of these spots are an hours + drive..

I know scouting is #1 thing to do, but with gas the way it is…I am just looking for some help to improve my hunting to make my limited time out more effective.

Many things you can do , Go in blind the first moring and if they move away from you try to get in front of them If that don’t work don’t push your luck , back out and then the next morning set up in the area that they went the morning before and it just may work out for you

Quote:

---

I know scouting is #1 thing to do, but with gas the way it is…I am just looking for some help to improve my hunting to make my limited time out more effective.

---

I live an hour and a half from where I turkey hunt so I know all about the time and gas issue! One thing I have learned though is to talk to the land owners. I get a lot of helpful information about where they see them, what time of day they are there and what direction they go. About 99% of the farmers I talk with are more than happy to help me out with any information I need.

I’m a big fan of both roosting and “pre-hunting”. I pre-hunt all of my spots when I’m taking out new people, or really only have a day to hunt by simply heading out mornings previous and being still. When pre-hunting, observe, study, and take note of everything that takes place that morning. When my days off at work/school were more limited, I was a fan of taking off two days before the season, then only 3 during the actual season. Amazing how much more observant you are with no gun/bow in your hand.

As for roosting, I put less of a priority on it, but have learned alot of information over the years that has been crucial to each and every following morning’s success. Even if birds roost in the same spot year after year, they don’t always roost in the same direction, trees, or with the same company. I’ve bailed on groups of birds for other land simply because the hen:tom ratio was poor with that group of roosting birds. Or, I simply decided to take a blind to the closest likely strut zone, put the calls down, and wait them out.

Either way, the more information you can gather on the specific birds you’re hunting, the better off you’ll be come game-time. The more and more I hunt them, the more I feel it’s about understanding the personality of the turkey you’re hunting. I think simply being out there with those birds long enough gives you insight as to those personalities.

Joel

Thanks guys!! I was talking to a hunting partner who is a turkey nut and he says that roosting or hunting close to the roost later in the season hurts you.
The toms are with the hens that they have bread with and and the hens are now nesting, but later in the morning the toms are on the move looking for the hens that haven’t been bread..
Hence the poor late season success by roosting birds… but you can have good mid morning/afternoon hunting…

any feelings on it..

Roosting in my experience is not that beneficial.To improve success I would hunt earlier seasons.Hopefully hear that gobble and get close as you can and setup your blind. My best luck is setups in the open on EDGES or a CORNER.Put the blind out 30-40yds so the birds either commit to the woods edge or circle around you and hopefully you get a shot.No need to brush it in in or anything.Good luck!