tip of the day from strut

[strutnrut1984]

roosting birds for the morning hunt. one tactic ive used over the years is finding roosting areas. preseason is the best  time to find these. turkeyslike the tallest trees with nice level branches the can find. mostly on highest point of ridges. check around these type areas. for dropped feathers and scat toms scat will be in a j shaped pattern. hen more round.  i like to check these areas out just before dark. stay back aways and listen for flyup. then use a barred owl hooter. or coyote howl to try to get a gobble. but dont over do all u need is one response. then u will have a good setup for morning. slip in at least 1 hr before light.    to be continued.          strut

[Turkeyman]

Try and set up where you see a tom fly up from, most of the time they will fly down and travel the same path they came into the roost area. Good scouting and set up spot and some patience is the key to killing turkeys.

[strutnrut1984]

exactly, thats is if u see them and know there arnt hens. man i tell u i started using a wing or slappin my hat on my leg about 20yrs ago it been a killer. works good on birds that have pounded with callin

[Turkeyman]

You are right works great. scratching the leaves also works.

[fishunt247]

Are you guys hunting merriams or rios? All the merriams I've ever hunted rarely roost in the same trees. Usually in the same draw or canyon, but they don't seem to have "roost trees" like rios in the blues do. But being the irrational bird that they are, I've seen em move a half mile for no reason one day, only to come back and roost in their home area a few days later.

[NWTFhunter]

Shhhhh Your giving up all the secrets

[PA BEN]

Turkey's use the same tree's to roost in. They make the same routes to feed and move in, each day. There's different spots to roost in these routes, where ever they end up in the route is where they roost. Also, toms have strutting areas, you might be next to the toms tree all set up. He flies down, looks at your decoy and moves off to his strutting area. Remember hens go to the tom, that's why it's hard to call them in sometimes. The one thing I can say for sure, is when you think you've got them figured out they change and do something off the wall. That's why I carry a lot of different calls. One year a certain call my work and the next you can't beg a bird to come in to it. 

[yelp]

I've seen turkeys use several roosting sites through out a year.  In some cases they use the same roosting areas, but not always.  In the fall and winter roosting seems very focused.  In the spring however when competition for hens increases and hens establish nesting areas annual roosting sites seem to not be as focused.  It seems hens can be as aggressive as toms.  Adult hens (just like in real life) (sorry honey) seem to run the show.  On the tom side the equation I believe the satellite toms like to try and pull hens from the boss tom and take them away..starting roosting sites in other areas. (competition for hens).  I have seen this on several occasions. I know of several roosting sites that year in year out bird are there.  Usually terrain and location dictate roosting site selection.  Hens also are the ones that seem to run the show through out the year.  The breeding, nesting site selection, egg laying, incubating and brood rearing all play a role In the spring and summer.  As hunting goes woodsmanship and scouting are the keys.  Locating turkeys on roosts at night are my favorite.  Also during scouting trips locating active roosts by sign.  I can tell a fall/winter site fro example from a spring site just from the freshness of the sign.  Also when you locate a roost study the roost.  Location, types of trees, site selection factors, number of gobbles (more may mean lots of jakes) (less maybe mean boss tom).   

[Intruder]

Are you guys hunting merriams or rios? All the merriams I've ever hunted rarely roost in the same trees. Usually in the same draw or canyon, but they don't seem to have "roost trees" like rios in the blues do. But being the irrational bird that they are, I've seen em move a half mile for no reason one day, only to come back and roost in their home area a few days later.

I've experienced this too with Merriams and Rios.  Seen em use a spot for 4 or 5 days straight then end up in 3 different spots during the next 3 days. 

The whole killing the bird of the roost scenario is kinda over played IMO.  Granted it can be successful but in my experience it rarely unfolds like on TV.  Often their roost sites present many setup challenges.  I truly prefer to call them in anyway.  I tend to hunt roost sites only in the sense of locating the flock/tom.  I'll normally try to setup adjacent to the roost and call the bird to me rather than ambushing them at the spot they fly down.  Not knockin that.... just prefer the calling scenario much more.   

[yelp]

I want to be clear that the term "off of the Roost" is defined as setting up in a location near a roost in hopes to call in a tom and harvest him.  Roosting birds is a term used to locate birds.  There are newbe turkey hunters out there that think it is ok to shoot turkeys off of or out of a roost tree.  I would suggest hunters don't.   I am know one to judge but ethically I choose to call them in after they fly down.

[Intruder]

Shooting a turkey out of the roost is not ethical !!!

[fishunt247]

Agreed. I was actually gonna start a topic about what could we do (if anything) to make it illegal to shoot birds out of the roost. PA Ben, I get what you are saying, but in my opinion, I'd have to disagree. While there are some birds that use the same trees or areas daily(depending on terrain), they seem to move week to week. I've followed many gobblers on numerous occasions over the years that have moved locations every week from mid March thru the first week or two of May. Granted they may only move their roosts and where they hang out a couple hundred yards each time, but by the end they have been upwards of two miles away from the first spot I heard/observed them. But hell, that's just my observations. I've also seen birds that have lived in the same draw and/or roosted in the same patch of timber from March through April. Guess it depends on the terrain and available hens. I think that is the main reason they move roosts, their hens have gone to nest and they are on the prowl. One of the beauty's of a long turkey season (in addition to scouting) is some gobblers you can strike up a relationship with...hunting the same bird 3, 4, 5, even 6 or more times. That is when you really learn the irrationality of a turkey.

[PA BEN]

Not to brag but where I lived for years, in the country out of Chewelah, the turkeys would wake me up in the mornings. I had a roosting spot about 200 yds from my bed room. I've watched these birds all year long for years. I spent a lot of time in the woods. I was hunting those birds when most people didn't hunt turkeys, or they would hunt down along .Lake Roosevelt. If you put a tom to bed in those days, he was dead in the morning. But with all the hens now it's a different ball game. I've killed a lot of toms putting the snick on them. I've hunted this ground all my life and know the birds and where to find them. Not all toms will gobble every night. I've been out in roosting areas and not heard a gobble at night. But in the morning there gobbling in the same spot. Like I said as soon as you got them figured out they will surprise you. I do know you can piss off a hen by calling and bring her in dragging a tom. I do know if you find strutting areas you will kill a tom.

[Moose Eyes]

as soon as you got them figured out they will surprise you . .

Amen!

[NWTFhunter]

PA Ben, You and I need to hook it up in that area !

[yelp]

PA BEN what year did you shoot your first WA turkey?

[PA BEN]

1990 

[yelp]

I hunted Cedonia in the early 90's.  Killed my biggest Tom there 24.3 lbs.  I love that country around Sand Canyon-Cedonia Area too and the Blue Lake area out of Addy. 

[fishunt247]

Well PA Ben, you are in Merriam heaven. Maybe your birds up there and the birds I hunt are different animal, maybe because of the totally different terrain and because you have thousands upon thousands more birds. But sounds like our experiences are different, somewhat. I've learned a lot of what I know from my dad... he started hunting them in 86, killed two gobblers a year every since besides three years when he only killed one. 

[PA BEN]

I miss my home, it just doesn't feel like home over here on the west side. O'will, maybe I'll be able to retire someday and move back

[yelp]

fishhunt247 - There was a time when you were only allowed one turkey a year, then they allowed you two harvest two one of each subspecies in designated GMU's for Rio and Merriam, then they allowed one of each subspecies (WA SLAM) (but still only allowed certain harvested from designated GMU's), Now a days they allow you to harvest two birds in Eastern WA and one In Western.  They also now have general fall seasons.  I would have to go back and look but in 1986 I believe the limit was one bird.

[Wacenturion]

Well PA Ben, you are in Merriam heaven. Maybe your birds up there and the birds I hunt are different animal, maybe because of the totally different terrain and because you have thousands upon thousands more birds. But sounds like our experiences are different, somewhat. I've learned a lot of what I know from my dad... he started hunting them in 86, killed two gobblers a year every since besides three years when he only killed one. 

Not to change the subject but I don't believe you could take more than one bird in the NE until the 90's.

[fishunt247]

My dad never hunted the Northeast. 1986 was a year that he only killed one bird. I believe 87 was too. I think he drew the Wenas Tag the second year they had it. He would mostly hunt Rio's in the Blues until he shot one, then hunt Merriams. 1998 was the other year he only killed one bird.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I hunt the Easterns near my home and so far they only roost in the same tree once or twice then go somewhere else, as soon as I figure out any pattern they move again.

[Turkeyman]

Thats eastern's for you get used to it. Most of the time they arn't far from the area though. It depends on where the local flock is at in the breeding cycle on how much they will move around in a area. Early in the cycle before hens start nesting the wont be far from day to day roosting, but when hens start nesting toms will start to move more looking for hens. I have found they like to roost close to a water source creek, river, pond or lake.

[PA BEN]

It was a one turkey limit until the early to mid 90's.

[fishunt247]

Maybe I misheard my dad? I'm sure nobody has an old rule book laying around do they? I'll ask him tonight. I thought he said about 87 or 88 he would kill a rio and a merriam. I'll post back later.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Thats eastern's for you get used to it. Most of the time they arn't far from the area though. It depends on where the local flock is at in the breeding cycle on how much they will move around in a area. Early in the cycle before hens start nesting the wont be far from day to day roosting, but when hens start nesting toms will start to move more looking for hens. I have found they like to roost close to a water source creek, river, pond or lake.

I keep hearing that but in the area I was in I checked stream beds, swampland and other pockets of water (everywhere last spring) and the best sign I found was on logging roads and it was fresh in one spot and I would find it further down road the next day, looked like they moved about 1/2 mile to a mile a day and pretty much all headed towards a central location that I found at the end of season, about 4 miles from original area. I heard gobbling in 3 different spots before season started and did NO calling to birds until opening day. They all quit gobbling and sign was extremely scarce except for a dropping occasionally on (coincidentally) on the same road. This year I am going to start at the end and work backwards.

[yelp]

I have only killed one eastern so I am no expert. but after my experience Most hunters over on the coast when they know birds are in the area tend to move if they don't hear anything.  When I killed mine it sounded like a dog barking or a vibration something not right "noise wise"..The habitat is so thick sound doesn't carry.  So you may have birds coming and sitting as long as you can may help.  I also noticed the edge factor...most of the activity seems to be along edges of clearcuts, tree farms, swamps, etc.. 

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Not only was I not hearing anything but the droppings in the road would be fresh ( I would stomp,rub out and cover ) would not be any more fresh stuff next time until I walked further down road. I had to walk past prior spots each time in and out due to accessing from  3 different gates. They were moving further into unit no doubt in my mind. I finally found a spot I believe had some nesting at end of season and believe I had located lone Toms at beginning of season and once they found hens they followed them.