Calling to rooted birds

[Billy74]

When you get to a spot before fly down how do you call?  Do you wait for fly down or call a little or a lot?


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[baldopepper]

Personally never call when still on the roost and have never really had much success calling when they first fly down.  Seems more often they fly down, bunch up and get going. For me, better luck being where they wanna go or ambushing as they head there. Flocks seem to be breaking out of their winter groups earlier this year, kinda of a here today, gone tomorrow thing.  Still.seeing some large groups, but they appear to be splintering quickly.  Birds had a pretty easy winter and there are plenty out there

 

[Dan-o]

I also never call to roosted birds.   
I'd rather they nit know I'm there until they hit the ground. 

And I also have a hard time getting them to pay attention when they
 first hit the ground.    They like to run around and make a bunch of noise for  a while before they disperse.

[GeoSwan]

Give it a couple soft yelps and then go silent. Just enough for them to know you're there and accepting applications. Quietly tell them that the best part of waking up isn't Folgers in your cup. Permission to land granted big boy.

[Karl Blanchard]

Give it a couple soft yelps and then go silent. Just enough for them to know you're there and accepting applications. Quietly tell them that the best part of waking up isn't Folgers in your cup. Permission to land granted big boy.

 

[Limhangerslayer]

Honestly every setup is different.  I’ve not called at all till they hit the ground on birds to calling quite aggressively while still in the tree.  Just don’t call when it’s too early and dark before hours.  You could end up with one in your lap too early.  The bird I called in for a youth hunters Saturday was surrounded in other turkeys rooster in multiple spots.  I started calling when the hens started waking up a little more.  And I tried to sound like multiple birds running two different hen sounds out of my diaphragm and a glass call at the same time.  He came into range by himself.

[baldopepper]

I've found that birds roosting on the edge of the feeding area they're using will fly down either immediately in range or start feeding closely enough to shoot. A little pre calling doesn't hurt but really the calling had nothing really to do with their coming in range. Calling is really most effective a little later when they start their mid day loafing. Toms start to wander around a bit and satalite toms and jakes have full bellies so get more curious.  From what I'm seeing this year I think you're likely to see more toms already henned up earlier than usual. Big flocks last year really didn't start to break up until the season was starting and I'm already seeing those flocks of 6-10 hens running with 1 boss tom. Frustrating to call as they answer back well enough, they just don't leave their hens to come have a look.

 

[Buckhuntraj]

I call to him on the roost, usually only 2 times, try to be as soft as I can be and make sure he hears me.  Then wait until he’s on the ground.


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[grade-creek-rd]

As you can see, lots of different opinions...and mine is this: listen to what the birds are doing and mimic it....I've hunted lots of different places, and times of the season and for me, I  love fly down! There's something about sneaking into an area before sun-up, setting up and then listening to the woods wake up...which, for me, is key. I've been in spots where a lone gobbler was roosted and we did very little calling because there was no competition...to mornings where it seemed evey tree held a flock of birds and for this we had to be very aggressive...my piece of advice is to listen to the woods and do what the other birds are doing. I like it when I get into a shouting match with an old hen, it can be a lot of fun! If there are multiple gobblers I like to call a lot and like someone else mentioned, use different calls so you sound like several hens...you don't need to call all the Tom's in but you need to call at least one in! If there are multiple Toms, I have found if you sound like a couple (or more) hens with no Toms then several will come running!

Grade.

[Wetwoodshunter]

Yelp yelp yelp yeeeeelp yelp yelp…. Then the gobblers go crazy back and forth. If it goes silent for 10 mins I’ll do the same sequence again. I have had them fly right over me or land 5 yards in front a few times. Heck sometimes they even fly down directly away never to be seen again.