I've shot two turkeys over a span of 6 years, with this season (starting the middle of it) being the season I've gotten bit by the bug and taking it serious... my first turkey was 6 years ago being a Jake, my second being a double bird 4 years ago. Both times I just lucked up and found super hot birds who worked. I'm a pretty good duck hunter and deer hunter, and have now found the entertainment and challenge in a "real" turkey hunt. Hoping to break my 4 year old dry spell this season.
I've scouted my woods and have spotted a couple gobblers and quite a bit of sign. My plan is to hike in (2+ mile walk) where I feel the concentration of all my sign is at... dust bowls, a feather, tracks, and of course two sightings and set up this weekend. My problem is I'm not 100% where they roost. I know it's somewhere to the west (red circle/maybe further) based on my observations on a afternoon scout. That's the direction they were heading. The green pins are a lot of sign, and my tracks are on a game trail that for the most part borders a dirt road. My original game plan is to do like I would on a deer hunt, sneak in a good 2 or so hours before light that way the woods settle down before daybreak. After tons of research and trying to learn, I'm concerned now I may bump a roost along the way, if not even the birds I seen since I'm unsure with their exact roost location. The green arrow is just representing where I'm assuming they are traveling into these fields which I'm assuming are strut zones maybe?
My question is...
Should I chance walking in before daylight with lights/potential loud noises and get set up right on the bulk of my sign and be ready
Or
Wait until day break and try and ease my way back in and take a chance of the turkeys already passing that spot or them busting me on the ground.
(http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/ah199/jakefromflorida2009/IMG_1235_zps0xtjqbpw.jpeg) (http://s1380.photobucket.com/user/jakefromflorida2009/media/IMG_1235_zps0xtjqbpw.jpeg.html)
Walk in before daylight. Don't use a light, let your eyes adjust and give yourself plenty of time to get there. Walk slow and make as little noise as possible.
I would follow right at the outside edge of that timber, lot less noisy and will be "brighter" going in, go in early. Looks to be a valley right there behind you and those birds would typically roost where it starts to drop off, and 1/3 down the hill (depends on weather too). How much cover do you have? are you starting to leaf out yet?
MK M GOBL
He's going to those fields at some point, guarantee that. If you can hunt the fields, walk the field in and kill him on his way to the field.
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Thanks guys
We stayed "leafed out" for the most part, lol. (Florida) but it is pretty dense. There's a two trail that is some what clear and can help cut down on noise going in.
The fields are off limits unfortunately, so not only can't I use them for access, I can't shoot him off the field. I have just enough room in the one corner where I can set up. It's pretty close to a 29 yard span of dusting spots/bowls.
walk in before daylight and listen for em on the roost. Dont worry about getting close to the exact roost for now, most birds aren't killed straight off the roost anyway. They'll be on the ground all day and you should get a chance to call one in. During the day time stop to listen everytime a crow caws loudly. Or a goose honks... and don't give up later in the morning, it may be quieter, but it's more likely a lonely gobbler will randomly fire up during the day.
Once you've hunted the spot a couple times you might find out where they are roosting and be able to set up close to the roost. But for now I wouldn't worry about it, seems like you already found a great spot. Good luck
Agree, don't worry about the roosted bird. Just make your way with plenty of time before daylight. I do believe in using a small pen light or clip hat light to cover ground better and make less noise. You can always cut your light off after getting close to your hunting area.
I was more concerned on spooking birds off a roost then I was finding them to hunt. Based off what I read it seemed like a turkey hunters all time sin? Since I don't know exactly where they're at I was just worried on spooking them and it hurting me later in the morning. Hopefully Friday morning I'll have a picture to post. :icon_thumright:
I have no idea what the terrain in Florida affords you, but I generally walk in to where I am going with no light. Doing this I have inadvertently walked right under a roost tree without consequence...
I have also had birds pitch out of a tree due to lights, excessive noise, or talking.
Although I do take friends and family out, I prefer to hunt alone... I have yet to hunt with someone, that can hunt in silence (including myself). I have seen birds come right in with talking, but I also have to wonder how many birds did not come in due to talking? Do the talking at the truck, walk close so you can communicate with your partner silently, and get there early enough that you can walk in slow.
If I know where a bird is roosted, I might utilize a light until I approach my hunting spot, but if I can get away with NOT using a light, I will always do so. No lights, no noise, no talking... You can often walk right underneath them in the dark (although I would avoid doing so if possible).
walk in along the field, and set up in that second "finger" that ticks out. Put some dekes out, and sooner or later, you'll see something.
This is a good post. They can see you in the dark, and they will fly in the dark.Try not to walk across open areas if possible. Don't use lights.Stay on the edge of the trees, and be silent.This is where I used to blow it, when I first started hunting birds. I wasn't early enough, or I was too noisy.You have to get to your set up point, before it starts getting light, and pick a clear, non windy day, when you can hear well.
Not exactly answering your question but if you have tons of sign n are willing to walk you should do so before you hunt n learn where to be. If there's a trail I'd use no light. Lights at least in my area bust birds.
I use one of those 3-in-1 flashlights. The ones that are about 4" long and have a white, a red, and, blueish light for blood tracking. I try not to use the light if I can see, but if I have to, I use the red light. Like others said, get there plenty early and you won't have much to worry about as long as you try and be quiet.
Two years ago, I walked right under a roosted bird after hearing one gobble about 300 yards away. Imagine my surprise when I got set up and the bird that was now behind me was so close it almost blew my hat off.
Unless you know exactly where they are roosted that day, just quietly get to the general vicinity and wait 'til gobbling time for them to let you know where they are, then adjust accordingly. Don't make it harder than what it is.
I would get to a vantage point where you can hear good from and wait for that first gobble then slowly close the distance. I have eased into the woods and had birds gobble right next to me and i've walked right past roosted birds. Roosting really helps but we all know schedules don't always this but if you can you have at least a location.
"you have to go in there" is what we used to say before the age of pop up blinds and flocks of decoys on the edge of fields. Should you choose to go in there, just be stealthy getting to a good listening point.
Is there water in the area? A creek?
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Quote from: silvestris on March 30, 2017, 03:06:12 PM
"you have to go in there" is what we used to say before the age of pop up blinds and flocks of decoys on the edge of fields. Should you choose to go in there, just be stealthy getting to a good listening point.
Your gaining intel at this point, you have to go. Go early and try your best not to spook anything and it's not the end of the world if you do spook a gobbler. Plenty of gobbler have fallen later in day after being spooked by something. At this point I would be just as interested in locating their strutting areas off the roost as I would be where their actually roosted.
In the field live.... lol
It's 9:25 and I made it to my "hole" about 7:45 due to wind and rain in the morning and not sure if I was going to try and go.
Despite being late after finally deciding, I was able to sneak in to my spot and did push one gen off the field, but got set up and had a gobble to first set of yelps at 8:00.
Saw the gobbler strutting in the field with a hen but was cutting my calling off just about every sequence. The gen eased on through the field and the gobbler started my way.
Then he hauled along with the hen and what looked like 4 jakes all running to another county, lol. Im not sure if something across the field spooked them or what. I was concealed pretty darn good, back in a hole which limited my vision but I felt I was tucked away well.
Guess I'm going to sit tight until noon and see what happens. Tomorrow morning I may try and get in well before daylight since I have a better idea which way they are coming from.
if you don't know where theyre roosted i'd stay out of the tree line before daylight. in my case, i never push into the river bottom before flydown unless i'm setting up on a specific bird where i know where he is.
i prefer to hunt the river swamp so my experience with field birds is limited, but of the few clear cuts and fields we have, some of those birds will roost right on the edge and have a clear view to watch everything around them. if this is the case, i never make a sound till i see them come off the limb. if you try to do any hen calling, the bird will just try to find the hen from the limb, and if he don't see one, 9 times out of 10 he's gonna pitch way out in that field/clear cut and strut around way out of range.
i guess it kind of depends what you're trying to do. if you want to set up and try to kill one at flydown, you got a small window to position on a bird after they start gobbling and before flydown.
if you are trying to catch them in that field, somebody else is better fit to tell you tactics for that.
if i had two days to hunt that property, the first morning i'd ease up to the treeline really early but not push into it. i'd sit down against a tree and wait for the woods to wake up. i wouldn't try to set up on a roosted bird (unless i lucked out and he's close). instead i would try to get a general idea of where some birds are roosted. just keep sitting still there, maybe do some very light calling in case you get lucky and strike up some foolish 2yr old but mostly just watching that field and trying to see where turkeys are coming in, what they are doing, and where they are going out.
the second morning, i would ease in real early to the closest spot to where I think a bird was roosted the morning before (but still out of the treeline). wait for your target bird to gobble (or hoot owl to try and shock him), and then try to position on him. big thing that i still struggle with but will help you kill more birds employing this strategy. DON'T abandon ship and go chasing some hot bird 1000yds down the tree line. you did your homework, you know there should be a bird. try not to give up on him until you know the birds are on the ground. and maybe more importantly, play him easy and make him last. i'd rather chase a fresh (unspooked) bird for a week then go for broke and booger that bird out. he may do nine different things each day, but on that tenth day, he follows the script and you win the great chess game that is turkey hunting.
Play him easy and make him last
A search of what turkeys see regarding light, it seems that they are less bothered by red light and even less by green light but do not like white light. Take that for what it's worth as you make your way toward your designated listening spot. By the time the turkeys gobble, you probably won't need any light to negotiate the woods, so make your way carefully but quickly toward him/them and look for a good spot to hide when you are around 100 yards from the gobblers.
I would guess they are roosting in the trees between the green pins and the field, they need tree limbs that go strait out from the trunk so look for those also feathers are often a dead giveaway for the roost and will tell u the direction they fly up to the roost from, a lot of roost area's show little turkey sign find those branches then look directly under them for dropings if you find a couple you found the roost. Locating the roost is the easy part.
Go in in the dark, u can use a green light flashlight (they can't see green light ) locate the roost hunt not only in the am but from 3 to fly up also, often you will have a lonely gobbler come in looking for hens. They will strut close to the roost in the clearing and on that road you walked. Good luck !
Quote from: rockymtngobblers on April 01, 2017, 02:07:49 PM
Go in in the dark, u can use a green light flashlight (they can't see green light ) locate the roost hunt not only in the am but from 3 to fly up also, often you will have a lonely gobbler come in looking for hens. They will strut close to the roost in the clearing and on that road you walked. Good luck !
I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that turkeys have all the same photo-receptors we do plus others we do not (capable of seeing UV light).... I would think they can see a green light just fine.
https://www.charlieelk.com/2016/09/07/wild-turkeys-see-in-color-but-will-pink-spook-them/
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/tom-turkeys-terrific-vision/
That being said, I drove my quad to the ranch I was hunting (due to the roads being washed out with no other access). As I set up in my spot some distance away, I watched hens and jakes meander right past my quad (that I had driven in with the lights on).
I think they can see green and red lights, and that hunting pressure and breeding enthusiasm both will play some role as to how the respond to lights, whispering, etc... As a rule, the less of a footprint we make, the less nervous we make the birds.
Quote from: Marc on April 03, 2017, 11:42:19 PM
Quote from: rockymtngobblers on April 01, 2017, 02:07:49 PM
Go in in the dark, u can use a green light flashlight (they can't see green light ) locate the roost hunt not only in the am but from 3 to fly up also, often you will have a lonely gobbler come in looking for hens. They will strut close to the roost in the clearing and on that road you walked. Good luck !
I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that turkeys have all the same photo-receptors we do plus others we do not (capable of seeing UV light).... I would think they can see a green light just fine.
https://www.charlieelk.com/2016/09/07/wild-turkeys-see-in-color-but-will-pink-spook-them/
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/tom-turkeys-terrific-vision/
That being said, I drove my quad to the ranch I was hunting (due to the roads being washed out with no other access). As I set up in my spot some distance away, I watched hens and jakes meander right past my quad (that I had driven in with the lights on).
I think they can see green and red lights, and that hunting pressure and breeding enthusiasm both will play some role as to how the respond to lights, whispering, etc... As a rule, the less of a footprint we make, the less nervous we make the birds.
Wow your right I researched it like I should have done when I was first told they can't see green at night, well this kind of wrong info is going around I saw a similar post about red. They have poor night vision. Any way thanks for setting me strait!
Quote from: rockymtngobblers on April 04, 2017, 01:36:03 AM
Quote from: Marc on April 03, 2017, 11:42:19 PM
Quote from: rockymtngobblers on April 01, 2017, 02:07:49 PM
Go in in the dark, u can use a green light flashlight (they can't see green light ) locate the roost hunt not only in the am but from 3 to fly up also, often you will have a lonely gobbler come in looking for hens. They will strut close to the roost in the clearing and on that road you walked. Good luck !
I could be wrong, but it is my understanding that turkeys have all the same photo-receptors we do plus others we do not (capable of seeing UV light).... I would think they can see a green light just fine.
https://www.charlieelk.com/2016/09/07/wild-turkeys-see-in-color-but-will-pink-spook-them/
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/tom-turkeys-terrific-vision/
That being said, I drove my quad to the ranch I was hunting (due to the roads being washed out with no other access). As I set up in my spot some distance away, I watched hens and jakes meander right past my quad (that I had driven in with the lights on).
I think they can see green and red lights, and that hunting pressure and breeding enthusiasm both will play some role as to how the respond to lights, whispering, etc... As a rule, the less of a footprint we make, the less nervous we make the birds.
Wow your right I researched it like I should have done when I was first told they can't see green at night, well this kind of wrong info is going around I saw a similar post about red. They have poor night vision. Any way thanks for setting me strait!
Yeah, they can see both red and green, but I use my red flashlight because it isn't quite as bright as a white light. I keep it pointed at the ground and use it as little as possible. I don't feel I disturb the birds with it. Two times I have unknowingly slipped in underneath birds that were still snoozing up on the roost.
Concerning the red/green/white light discussion, yesterday morning I used my green lighted pen light to navigate the edge of a long grass field that borders a thin strip of timber along a creek. I sat up my decoys where I'd seen the turkeys exit this field the previous day, all the time utilizing my green light. I snuggled up to a big hackberry tree and settled in, waiting for dawn to creep in. As it did, much to my surprise I noticed three turkeys in a tree only 30 yards away...and I learned in a few minutes that they were all gobblers! Unfortunately, at fly down they did not pitch down to my decoys but instead flew to the field on the other side of the creek where they eventually went to yesterday. I watched about a dozen hens and jakes in trees some 100 yards away across the field and they did pitch down in my grass field. Would any of these birds have spooked had I used a red or white light? I don't know, but I do know that the green light didn't even bring a putt and they never did look nervous while in the tree. I plan to stick with the green light. Just my experience for what it's worth...
Light use in any kind of hunting is little more than using some common sense. Use a light when there is little chance of spooking game and when it is necessary to do so. In your case, you are walking in two miles to where the birds are in the dark. Well, there is little concern about using a flashlight for the first 90% of that hike, but common sense indicates that using it in the last 10% is taking a risk.
Also, you are using the light to see in front of your feet. Keep the light pointed at the ground directly in front of you and there is little reason for concern. This ain't rocket science fellers.
As for hunting your birds, if at all possible you always want to be in the area of where the birds are roosted at the first hint of daybreak. As others have indicated, those birds are most likely headed for the fields (that you can't hunt) after coming off the roost. If they are not roosting along the fields and flying directly into them off the roost, your initial best bet is to get yourself positioned between the roost and the fields, and at a location where they are most likely to enter the fields. If you have not done so already in your scouting, try to determine where that might be and focus your set-ups there, at least in the early morning hours.
It may well be that those birds are roosting close to the fields and are flying directly into them, giving you no chance for a right-off-the-roost hunt. You might be able to call them, but that is pretty unlikely based on my experience. A well-place decoy in this situation would definitely help, as well. However, if you really want to kill one of those gobblers by pulling him out of the field and back onto the "legal" side of the fence, your best bet is by using another kind of "visual aid" to do so,...an "unmentionable" that has sparked a lot of debate on this site.
You have already figured out your other daytime tactic,...and that is to set-up where you have seen the most sign/birds and wait them out, calling a bit as you do so. If you have enough time and patience, and enjoy sitting and watching the grass grow, you will probably eventually kill a gobbler by doing that.