Hunting in mature planted pines how close would be very aggressive and how close would be playing it safe. I usually walk in 1hr before first light. Reason I ask is I set a blind up for my wife and watched a few birds fly up 10-50 yards form the blind last night. Trying to stay out of the area and not bump birds relocating it. :newmascot:
All I've hunted for the past 3 years is piney woods, and I don't like to get any closer than 75-100 yards if I'm worried I might bump the birds. If you can get in silently, I don't see why you would have any problem. I'm always wary of getting too close though.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I847 using Tapatalk 2
I don't hunt in a lot of pines but I do hunt a lot of hardwoods. from my experience turkeys cant see crap in the dark... (not stretching the truth) last year by accident I got about 15 yards from a gobbler in a tree and it was barely breaking daylight and he never saw me, so I sat down behind a small tree and watched him gobble for thirty minutes. keep in mind that is was just light enough to barely see his outline. so in my opinion, as long as your quiet and its dark enough you can get as close as u want.
thanks for the replies :OGturkeyhead:
Not that I would recommend this but I set up 2 decoys and popped up a double bull directly below a bird, I new they roosted close but I actually had to look through the roof of the blind to see him, I actually killed a different bird that morning but he had no clue I was there. Get in Early and enjoy, I love watching them strut and gobble on the limb!
Early is key if there is any light you take big chance on busting him try go last bit without light or just keep it pointed to ground again be early
last week I was scouting before opening morning. I was sitting in my truck along a grassy dirt road (planted pine rows on both sides) watching some birds before they went up on the roost about 200 yards away down the road.
Anyway... from nowhere a bird jumped up and roosted 5 yards into the pines.. about 12 yards from my truck. I couldn't believe it. I gave him some time to settle down.... cranked up the trucks and eased away. He stayed there like nothing happened.
These birds may not be roosting in that area. The gobbler(s) may be walking through the area each day (or less often).
I have patterned birds that will walk a mile or more each day ... big loopy circles from their main roost area. If they hook up with a hen they may stay in that area (hours/days) until she loses interest.
If you don't use any lights and go in early and quietly you will probably be fine. I have accidentally scared birds off the roost by being too noisy, using lights or being skylighted as early as an hour and a half before sunrise. After those learning experiences I have tried to be as quiet as possible and have accidentally sat less than 10 yards from birds but remained undetected.
Turkey's see just as well as we do in the dark. And don't assume that just because the sun isn't up that their sleeping.
If you think 75 yards is to close then keep it to 100 or 125. Playing it a step on the safe side will kill you more birds than trying to sneak those last 10 yards.
Quote from: Dtrkyman on March 17, 2014, 07:45:05 PM
Not that I would recommend this but I set up 2 decoys and popped up a double bull directly below a bird, I new they roosted close but I actually had to look through the roof of the blind to see him, I actually killed a different bird that morning but he had no clue I was there. Get in Early and enjoy, I love watching them strut and gobble on the limb!
:TooFunny: