A scenario, what's your move?

[northms]

Inevitably every year early in the season I have a gobbler or two who love to roost in a bowl near a large pond on one side and a ridge on the other.  Once they hit the ground they can head to the ridge, walk down into the bottom, or walk around pond and head out to the gravel road and pasture on our cattle farm.

I say all that to say that each year they're always henned-up to the teeth and it's nearly impossible to get very close because all the hens are surrounding the big boys in their roost site.  I end up guessing which way they're going to go when they head down and it's almost impossible to pattern them because they really have no rhyme or reason as to which way they go.  A lot of the land is suitable for strutting.

Anyone have thoughts on a game plan?  I've thought about ditching the decoys and going in very early in the dark and just sitting down right near their bedroom on the edge of the ridge and not moving a muscle until fly down.

Anyways...something to pass the time before March 15

[Gooserbat]

  I've thought about ditching the decoys and going in very early in the dark and just sitting down right near their bedroom on the edge of the ridge and not moving a muscle until fly down.

This!!! would be my first move.  Then I would challenge any old mama hen and if that didn't work I might try fanning one from a field edge to see if you can get him agitated enough to close the deal.

[redleg06]

What's stopping you from letting them flydown, figuring out which way they are headed (either get a visual or hearing them), and then trying to make a move to get to where you think they're headed that particular day?

Calling to the lead hen never did much good for me and I'd usually try to let them tell me where they wanted to go that day and then get in front of them somewhere along the way.....

If they roost in a consistent spot then watch where they go that morning and put yourself between them and their roost that afternoon/evening.

[northms]

Good advice Redleg.  The really open terrain makes it tough to get around the birds once they hit the ground and head off in a direction.

[THattaway]

Usually a last resort but I've waited till they roosted and busted the hens off with pretty good success a few times. Sometimes he'll be way more cooperative.

[Stanford]

I have had some success doing the same as THattaway said and I have also had some luck busting them up mid morning and then wait about 30 to 45 minutes and try to get him fired up and coming to a call. The only thing with those options is you need to have several acres to be sure he is still where you can hunt him and make sure you aren't busting them up and running him to another hunter who might be nearby.

[highwaygun]

Take a friend and One of you get in each spot.

[Gobble!]

If I don't know where they are going I want to be above them.

[Greenshed Longbeard]

This is just a thought I have had success hunting a dusting sight but generally mid morning find that spot and set up, no decoys and call to that lead hen.

[Ruger M77]

Can you hunt all day in the state your from? If so and you want to kill one bad enough you could intercept them on there way back to roost. just shootem before they get in the tree though

[TnTurk]

#1 Things you do know... where they roost. 

#2 Things you dont know... where they are going when coming off the roost.

#3 Things to do... find them in the early afternoon and set between them and #1. 

[bamagtrdude]

TnTurk makes a really good point -- that'd be your easiest option. 

If you must or can only hunt in the mornings, I like the ridge option the best, too (if I'm visualizing this area you're talking about right).  I don't know if there's a way you could use that ridge as "cover" to ease around to that pond area, if they head that way, but I like ridges (or any rising land feature) a lot to use as a "blind" to maneuver on a bird.  I've slithered like a snake before, many times, up & over ridges (or down into gullies & stuff before).

I'm also a big fan of challenging the boss hen & driving her out of the picture; I've done this several times (last year, in fact), and "won the fight".  It's worth a shot; and every time I've done that, it hasn't seemed to bother the birds on subsequent hunts since the "real" hen beat me anyway (on days that I've lost the fight).

I'd really make it a priority to see *exactly* what's happening at roost time - where they're coming from, where the gobbler roosts vs. the hens, etc. & try to "wedge" in between them (on at least one hunt) under cover of darkness, as a morning "surprise".  My very first gobbler I ever killed, we did this with a jake/hen decoy set out, and the gobbler never said a peep on the roost; as the real hens started waking up & calling, he finally pitched out, did a "fly by" over the top of our dekes, dropped down on the ground & proceed to waltz up to & drop-kick the jake decoy thru the goal posts & I lowered the hammer on him w/my 835 Ulti-Mag.  We *thought* we had setup in the wrong spot, 'cause he never said a word - but I *BET YOU* he was watching that jake on one of HIS hens, and was madder than a hornet - hehe! 

[jblackburn]

Go fall on them!  Bust them up really good right at dark or maybe even off the roost.  When he wakes up alone in the morning he will probably be lonely, talkative and ready go get the ladies back.

[bamagtrdude]

Go fall on them!  Bust them up really good right at dark or maybe even off the roost.  When he wakes up alone in the morning he will probably be lonely, talkative and ready go get the ladies back.

+1     I think this is worth a shot, for sure!  And, added to what I said, if you can watch & know exactly where the gobbler is roosted the evening before, you *might* be able to tell *exactly* where he flies off to, after you bust them up, and then setup on him and it should be very easy pickin's.  My experience has shown that stranded birds tend to be more vocal, too.  YMMV.  And, I would *still* say, be prepared for a "fight" with the boss hen! 

[tomstopper]

If I don't know where they are going I want to be above them.

^^This. If you are above them when they fly down and they start working farther away from you, then I would wait and try to sneak around them when they get out of sight to intercept them. IMO it would be easier to sneak around them from up top vs. trying to sneak around them from the bottom (in a hurry and making it up a hill at the same time).  All of the above is good advice though. Good luck this season and keep us posted......