4DABUCKS
Well-Known Member
I hope ur right! I just moved my blind and got set up again. Already got hens talking and a couple gobbles not far! We'll see how it goes. If all else fails I can watch the snow melt!
Question for the day.
This question is about bowhunting turkeys. How close to the roost is close enough. I’ve killed turkeys close to the roost at the place I hunted yesterday but usually they won’t come in.
At this location I normally set up 100 yards from where they roost on a creek with marshes on the other side.
That was the case yesterday they jumped down and I never seen a turkey until I moved by blind to small plot at noon. It’s always fun to be close cause it gets the blood flowing but from my experiences once they move out the odds decrease.
Share your thoughts and opinions thanks.
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4DABUCKS
Well-Known Member
Well that didn't take long! Unfortunately they were 3 jakes. Normally that is a good thing for me but when u sign up for a contest, I have to sit here and just enjoy waiting for a big ol jollywopper!
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Ishi
PMA Member
Tell the other son to get with itEven when the kids get a little older, it is still a blast to hunt with them. 9:20 strutting, spitting and drumming until the Mossberg spoke. Never gets old....
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It’s so slow for me today the hens are following the toms. They could care less about the dekes!
Bowtech84
Well-Known Member
In my experience I'd say 100 yards is a good cut off. One farm I hunt birds roost in a pocket along a road east of where I set up every year. I set up around 50-75 yards away from them and all the years I've hunted there I've never killed a bird that came from that roost. The "killable" birds always come from the west and roost farther away. The birds from the close roost will come out in the pasture with me and strut/gobble but won't ever bite.
I've also accidentaly set up way to close to roosted birds. They usually let you know when you do that by not gobbling or very little then flying early and a good distance away from the roost tree. That's game over.
I've had the best success setting up where the toms can't see the spread from the roost tree. I see birds pitch down right into the decoys on tv but I've never killed a bird that was roosted within 100 yards.
I've also accidentaly set up way to close to roosted birds. They usually let you know when you do that by not gobbling or very little then flying early and a good distance away from the roost tree. That's game over.
I've had the best success setting up where the toms can't see the spread from the roost tree. I see birds pitch down right into the decoys on tv but I've never killed a bird that was roosted within 100 yards.
deerhunter93
Well-Known Member
Tell the other son to get with it
It’s so slow for me today the hens are following the toms. They could care less about the dekes!
I'll be hunting this weekend
CurtisWalker
Well-Known Member
Hunted this morning on a friends farm. He said they would t roost on it but would eventually come over so I got there right at shooting time sat on top of a hill and started glassing sure enough I spot 4 toms about a half mile away so I watch and once one broke off and started heading my way I went and sat my blind up. Finally around 9 he enters the field with 3 hens and he puts on a show for the next 15 minutes he’s spitting and drumming the whole way across the field trying to keep those hens next to him and they go right past me I let out a yelp and the hen replies but the keep heading so I just relax thinking the other 3 toms can’t be too far behind next thing I see is the tips of a fan going across the bottom of the blind window. He kicks the decoy twice and takes off full sprint. Wish I had known they turned back around would have been drawn before he came around. Fun hunt none the less
brian1684
Member
Been a slow 2 days for me. Birds hammering on roost. Going silent after fly down and just can’t locate where they are going. Spending some time with the wife person and gonna plan a full day tomorrow and see if I can’t catch one in the evening if the morning doesn’t work out...
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Ishi
PMA Member
I hunted the same farm Friday-14 hours in the blind and Saturday morning till noon. The same two Toms were by me both days. They would gobble like crazy and both days they stayed behind my blind and wouldn’t commit.
They left very vocal hens this AM and didn’t even care that jakes were with the hens.
I was texting with two IW members and I think they were bored also
Hopefully the switch gets flipped tomorrow.
They left very vocal hens this AM and didn’t even care that jakes were with the hens.
I was texting with two IW members and I think they were bored also
Hopefully the switch gets flipped tomorrow.
meyeri
PMA Member
Been out one evening so far but chose the wrong decoy spread. Had two strutters at 30 yards and two more at 100, but they thought better of messing with my strutter decoy. They looked like 2 year old birds, so I wasn't shocked they didn't want to play. Probably would have closed the deal with just a hen setup. Need to find that boss tom that's been kicking their tails!
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IAtaxidermist
Member
Had one of the best naps in the woods ever today. Some days it’s the little things. The Toms are stuck up here.
Bowtech84
Well-Known Member
Went out till 11 this am. Had a tom in the field with us but 5 jakes came into our spread then proceeded to run the tom off. Later had a live hen in the spread making all kinds of noise and 3 toms came out and walked by at 60 yards. The first two toms didn't even pay attention to us. The last one hung around and strutted at about 40 yards beside the blind until the other toms were out of sight then hurried off to catch up. Not much talking after 8 no gobbles after 9. Hens wandering around everywhere grouped up and alone with no toms in tow. Odd for this time of year.
Ishi
PMA Member
Naps are the best in a blind.
I sat in the blind till noon. The wind wasn’t in my favor so I couldn’t hear many gobbles in the roost. Nothing seen till 9:00 and finally seen one hen.
First gobble was heard at 10:30 and he gobbled several times and seemed to be in the mood..... never showed himself.
I did see another beautiful sunrise and snapped a pic of this rooster ( a guy gets very bored in a blind)
Most of the morning I was entertained by eagles. The blind was accidentally set up so I could see this huge eagles nest. The nest was a good quarter mile away but with aid from my binoculars I could see one moving around at times and could see the head. The mate flew back to the nest a few times to bring either food or switch with egg sitting duties.
After pack up I detoured to get closer to the nest them the magnitude of its size was amazing. When I got to close the bird flew out of the nest and was able to snap this pic then left the area quickly.
This was a fun time killer in a less then stellar day in blind. Back at it Wednesday afternoon.
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CurtisWalker
Well-Known Member
Another awesome not so awesome morning. Drew back on a tom let the arrow fly to watch it nose dive straight out of the blind. Thought maybe I hit the blind. Nope, the cord to my rest broke. Ended up seeing 8 or so jakes of which one was double bearded, 4 bearded hens, and 8 toms. Of which 5 stayed within 20 yards for about 30 or so minutes while I could just sit and watch.
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