what time to "put 'em to bed"?

[teeroy]

what is the best time to start cruising the timbers to start checking for the birds on the roost? what "shock" calls work best in the afternoons?

 

[tracker]

Wait till around 7-7:30 When you see them try to scatter them, they will be call crazy in the morning, they get lonely sleeping all alone.

 

[GunnerJon]

If I have several hours on my hands, I like to slip out to the field edges, or lay on a open ridge top around 5 to 5:30pm or so. Watching the birds those last few hours on the ground gives you vital information. Most of the time, the way a big bird flys up is the same way he will fly down. Those big guys like to fly down the way they know is "safe"........that is until you see him do it and get there early in the dark of the morning!

I have had a lot of luck using an owl hooter......and if you know all the birds are in the tree (it is dark and they are all up)...I love to use a coyote howler......gets them gobbling.

 

[huntn4life88]

ive heard not to use a yote howler that it can scare the birds and acctually cause them to be quieter in the morning because they think that one yote may have brought attention to them and the rest of the pack may be around.

I dunno this for a fact though but maybe ya'll could clear that up for me?

thanks,

huntn4life88

 

[GunnerJon]

I wouldn't use the coyote howler when they are on the ground, that would scare them.....but my buddies and I have used a howler in the evening after fly-up and they gobble like crazy to it. There are so many real coyotes howling that it doesn't make a difference.

So....as long as it is evening....and is dark....and the turks are already in the tree......howling does not scare them. We use coyote howlers all the time....and we never scare the birds. They still pitch down and work like normal turkeys in the morning.